Written by Guest reviewer
on Wednesday, 23 August 2017.
Tagged: convenience, health, healthy eating, nutrition, review, soup
On a cold rainy day, there’s one thing more appealing than a cup of hot soup? That’s one you didn’t have to cook yourself! However, navigating the instant soup aisle has become increasingly difficult. There are dozens of options that come in a variety of presentations (cans, sachets, cups, boxes) announcing gourmet flavour combinations and compelling health claims. Let’s face it, if you are looking for an instant soup solution, it’s because you don’t have time to cook and that means you probably don’t have the time or inclination to read through nutrition labels. So here’s one solution ...
Hart & Soul might well be your “cuppa soup”, if you are looking for an easy, hot, mid-meal that’s a little more healthy and natural, and is not tea or coffee. These Asian-inspired soups have been created in consultation with a nutritionist. They come in five different flavours: Hot Korean, Green Curry, Pho, Tom Yum and Wonton, covering multiple dietary requirements such as gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan. The soups come in a takeaway-coffee type of cup with a plastic lid. Inside, a foil pouch contains the concentrated soup contents, which are ready to consume after mixing with hot water and stirring (no covering and waiting required).
I tried three of the soups: Green Curry, Pho and Tom Yum (all of them gluten- and dairy-free) and must say I was impressed with the taste. They tasted very close to the “real deal”, especially considering they came out of a pouch and cost only $1.99 each. My favourite was the Pho, just because it has real meat (8 per cent beef according to the label) although its protein level is around the same as the others. However due to the low protein and fibre content, I wouldn’t recommend one as a main meal. But they would work as a between-meal savoury drink or a hot beverage with a meal. They are similar to most other dried soups in that they are low in protein and fibre with too much sodium (salt).
Great taste, as close to authentic as you can get in a ready-to-eat product.
Here is the nutrition info taken from the nutrition panels of the three soups I sampled:
Green Curry | Pho | Tom Yum | ||||
Nutrient | Per serve | Per 100g | Per serve | Per 100g | Per serve | Per 100g |
Energy, kJ/Cals | 508/121 | 200/48 | 135/32 | 53/13 | 275/65 | 108/25 |
Protein, g | 2.4 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.7 |
Fat total, g | 6.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.8 | 1.1 |
Fat saturated, g | 3.7 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
Carbohydrate, g | 15.2 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 8.5 | 3.3 |
Sugars, g | 9.1 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 1.1 |
Dietary fibre, g | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0.7 |
Sodium, mg | 850 | 333 | 545 | 214 | 901 | 353 |
For an instant soup, these soups rank among the tastiest and the healthiest, given that they appear to have mostly natural ingredients and no fillers. They taste great, are inexpensive and super convenient. They are low in protein and fibre with too much sodium (salt), however, they are very low in kilojoules/Calories, which make them ideal for people who need to watch their kilojoule intake. I will definitely keep a couple in my pantry.
Thanks to dietitian Gaby Mora, Provisional APD for writing this post.
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