Health warning to anyone who enjoys eating soup for lunch
Whether you have the luxury of working from home or find yourself in an office five days a week, it's clear that, no matter your setup, sorting out a cheap, convenient and healthy lunch is a problem many of us struggle with.
Let's face it, not everyone has the time, energy or fridge space to meal prep a whole week's worth of healthy homemade lunches.
A lot of the time, we find ourselves going over our weekly food budget on meal deals, fast-food snacks, and microwaveable offerings, but the NHS has warned against these dodgy lunchbox go-tos, as they could be damaging our health way more than we think.
When compared to something like a takeaway burger or a packet of ultra-processed instant noodles, a grab-and-go soup may feel like a quick and healthy option, but you'd be sorely mistaken, as your favourite tinned soup is actually full of salt and sugar.
Advert
Nutritionist and broadcaster Amanda Ursell warned that your bog-standard 400g tin of soup contains around 1g of salt per half-can serving.
"Always look at the salt levels on all soup labels, both chilled and tinned. To help control our blood pressure, we shouldn’t exceed 6g of salt in a day," she explained to Saga.
Then there's also the case of high levels of saturated fats, which the NHS has said can 'increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease', as well as huge amounts of sugar increasing 'your risk of obesity and tooth decay'.
As part of its 'Healthier food swaps' campaign, the NHS has helpfully shared a series of simple food swap ideas that can help cut down on sugar, salt and fat in your diet.
"Even just one or two everyday swaps can really make a difference and go a long way to making each day healthier – but the more you make, the better!" the health body assures.
The NHS recommends swapping tinned soup for something like a homemade spiced chicken and vegetable soup or a harvest vegetable soup.
Providing more useful tips, Ursell recommended: "If you have space in the freezer, cook homemade soup in large batches and freeze into portions, to save time and effort at future mealtimes.
"You’ll have the advantage of knowing exactly what’s gone into the saucepan, and are likely to have significantly higher levels of B vitamins and vitamin C in the end result."
And that's not the only major lunchtime food swap the NHS has warned about.
Additionally, they say you can swap out split pot yoghurts and pudding pots for lower-sugar fromage frais or plain natural yoghurt, cake bars and cereal bars for sugar-free jelly, muffins and chocolate for a slice of malt loaf or a fruited teacake.
The list also suggests replacing crisps with fresh or tinned fruit (in juice, not syrup), plain popcorn, plain rice cakes, or raisins.
Instead of juice pouches and fizzy drinks, the NHS recommends no-added-sugar juice drinks or water with berries and chopped fruit.
And, lastly, their own recipe 'beefed up sarnies' over ham and cheese sandwiches.
Rhiannon Ingle