Souping is the new juicing

Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Souping is the new juicing
Souping is hot right now. Along with online recipes and books, companies offer pre-made soup concoctions you can take with you.

Kimberly Wright has good reason to take care of herself.

"I'm a two-time cancer survivor and a two-time stroke survivor, and I'm currently dealing with thyroid challenges."

Wright considers soup her go-to meal every day of the week.

"It's quick, it's efficient and you control what goes into it."

Wright is not alone-- in fact, "souping" is hot right now. Along with online recipes and books, companies offer pre-made soup concoctions you can take with you.

Fans can sip flavors like 'beans and greens', 'parsnip apple,' or 'organic carrot coconut lime'.

"There are a lot of companies marketing souping as kind of like a cleanse or a detox, so taking one or more days per week and having just soup during the day," said Alissa Rumsey, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Rumsey says our bodies typically do just fine detoxing on their own, but, she says soups tend to have more fiber than the previously popular juicing trend. She believes the right soups can add important vitamins and proteins to your diet.

"The companies that are putting out these souping products, they're using mostly plant-based foods, so a lot of vegetables, a lot of beans, legumes, nuts. They're also using a lot of spices instead of sodium."

That's a good thing, because too much sodium can easily sneak into soups.

Rumsey said it's still possible to go overboard, or under, in a way.

"These souping days are really too low calorie. Most of them clock in at less than 1,200 calories a day, and for most people, especially people who are active, that's just not enough."

Rumsey says it's simply not sustainable.

Wright agrees, and typically sticks with one soup per day. She is sold on souping and makes her own so that she can always try new combinations.

"With that variety it never gets old to me."

The soup companies that offer up options online can ship them to your door, but it comes at a price.

We found options from about $7 for one soup bottle to about $60 for multiple meals that included a one day cleanse.