Skip that broccoli cheddar soup

Composed: May 7, 2023

Author: Autumn

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Skip that broccoli cheddar soup - Try this one!

Let's dissect a common store-bought soup. It's pre-made, just requiring heating. While ingredient lists may have slight variations, they're essentially identical. Here's why I'd steer clear.

INGREDIENTS

Vitamin D Milk - this is a fortified milk product. The Vitamin D contained within is not highly bioavailable. Your body won't absorb most of it. It's just nutritional fluff to make food seem healthier.
Water - water is fine.
Light Cream - why light cream? There is nothing inherently wrong with dietary fat. And later, they use milkfat. Using "light" cream is just more nutritional fluff to try and make something seem healthy.
Broccoli - broccoli is OK if you like it.
Cheddar Cheese: Ingredients: Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes - this is one of the few ingredients on the list that are OK.
Modified Corn Starch - This is a cheap, unhealthy thickener. It provides nothing of any nutritional value and will increase blood sugar.
Contains 2% Or Less Of:

Onions - onions are OK.
Butter: Ingredients: Cream, Salt - this is another one of the few ingredients on the list that are OK.
Cultured Dextrose - a food additive used to extend shelf life. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not completed its assessment and has not yet deemed it GRAS -generally recognized as safe-, but it is used in a variety of foods.
Natural Parmesan Reggiano Type Flavor: Ingredients: Cheese: (Containing: Pasteurized Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Water, Salt, Nonfat Dry Milk, Milkfat, Disodium Phosphate- "type flavor"? Come on…just use Parmesan cheese.
Organic Soy Sauce: Ingredients: Water, Organic Soybeans, Salt, Organic Alcohol - this is an endocrine disruptor.
Garlic - garlic is OK.
Whey Protein Concentrate - "Some people experience constipation, diarrhea or nausea taking whey protein, especially if they take large amounts." This ingredient isn't a problem, per se. Other than to say if you have issues digesting it then you might not want to eat this soup.
Whey - as mentioned above, whey can cause digestive issues for some people.
Skim Milk - why skim milk? There isn't anything inherently wrong with dietary fat and they add milkfat. This is just another way of making this soup seem healthy. More nutritional fluff.
Sodium Citrate - this is mainly used as a food additive to impart flavor and/or as a preservative. It has a sour, citrusy, salty taste. Of the ingredients here, it's not horrible. From a flavor perspective a squeeze of lemon and a dash of salt would accomplish the same thing.
Milkfat - There isn't anything wrong with milkfat.
Yeast Extract - you may have heard that yeast extract is a name used by food manufacturers to hide the fact that they're using MSG. This is not accurate. Yeast extract is a water-soluble extract produced from spent brewers yeast. So, it is made from yeast that has been used in beer brewing. It is a processed food, so consumption is a personal preference. On the surface, it's not inherently bad. I actually give brewers' yeast to my chickens and it's good for poultry health.
Dehydrated Onion - dehydrated onion is OK.
Lactic Acid - a food preservative. It's not really necessary if you're home cooking and eating freshly prepared foods, but it's not bad.
Oleoresin Paprika & Annatto - these ingredients are added for color and are OK.
Salt - salt is OK.

If we take the few items that are actually OK from this very long list of ingredients, we can make a really great tasting, nutritious soup! And, we can make it for a pretty good price, and with minimal effort. For reference, the ingredients that are OK are:

Cream (we'll use heavy, not light)
Water
Broccoli
Cheddar cheese
Onions
Butter
Garlic
Paprika
Salt

Let's take these simple ingredients and make a delicious soup that will leave us feeling satisfied and nourished and that won't break the bank or take all day to make.

Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe.

MACROS

Calories: 451
Fat: 37.3g
Protein: 16.5g
Carbs (total): 14.5g

COST

Butter: $0.58
Cream: $0.68
Chicken stock: $0.33
Broccoli: $1.05
Garlic: $0.08
Onion: $0.24
Tillamook Cheddar Cheese: $4.50
Total: $8.46 -- $2.12 per serving

@autumnallyear.us Don’t eat that store bought broccoli cheddar soup - make this one instead! #keto #lowcarb #batchcooking #mealprep #ketolunch #ketodinner #broccolicheddarsoup #dinnerrecipes #glutenfree #grainfree #eggfree #nutfree #ketosoup #diabeticfriendly ♬ Good Vibes (Instrumental) - Ellen Once Again