The 12 Unhealthiest Canned Soups

The idea of having a warm bowl of soup may be a comforting prospect when cold weather takes over, but it isn't always a healthy one, especially if you're trying to avoid making mistakes with homemade soup by heating up soup from a can instead. Canned soup is notorious for its outrageous sodium count, and some of the richer recipes come with a high calorie and fat count as well. What's meant to be a meal that soothes can sometimes end up becoming an obstacle to healthy eating. Obviously, not all soups are created equally, which means some cans are less nutritious than others. Getting a clear picture of how the contents of the can may impact your well-being is the best way to make sure you can identify the unhealthiest canned soups on the shelf.

With so many brands and varieties on the market, which options represent the most questionable choices when it comes to nutrition? We went on a search to find the unhealthiest canned soups around so we could lay out the facts. We gauged each soup by its serving size and concentration of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium to isolate the worst offenders, while giving credit to protein and fiber where applicable, to be fair. Our choices may include some of the most popular soups around, but all selections are also a serious challenge to your healthful eating ideals.

Get excited about the prospect of finding a plant-based soup that includes a non-meat sausage, and get ecstatic about the idea that it's a spicy, savory gumbo ... but temper your excitement at the surprising shortfalls when it comes to overall healthfulness. A can of Gardein Plant-Based Saus'ge Gumbo comes with more troublesome nutrition numerology than you might imagine, especially from a company that offers its options as alternatives to less healthy, meat-based offerings.

How unhealthy is this canned soup? The 210 calories and five fat grams, only 1.5 of which are saturated, aren't outrageous, considering a single serving of this soup may end up being your entire meal. The 10 grams of plant-based protein even help justify the calorie and fat count. But you also get a blood pressure-elevating 1090 milligrams of sodium. This is one of the highest quantities we found in the cans we researched for our list, a fact we found highly surprising in a product many soup fans may consider a go-to for better nutrition. While the prospect of replacing meat is deliciously tempting, this is one soup you might want to think about leaving in the can.

A welcome dash of Mexican flavor among canned soups comes in the form of Chunky Spicy Chicken Quesadilla, a bowlful of all the things you love about Tex-Mex cuisine blended up into a creamy chowder-like soup. It may not be the spiciest Chunky soup, but the label calls out chunks of chicken that are free of antibiotics, along with beans and vegetables surrounded by puréed tomatoes that sound like you'll be getting a blend of salsa, nachos, and bean dip in every spoonful. What self-respecting soup fan could say no to such an enticing combination?

Yes, it's also a rich combination. And while there's a healthy way to make cheesy chicken soup with a recipe that minimizes fat and sodium, this can of Chunky soup isn't it. While 180 calories per one-cup serving might sound moderate, the seven fat grams are creeping up toward the high side, though only 1.5 of those are saturated. And the 20 milligrams of cholesterol and 790 milligrams of sodium start putting a real damper on your soup fiesta. Simple mental math proves that even a single serving will be working against you. Having more is bound to put you squarely in unhealthy eating territory.

When your soup cravings take you in a creamier direction, you might stumble upon Progresso Three Cheese Tortellini in the soup section. It's a tempting combination of comfort food favorites, offered up in a chowder-like formula that includes spinach for an added dash of green goodness. With an allergy warning featuring eggs, milk, soy, and wheat, eaters with special considerations will know right away to sidestep this can. Barring those restrictions, you may eye up Progresso's cheesy concoction as a filling lunchtime treat.

Think carefully before you reach for a can. A one-cup serving carries 170 calories—not the worst you could do for a meal. The 10 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of which are saturated, and 15 milligrams of cholesterol, though? Those start tilting this soup toward the questionable side of the balance. Add to the pot 700 milligrams of sodium, or 30% of what you should have daily, and suddenly you have a formula for poor health choices on the table. There are two servings per can, filled with flavor that might make you think dipping your ladle in for a second round will be a good idea. The nutrition information should warn you away and help you decide on a different canned soup entirely.

Amy's brand is built on the concept that responsibly-sourced organic food can be hearty and delicious. So it's a bit of a surprise to find out that not every option in the company's catalog presents the potential for healthy eating. Notable among the less preferable options is Amy's Organic Hearty Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup. Aside from including ingredients that may trouble people with allergies in some of its creations, Amy's also tosses in some unfavorable additives that are sure to confuse considerate eaters looking for a trustworthy canned soup that hits the spot.

Amy's infuses a single serving of this chunky concoction with a higher-than-desirable 310 calories and an eyebrow-raising 13 grams of fat, though only 1.5 of those are saturated. But the real stunner in the nutrition facts grid is the sodium, which dials in at 1,320 milligrams—that's 57% of what's advised! The ingredient list may mention the organic nature of just about every item in the can, but when you're getting this much of the bad stuff at the end of your spoon, organic becomes a nonstarter. The label also lists the nutritional information for a one-cup serving, but those numbers are more than half, which means there's no getting around the mistakes you'll make with this canned soup on your shopping list.

Aldi shelves a signature canned brand with Simply Nature Organic Chicken Noodle, a challenge to the best examples of chicken noodle soup in the canned soup world. The label bears all the hallmarks of a responsible store-brand product, terms like "organic," "non-GMO,", and "low-fat" that are worked into the graphic design. With Aldi offering delicious finds that won't break the bank, shopping for soup at the budget-friendly retailer is a no-brainer for anyone looking to enjoy a warm lunch while watching their checking account balance.

But this canned soup proves that healthful labeling doesn't always equal healthful dining. The 90 calories per one-cup serving is definitely attractive, as is the one gram of fat. The 20 grams of cholesterol makes things a bit less appealing. And with 690 milligrams of sodium added in, the healthy choice you've made in the realm of calories and fat begins to leak through the bottom of the bowl.

Of the unhealthy canned soups we chose, Simply Nature Organic Chicken Noodle may be the least unhealthy option. But it has one of the highest concentrations of cholesterol, which means you can do better by opening a different can.

The name sounds heavenly: chicken noodle soup, with roasted chicken for extra flavor. The mind reels just thinking about it! With Kroger Roasted Chicken Noodle, the first-glance possibilities for a bowl of soup that nourishes the body as well as the soul seem on point. The grocery giant is clearly aiming to wrangle the soup market away from the better-known names with this creation, and the front of the can does a smashing job of attracting customers.

It's the back of the can that should send interested parties scrabbling for a less indulgent selection. Every one-cup serving comes with 200 calories and four grams of fat, 1.5 of which are saturated, which gets things off to a rickety — if not entirely offensive — start. Then you discover there are 30 milligrams of cholesterol in the bowl too, and things get a little murkier. By the time you find out you're consuming 1470 milligrams of sodium — 64% of your daily allotment — you realize the mistake you've made. Put the can back on the shelf and back away slowly ... your body deserves better than this can of distasteful additives disguised as lovely soup.