Never Buy Canned Soup Without Checking for This One Ingredient

In a pinch, canned soup has saved me more times than I can count. For our busy family, it’s a worthwhile pantry staple. It can be lunch on a hectic afternoon, an easy dinner when cooking feels like too much, or a comforting meal when you’re so sick that even the world’s easiest chicken soup feels beyond reach.

You may have heard that some canned soups can be high in sodium, but that doesn’t automatically make them a poor choice. Before putting a can in your cart, it’s worth taking a closer look at the Nutrition Facts label to see how much sodium you’ll actually get in your bowl. The number on the label can be misleading if you don’t check the serving size and servings per container. Kat Garcia-Benson, a registered dietitian at JTA Wellness, says there’s a simple way to make sense of the nutrition label when you’re comparing two cans side by side.

​Check the Serving Size

“Start with the serving size and total servings per container,” Garcia-Benson says. “The sodium listed on the label is usually for one serving,” which may not match how much you’ll eat.

For example, if the serving size is one cup but you’ll likely eat two, you’ll consume twice the sodium listed on the label. You can do the same with the percentage of Daily Value (%DV), which tells you how much of the recommended daily amount of sodium one serving provides. It can be an easier way to gauge the amount at a glance if milligrams don’t mean much to you.

According to the FDA, a 5% DV or less per serving is considered low, and 20% DV or more is considered high. Anything between those numbers falls between the FDA’s low and high thresholds; there isn’t an official FDA “moderate” range. As for everything in between, “there is no moderate range officially defined,” says Garcia-Benson, adding, “however, 6% to 19% daily value can be reasonably viewed as the middle/moderate range.”

​Consider the Rest of Your Day

The general Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams a day. Garcia-Benson says someone aiming for that amount might think of 400 to 500 milligrams as a reasonable target for a meal, which leaves room for snacks and everything else.

If you’re someone who primarily eats at home, you “have more flexibility than those who regularly eat restaurant and highly processed foods,” she says, adding that sodium is essential and “not something to inherently fear.” Individual needs can vary, too. People who lose substantial amounts of sodium through sweat, such as competitive athletes and people doing strenuous work in extreme heat, may need more, while people with high blood pressure may be advised to follow a lower-sodium diet.

​Understand the Claims on the Can

Front-of-can claims “can provide a helpful shortcut,” Garcia-Benson says, but it’s still worth checking the Nutrition Facts label and serving size. The FDA defines sodium claims like this:

• Low sodium: 140 milligrams or less per serving

• Reduced sodium: At least 25% less sodium than the regular version

• No salt added: No salt was added during processing, but the product may still contain sodium that occurs naturally in the ingredients

The term “low sodium” has a defined amount, while “reduced sodium” describes how a product compares with its regular version. That means a reduced-sodium soup can still be high in sodium, especially if you eat the whole can.

If two soups have similar amounts of sodium, she suggests comparing protein and fiber, since “both can make soup more filling and satisfying” (think beans, meat, vegetables, and whole grains).

“Choose one you genuinely enjoy.” Take a few extra seconds to check the label, then grab the can that fits your needs and that you’ll actually look forward to eating.

Read the original article on Simply Recipes