13 Unhealthiest Store-Bought Soups

Store-bought soup is a convenient and simple meal that people often turn to when they're in a rush. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to be a surprisingly unhealthy meal thanks to the high amounts of sodium and saturated fat these products often contain. In this article, we highlight 13 store-bought soups that aren't as healthy as they could be, so you can make informed choices the next time you're buying.

We've focused on soups that are high in sodium and saturated fat because diets high in these two nutrients have been linked with a variety of illnesses and diseases. According to the American Heart Association, diets high in saturated fat cause cholesterol levels to rise which, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Diets high in sodium also have negative impacts on health by driving up blood pressure which, as the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health notes, has also been linked with cardiovascular ill health.

The average American consistently consumes around 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day. That's 1000 milligrams more than the recommended level. A similar pattern is seen in saturated fat consumption. A study published in Food Surveys Research Group Dietary Data Briefs found that only one third of American adults consumed the recommended amount of saturated fats. We hope that the following article will enable some people to identify store-bought soup as a sneaky contributor to their high sodium and saturated fat intake.

Amy's Kitchen markets itself as a pioneer of organic food in the United States and has sold products made from organic produce since 1987. In the U.S., organic foods are generally perceived as being healthier than non-organic foods, which often obscures the fact that organic food products can be just as unhealthy as similar, non-organic food products.

This is demonstrated by Amy's Kitchen Organic Hearty Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup, a canned soup that, per cup, contains 810 milligrams of sodium. This equates to 35% of an adult's daily value. When the whole can is consumed, this number jumps to 1,320 milligrams which is more than half an adult's daily value. Numbers this high mean Amy's Kitchen Organic Hearty Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup has to be included in our list despite it only containing a single gram of saturated fat per one cup serving.

Progresso is a brand that's been known for its soup since the 1970s. Now owned by General Mills, the brand is available in most major grocery stores in the United States and is a firm favorite of the public. As a result, Progresso currently produces a large range of canned soups, the Rich & Hearty Three Cheese Tortellini Soup among them.

As the name suggests, Progresso's Rich & Hearty Three Cheese Tortellini Soup contains a variety of ingredients including cheese tortellini, ricotta, and Asiago cheese which is produced in various parts of Veneto and Trentino-Adige. Given this collection of ingredients, it's not surprising to learn that the soup is high in saturated fat. A single cup of this soup contains 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 17% of an adult's daily value. If the whole can is consumed this number doubles.

The soup also contains a considerable amount of sodium; one cup of the soup contains 700 milligrams. This is a large amount that, when combined with the soup's high fat content, makes this product easily definable as unhealthy.

Most Americans have heard of Panera Bread, a bakery-café fast food chain that boasts over 2,000 locations. These bakery-cafés are known for their soups, and the company has long sold some of these soups for sale in grocery stores, some being tastier than others. Walmart and Kroger are just two of the grocery store brands that carry Panera Bread's range of ready-to-heat soups, ensuring that millions of Americans have access to them.

Panera Bread's soups are far from the healthiest products on the market. In fact, the brand's soups are decidedly unhealthy with two being included in this article. Per cup, the brand's Gluten Free Ready-to-Heat Mexican Style Street Corn Chowder contains 970 milligrams of sodium. This is 42% of an adult's daily value. If the whole container is consumed, this number jumps up to 1,800 milligrams. Aside from being 78% of an adult's daily value, this container of soup contains nearly 300 milligrams more sodium than Burger King's Double Whopper with Cheese.

Panera Bread's Gluten Free Ready-to-Heat Mexican Style Street Corn Chowder compounds this sky high sodium content by containing five grams of saturated fat — 25% of an adult's daily value — per cup. This is the second highest saturated fat content of any soup on our list, clearly marking Panera Bread's Gluten Free Ready-to-Heat Mexican Style Street Corn Chowder as one of the unhealthiest soups around.

Chicken noodle soup is famously a warm, soothing dish. In an attempt to replicate these characteristics, Kroger's version of this classic soup features roasted white chicken meat, enriched egg noodles, and carrots all for under $2 a can. Thanks to these ingredients, Kroger Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup is low in saturated fat. You'll get just 0.5 grams of saturated fat from a one-cup serving, or 1.5 grams if the entire can is consumed. This is a more than reasonable amount that should not put anyone off.

The soup's sodium content is where its healthy credentials falter. A single cup of Kroger Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup contains 680 milligrams of salt which is 30% of an adult's daily value. The entire can, which many people will consume in one sitting, contains just under 1,500 milligrams of salt. This is an incredibly high amount given that, at only 200 calories, this soup will likely be consumed alongside other foods. This means that, unless people are careful, they could easily consume more than their daily value of sodium in a single meal thanks to Kroger's Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup.

Any soup that contains bacon and cream cheese is going to struggle to be classified as healthy. This is the case for Progresso's Rich & Hearty, Loaded Potato with Bacon Canned Soup. By all accounts, this soup is unhealthy. It's higher in calories than many other soups mentioned in this article and also contains substantial amounts of saturated fat and sodium.

Per cup, Progresso Rich & Hearty, Loaded Potato with Bacon Canned Soup contains three grams of saturated fat, a number that's doubled when the entire can is consumed in one sitting. Both bacon and soybean oil, one of the unhealthiest cooking oils around, are among the ingredients that contribute to this relatively high amount. The soup also contains 760 milligrams of sodium per cup. While less than some other soups included in this list, 760 milligrams is still a considerable amount which does more than enough to distance Progresso Rich & Hearty, Loaded Potato with Bacon Canned Soup from any claims of being a healthy product.

Campbell's range of chunky soups are known to be hearty, flavorful, and filling. When it comes to store-bought soups, though, this often means that the soup is laden with sodium and saturated fat, and Campbell's Chunky Soup, Pub-Style Chicken Pot Pie is no exception.

The most alarming aspect of this soup is its sodium content. One cup of Campbell's Chunky Soup, Pub-Style Chicken Pot Pie contains 790 milligrams of sodium, 34% of an adult's daily value. The entire 18.8 ounce can contains much more, clocking in 1,720 milligrams of sodium, accounts for three quarters of an adult's daily value. This is a huge amount that more than warrants the soup's inclusion in this article.

A cup of Campbell's Chunky Soup, Pub-Style Chicken Pot Pie also contains two grams of saturated fat. While not staggering, this number contributes to the soup's unhealthy nutritional profile. That being said, it's the sodium which is the real concern here.