Attention! Class is about to begin.
Let’s get started with today’s lesson in healthy living. Operation Take Back Your Health is now underway:
Step 1: Walk to your kitchen pantry and open the door.
Step 2: Remove all canned foods.
Step 3: Throw them in the trash. Yes, the trash. That’s where they belong. Don’t give them away as this is simply passing on the curse of ill health to another unsuspecting soul.
Step 4: Do your very best to never, EVER buy anything in a can again.
Well done. Class dismissed.
Canned Foods A Huge Detriment to Health
If you’ve been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you know that canned food is something that is very much a detriment to your health and not just because the food is basically nutritionless due to the high temperatures and pressures required during processing.
Possibly the most worrisome problem of all is that almost all brands of canned food, except for a very few organic ones, contain the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A, better known as BPA in the can lining. BPA is a byproduct of the chemicals used to prevent can corrosion.
Why is BPA such a HUGE, HUGE problem, particularly for our children?
Because it causes massive hormone disruption with the serious problem of early puberty, ADHD, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and the list goes on and on and on.
Think this problem is overblown? Consider this.
Currently, as many as 10 in 100 white girls, 15 in 100 Hispanic girls, and 25 in 100 African American girls are experiencing breast development as early as 7 years old! The earlier a girl goes into puberty, the higher her chances of breast cancer later in life.
Canned Foods Much Worse Than Previously Thought
Now comes the news that the BPA in canned foods raises urine levels of this dangerous chemical much more than previously believed.
In a study published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, participants who ate canned soup every day for only five days had urine levels of BPA that were 1,221% higher than those who instead ate freshly made soup.
Karin Michels, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard University and leader of the study, said, “To see an increase of this magnitude was quite surprising.”
Michels added, ”We are concerned about the influence of [hormone-disrupting] chemicals on health in general, and BPA is one of them.”
The study included 75 people whose average age was 27. Progresso was the only brand of soup that was tested. This is the first study to actually measure the BPA levels in urine using randomized participants eating food that was either canned or fresh.
Study researcher Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student at Harvard made the observation that, “We’ve known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body. This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use.”
A number of studies have linked BPA with a host of health problem. In 2008, a study of 1,455 participants showed that higher urine levels of BPA were linked with higher cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and abnormal liver enzymes even when factors such as smoking and age were taken into account.
Other studies have show a correlation between BPA in a pregnant woman’s urine and resultant health problems in her child.
How much more evidence is needed? Wise shoppers who are truly concerned about health and the potential for estrogen dominance from exposure to BPA will consistently bypass all canned foods on their trips to the supermarket or the healthfood store!
Have no idea how to make fresh soup? Relearn this traditional culinary wisdom by browsing the free video library on this blog which contains a number of lessons on homemade stocks and soups.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources: BPA Levels Soar After Lunching on Canned Soup
More US Girls Starting Puberty Early
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{ 93 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for this crucial knowledge. Along with being full of BPA, canned food is just about worthless from a nutritional standpoint, and is often made from the worst factory ingredients.
We have had no canned food in our home for years now, and we do not miss it. Not at all.
BPA should be banned. Instead, the FDA goes after raw milk.
I encourage everybody to do just what you suggested, and throw out every can in the house.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Turkey Broth from Leftovers — Paleo, Primal, and Delicious
I agree BPA is a concern. However, is it only in cans? What about Ziploc bags? Or other plastic containers – where I store bone broth in the freezer? All our meats come wrapped in plastic from the stores as well. I heard that stainless steel water bottles – which we switched to to get away from Nalgenes – also contain BPA. I would like to see scientists do the studies to help us prioritize areas of most harm to least harm. For example, microwave ovens, reverse osmosis water filters, conventional vs. organic, pastured vs. confined, plastic vs. stainless steel, too much time on wifi laptops, etc. etc.
Yes, it is all about exposure. Eliminating processed foods – especially cans – goes a very long way toward reducing the problem as the urine samples from this group of folks suggests. The ones eating canned soup had astonishingly high levels compared with the others who were very likely getting exposure from the sources you listed in your comment. If you want to prioritize, getting the cans out is a huge first step.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
Good point Charlene. I hate cans, and do my best to avoid them, but how easy is it to avoid ziplock bags – which are most convenient for packing kids’ lunches? Granted, these bags don’t stay with the food preserved in there for months and years like cans, but it’s still a concern. Also, meat and dairy from the co-op come in plastic … it’s almost a waste (in my opinion) to put such a high-quality food as pastured raw dairy in a plastic jug! As for the studies you mention, these won’t likely happen in the near future because “scientists” are paid by large pharmaceuticals, and of course they don’t care about this kind of research … because it doesn’t promote their drugs and doesn’t make money (i.e. they don’t care to promote small family farms that produce nutrient-dense foods … instead they’re working on more “high-tech” junk and expensive pills that supposedly make life more convenient, but that turn out to be poisonous over the years)! An independent, non-profit agency has to do the kind of research that you and I are interested in … but those who have the money to start that kind of thing are spending it on other stuff … Anyway, for now, I think it’s safe to assume from what we do know that most things that emit radiation (phones, wireless internet, body scanners, microwaves, etc) should be kept at a distance and used less frequently, and that our food should be as fresh and as unprocessed/untampered with as possible. The more we can go “back to basics”, the better!
Heba @ My Life in a Pyramid\’s last post: Letter to Chipotle: Rock on but without the burnt pieces, please!
What about canned wild sardines and salmon/tuna?
I would only have them in the pantry for an emergency.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
Vital Choice cans are BPA free
Wild Planet Tuna cans are also BPA-free … They also have ones packaged in glass jars!
Heba @ My Life in a Pyramid\’s last post: Letter to Chipotle: Rock on but without the burnt pieces, please!
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
My DH and I ordered a whole case of Wild Planet tuna from Vitacost several years ago. Ended up feeding it to the dog because it was sooooo grossly fishy – smelling and tasting. Is it better now? I made a tuna casserole and it stunk up the whole dern house. Smelled like fish in here for days, which after day two is downright nasty. I burned candles and sage and everything, to no avail. Short of setting the place on fire we just had to let it run its course. I would really like opinions on the quality and taste of Wild Plant nowadays. Maybe they’ve improved since we had it.
Will try it tomorrow and let you know
Heba @ My Life in a Pyramid\’s last post: Letter to Chipotle: Rock on but without the burnt pieces, please!
Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems — The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/90rJp0hm
Thank you for this information! What about cans that are lined? Are there any brands of tomatoes and beans that are safe?
No. All canned tomato products even organic are loaded with BPA. Eden canned beans might be ok as Eden has committed as a company to get rid of BPA. HOWEVER, soaking/cooking your own beans is a much better choice. I make huge batches of beans and freeze them … easy and convenient that way.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
Sarah,
Beans are one of the only things I still buy in cans (besides tomato products) and I want to learn how to use dried beans. Would you consider maybe doing a video on preparing dried beans? Or maybe putting a chart together on your blog about soaking times and cooking times and such? Your site is my go-to for all things natural
I love when you take time to cover “simple” things. It’s really helpful to me!
Ideally, one would can his/her own tomatoes in glass jars during tomato season. But for the lazy like me, there’s a great company I found called Bionaturae that sells both tomato paste and strained tomato sauce – both certified organic – in glass. Here’s the website: http://www.bionaturae.com/tomatoes.html. Middle Eastern cooking uses a LOT of tomato paste, so I had been trying to find an alternative to cans for a while and that’s the best I found. Here’s a post I wrote on my other blog, midEATS, of a recipe that uses this tomato paste: http://mideats.com/2011/11/cooked-spinach-with-chickpeas-in-red-sauce-sabanikh-bil-hummus/ Hope this is helpful! In the meantime, I’m also looking for a local source …
Heba @ My Life in a Pyramid\’s last post: Letter to Chipotle: Rock on but without the burnt pieces, please!
Great info! Unfortunately, if I did this, my husband would have me committed for sure! He already describes my commitment to avoiding packaged and prepared foods as an eating disorder (nothing wrong with eating crap apparently, as long as it’s in moderation); however, eating that stuff results in a very unhappy gut for me … which would not happen (he maintains) if I just ate crap regularly so my body can adapt, because that’s what humans have been doing for eons. He characterizes home made stock (chicken or beef) as “your witch’s brew”, recoils from liver, game meats, and vegetables from the garden (grocery store veg is superior because why?), and gets upset when I cook in the oven because it will make it dirty (better to microwave a prepared packaged roast in a plastic dish–sigh).
Sorry for the rant! I’d love your blog and appreciate that you take the time to source and publish this research–just wish it wasn’t so darn hard to incorporate into my life.
Wow Leslie! You’ve got your work cut out for you!!
Actually humans haven’t eaten ‘crap’ for eons.. just the last century or so – especially the 20th and onward. Can he not remember his grandmother or his great grandmother? They probably had farms, gardens, cooked from scratch, etc…
As to the oven vs microwave cooking, does he clean them? If not, why does he care which one you use? If he does clean them, maybe you can take over that task and he can do something else??
Fortunately my DH grew up eating home cooking (mostly) from scratch so he’s okay there. But he does like his occasional ‘junk’. About the only can I buy anymore is some tomatoes (about to go glass-only on that front) and some refried beans for DH (like twice a year – I do make my own, but for emergency cases I keep a can around).
Magda\’s last post: Last few days…
DH clean the oven hahaha! Thanks for the light moment of the morning
It’s a relief to be able to seek reassurance from those who don’t think it’s lunacy to be aware that the quality of what we ingest affects our health.
Having an unsupportive spouse is clearly one of the biggest obstacles to making healthy changes in the home, no doubt. Be persistent. Do your own thing in a quiet and determined way … just because he doesn’t want to comply doesn’t mean you have to go along with it.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
wow leslie…. wow….
-jason and lisa-
Unfortunately, Leslie’s recounting is not unusual. I would venture to say most households react in much the same way. I agree with Sarah – slow and steady keep on your course, and eventually husbands and other family members get the idea. Husbands, though, are usually last because they are stubborn. ; ->)
I have always cooked for my family, but over a year ago when I started cooking pretty much everything from scratch and eliminating all processed foods, my husband really sunk his heels in. A few months ago, out of the blue he thanked me for all of the effort I put into making sure that our family eats healthy. It was a slow road and he still rolls his eyes occasionally, but I bet your husband will soften to the idea eventually.
Leslie – trying making broth with chicken feet! That will really get your husband crazed; it did mine! But seriously, I agree with Sarah. Slow, steady and determined will get you to a good point. I leave books in the bathroom for my husband to read. I send emails about nourishing foods and the dangers of canned foods and the like. It’s helped and I’ve gotten to a point where he’ll eat my food…
Send your husband to read this: http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2011/9/10/helping-husbands-adapt-to-real-food-part-i.html My husband wrote it. He’s pretty tough, but, in his opinion, a man who flat-out refuses to try real food or even ridicules his wife (however “gently”) is wrong, bottom line. It doesn’t go so well when wives say that…but maybe he’d listen to another man.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama\’s last post: Happy Thanksgiving!
As our family moves away from processed foods, the first thing for us to go was canned soup as well as canned chicken stock, vegetable stock and beef stock. We also refuse to use bouillon cubes of any kind. I much prefer my homemade soup stock and I’m becoming even better at it each time I make it. This Thanksgiving we won’t be eating turkey, but we will be eating cornish game hens. The stock I’m making for the gravy as well as for the stuffing is made from what I’ll be making today. It does take me a full 24 hours to make my stocks, but I’m learning how to allot the time before hand and also to keep stock in the fridge for the week.
We simply don’t buy canned foods of any kind anymore and we don’t miss it either.
Angela\’s last post: Pre-Thanksgiving Productivity
Leslie, keep up the good work and don’t let your husband bring you down. You obviously know a great deal about health and nutrition and he doesn’t. I don’t know why some men can’t be more supportive
The last time I opened a can of soup, my daughter and I thought that it smelled like barf. With a slow cooker, you can make it yourself so much easier.
Don’t forget to never order soup at a restaurant either unless you have talked to the chef yourself to confirm how it’s made. Asking the waiter is pointless in my experience.
Just had soup last night.. guess i’ll have to go find some soup recipes..
Thank you for this information. It is quite alarming. I stopped feeding my daughter canned soup and go through the effort of making her homemade soup. She loves it and also eats it almost everyday after school. I became concerned because when she turned five she started to have body odor and I noticed she also began to develop breasts. I hit puberty early as well. I spoke to my husband and as much as he hates the cost I am changing things at home more and more. It is how I found your blog. I hope to reverse as much as possible. We do not have access to raw milk so I cut out milk from our diet. I have to become “mean mom” as she calls me because I do not like her to eat and drink the food and milk from school. It is a huge struggle for me but I hope well worth it for her future. Thank you again.
We gave up canned soup because it tastes awful! We still buy canned tomatoes and coconut milk—-I need to work on that. We don’t have as many options here in the UK. We make great soup full of flavour because we season our Sunday Roast chicken really well. Sometimes it is just lemon and garlic, sometimes Indian spices, sometimes middle eastern. The stock and subsequent soups are always great.
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You can find some great organic tomato products in Jars. Bionaturae products are widely available at Whole Foods, if you cannot find them elsewhere.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Turkey Broth from Leftovers — Paleo, Primal, and Delicious
Nothing beats homemade chicken soup made with homemade chicken stock and loads of grass fed butterand chicken drippings. Oh, and kale! Lots of kale! This has been my biggest pregnancy craving.
so easy to throw together and very frugal.
Progresso was the only brand tested. They contain a lot of garbage anyway. Making homemade soup is easy. Just throw a bunch of leftovers in a pan, add water and cook to taste (adjust spices, etc).
Good reminder as I forgot about this. Thanks!
Sara, thanks for another good post. I certainly agree that “most” canned goods should be avoided. You can buy tuna and salmon in pouches but I’m not sure of the linings there. So here’s the deal teacher, I’m keeping my canned sardines, tuna and salmon (and the occasional smoked clams/oysters). Everything else in cans is avoided. Will you give me a passing grade? Or do I get an F for the class? Happy Thanksgiving
Hi BobT, you most certainly get a passing grade … for being savvy and thoughtful and purposeful about what you buy and eat !
I do use a nonBPA canned coconut milk (Native Forest) and do buy canned tuna/red salmon/sardines occasionally – particularly during hurricane season when losing power is a potentially big problem. Emergency use is fine. Regular use is not.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
I well remember the hurricane rations from my 25 years in Florida. Wish I were still there but my grandkids here in TX are more important. Besides the fish we already mentioned, I always had Spam and beanie weenies on the shelf. I haven’t had any Spam in a long time. I wonder if I’d still like it? I remember I actually charcoaled some slices during one power outage. Those were the days……………
sarah, Is there a problem with buying tuna if it is in a BPA free can and wild caught? We buy Natural Value, which is both.
I was wondering what type of coconut milk you bought. I don’t think I’ve seen that one in the store; maybe I can order it online. I love Thai Kitchen, but I am guessing they use BPA.
Good soup starts with homemade broth.
Thankfully we haven’t eaten canned soups in a long time (this whole year!) I also make my own broth now. But I used to feed my kids the Campbell’s Dora shaped noodles (right out of the can!) once a week. My gosh when I look back at our my family’s “old” eating habits I am filled with guilt!
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Not anymore. When I was a little girl, my mom used to make Campbells Bean with Bacon Soup when I was ill. Now when I’m sick, I will sometimes pick up a can because I miss her and having it makes me feel like she’s closer.
Other than that, never.
On one level I totally agree about cans: BPA is not good for me or anyone. However, I live in earthquake country and how to store, safely, emergency food supplies must be thought about. Canned goods make good sense. The approach I’ve taken, ignoring my husband’s initial protests is: canned goods are emergency supplies and they will be rotated to food banks/canned food drives before they go out of date. Hunger is pervasive in this country, so to trash good food makes no sense to me.
Having said that, well, we now soak all our beans and grains and cook big pots of them up. What sold my husband on this level of work is he discovered, as did I: There is no comparison between canned and fresh cooked garbanzos. And that made him realize that while the distinction with the other beans might not be so obvious, it must be true for them.
The information on your website Sarah is wonderful. Thank you!
Before we made the full-on switch to traditional eating, we still never ate canned soups of any kind. My mom had a bad feeling about them, and I guess she was right!
Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems — The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/6mWj3crs
i think ive read everything on this post and havent seen anything about home canning.. we home can (glass jars) our veggies and try to keep several months worth in the pantry.. all fresh organic, quality salted and the jar just seals itself.. we just treat it like a normal can and dump it out and add lots of butter and warm on the stove or something.. either way, is home canning and lactofermenting your own veggies and pickles ok to do as long as its in a glass jar??
avoiding tofurkey for thanksgiving,
-jason and lisa-
Home canning in glass is fine. . Just be sure to get the BPA free lids. If you do a search on canned foods at the top of the blog, click on the organic canned foods loaded with BPA post and scan the commments on where to buy them.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
If you can’t find the BPA free lids, you can still use them if you place a piece of natural parchment paper over the top of the jar first. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.
Thank you! The levels of salt are always eye-popping in canned soups, but didn’t know this. Wow.
Thank you! The levels of salt are always eye-popping in canned soups, but didn’t know this. Wow.
So the cans are worse than the plastic bottles!
So the cans are worse than the plastic bottles!
Sarah – do you know of any broth brands that are ok for occasional use? I have seen great results with my homemade broth and when I travel on business I would like to find some to heat up in the hotel.
My googling has found me nothing
I know there are a few companies that sell homemade broth that is frozen. You would likely have to mail order .. I’ve never seen them in stores. Check the WAPF Shopping Guide – that is the greatest resource imaginable.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
ok.. just did a search.. have to admit, i had no idea the lids had bpa in them..
http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/ tattler is the brand name and they are bpa free lids.. they say that the lids will last a lifetime and if you ever wear them out, they will replace them for free.. so…. lisa and i will be switching over our lids now.. thanks again sarah for another great post…also guys, follow whats going on at organic pastures.. i just talked to kaleigh (brand PR) and she says that they have already gotten their test results back and everything came back negative however, the FDA has to run their own tests and it will probably be early next week before they get the results.. lets not forget morningland dairy where there was no sickness or contamination of any kind yet the FDA shut them down anyway because morningland challenged them.. organic pastures is a huge company and picking them off would be a major blow to the fresh milk and real food movement.. http://www.organicpastures.com
-jason and lisa-
So you would be against canned coconut milk?
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Native Forest has a BPA free canned coconut milk. Homemade is better though.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Eating Canned Soup Risks Major Health Problems
There is hope with one brand, that I know of: http://tinyurl.com/edenbpa
This is quite scary!
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I don’t use canned foods much, but I do love canned green beans quickly saute’d in bacon fat … and what about pumpkin puree so widely used on the holidays? No way I’m going to deal with a whole pumpkin – what a mess that is. What about canned tuna? What’s the substitute for that? Shoot!
Well, maybe the pressure will force the food companies to come up with a safer product.
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You can use frozen green beans to cook in bacon — I do that a lot. It’s not too big a deal to use a whole pumpkin — just cut in half, remove seeds, and roast with cut side down for about 30 minutes. Scoop out puree and away you go, no mess.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama\’s last post: Happy Thanksgiving!
Can anyone confirm if Trader Joe’s canned goods with the exception of tomatoes are BPA free? That’s where I’ve been buying my canned tuna and salmon. I just wanted to double check.
I rarely but canned soup, but I will not buy it ever now. I had heard this before, but forgot this info ~ thanks for the reminder!
Sarah, I was wondering is it ALL canned goods (as far as the BPA)? Or just the canned ones that have the white inside lining? For example, we buy wild caught salmon in cans and the inside is kind of goldish not white. Also, what about tuna that just has metal can, not white lining?
Eating canned foods risks major health problems. http://t.co/fuIwiUh4
I was just taking a break from rewriting the traditional green bean casserole to one that used homemade soup and homemade fried onions when I read this. Thanks for the heads up.
that’s alarming. we phased out all of the canned goods a few years back (except salmon). now I feel kind of gulity for passing it all on to others. we try to store everything in glass.
One thing that bothers me is the big deal made over bpa in baby bottles but not the containers formula is kept in. Both liquid and powder are lined with bpa. I know not all bottle feeders use formula, and bpa is most easily leaked when heated but still it does transfer without heat.
Not hating on bottle feeding or formula just wishing they looked at the whole health picture.
ok.. just did a search.. have to admit, i had no idea the lids had bpa in them..
http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/ tattler is the brand name and they are bpa free lids.. they say that the lids will last a lifetime and if you ever wear them out, they will replace them for free.. so…. lisa and i will be switching over our lids now.. thanks again sarah for another great post…also guys, follow whats going on at organic pastures.. i just talked to kaleigh (brand PR) and she says that they have already gotten their test results back and everything came back negative however, the FDA has to run their own tests and it will probably be early next week before they get the results.. lets not forget morningland dairy where there was no sickness or contamination of any kind yet the FDA shut them down anyway because morningland challenged them.. organic pastures is a huge company and picking them off would be a major blow to the fresh milk and real food movement.. http://www.organicpastures.com
-jason and lisa-
why are my comments not posting??
@Jason and Lisa: When you post a link, I think it has to be approved before it’s posted. Not sure, though.
oh ok.. thanks
BPA is in baby food jar lids, plastic containers (used for some organic brands) and most canned foods…even organic. If the label says BPA Free…then it is…otherwise, even organic…could very likely be packaged in PBA lined cans/jar lids.
/ Eden is one brand now using BPA free cans…also Wild Planet (tuna) is labelled BPA free. Our commissary carries Muir Glen organic tomato products which are unfortunately in BPA lined cans. 
(
i have never liked canned soup…
How about opening the cans and throwing out the contents (garbage disposal) then RECYLING the cans?…please!
I can’t recycle cans in my area … great idea for those who can though!!
While I admit to stocking up on canned vegetables incase of emergency, but I definitely try to limit eating out of a can in my daily life. I just bought a new crockpot (my stove isn’t working right now) so I’m going to go back to making my own soups made of delicious soaked lentils, herbs, fresh veggies, and chicken broth.
Thanks for the enlightenment over this holiday! Not sure what happened but after my original post this morning someone was using my login to post about their husband who considers stock “witches brew”….not sure if it was a coincidence with another Leslie or not. Just wanted you to know for your blog comments.
PS – My hubby is very supportive and my boys now love having a cup of witches brew! We just moved to the NW so on a cold and rainy day its perfect. Next year I will can tomatoes!
Thanks for your awesome blog…so much vital information! Happy Holidays!!!!
PSS – I have my pasture raised turkey all buttered up and ready to slow roast overnight per the blog http://nourishedkitchen.com/slow-roast-turkey/.
When converting to a healthier lifestyle, it seems the “cream of” soups tend to be the hardest to get away from. They seem to be used in all the casserole recipes from the older cookbooks. I’ve converted a lot of my old cookbooks to healthier versions in the past few years, but it’s amazing how much of this soup (and oleo and vegetable oils like Wesson etc.,) were used back in the 60′s and 70′s. Ewww.
So, for those just making the change I thought I’d share my cream of anything soup recipe here. If you already have a version you use, please share it, too!
My recipe for “Cream of Anything” Soup
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, sliced
1 pound chopped vegetables of choice (mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers)
1 or 1 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp allspice (freshly ground if possible)
other spices of choice* (see below) cracked black pepper, sea salt
Melt butter and saute onion and veggie of choice, until they sweat. Add broth and simmer about 20 minutes. Puree with a stick blender or whatever. Put back in pan, add cream, spices, pepper and sea salt. Heat through.
*I usually add a bay leaf if I’m going to simmer it for longer than 20 minutes, which I sometimes do. Other spices I have randomly added from time to time are dill weed, garlic powder, italian seasonings, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, mustard powder, nutmeg, cardamom. The spices are really up to you, whatever you like and your family likes.
This makes about 2 cups. or so. It keeps in the fridge pretty well for about one week, in my experience.
The last time I broke down and bought canned soup was 3 years ago. I had been sick, we were just barely starting to switch over to real food (I didn’t know anything about WAP yet), and I just wanted something familiar. I also bought Gatorade and animal crackers. Mistake. Eating these foods made me MORE nauseous and I was sick worse than before!
Now we always make soup fresh. And for the family member who doesn’t like soup much, I use stock in many other dishes too — gravies, to cook rice, as the liquid in meatloaf, etc.
In canned tuna, it’s not only the BPA you have to worry about. Most have some “vegetable broth” in them which contains, I’m sure, GMO-soy. You have to read everything if you’re buying any packaged foods whatsoever.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama\’s last post: Happy Thanksgiving!
It takes sooo long for your site to load, I often don’t bother anymore. Can you do anything to fix it?
Have you tried a different browser? Sometimes its the browser .. I use Chrome and it loads like a flash.
This is really important information and critical to make consumers aware of the dangerous chemicals and ingredients in these soups, and that buying local bones and meat/poultry from animals on pasture and making their own soup with sustainable ingredients is easy and much better for health. Thanks Sarah!
Seventy-five people took part in the study, eating a 12-ounce serving of either fresh or canned soup for five days in a row. They were advised not to otherwise alter their regular eating habits.
After a two-day break, the groups switched and ate the opposite type of canned soup. A urine analysis showed the canned soup eaters had 1,221 per cent higher levels of BPA than those who ate the fresh soup.
http://www.canada.com/health/spikes+cent+after+eating+canned+soup+Study/5751216/story.html
I did end up sending them to the food bank about a year ago. Better to eat something than nothing, although following up on what you’ve posted here, perhaps even so not the wisest choice.
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ok that wasn’t nice what you did, if you knowingly sent them off to a food bank, where people with kids consume them. while you save yourself. There are other things you can send to a food bank that doesn’t contain bpa. but now days some food banks mostly get donations of food straight from the supermarkets. That was evil and wicked what you did, just because people are poor doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to eat healthy food, you don’t think of the children?
Regarding using plastic containers, it occurs to me that the biggest problem come from heat and plastic/BPA. Of course soup and other canned foods are always canned with heat, and there’s no doubt much more leaching of BPA while the food is hot than after it cools down. So I’m not going to give up using my old cottage cheese containers for things I put in the freezer, since they are so convenient, but I normally make sure the food has cooled before I put it in the containers. With a packed chest type freezer now at the end of gardening season, class containers would be a disaster.
My friend who’s concerned about these things got me to transfer the canned cat food from the can to a glass container when I open it, but I’m afraid that doesn’t really help, since the leaching has no doubt already occurred.
Hi Sarah, I feel quite stupid that pineapple cans being lined with bpa did not click in my brain sooner than this morning. My favourite kefir smoothie is a banana pineapple smoothie. General health and as a nursing mom my brain froze in horror as I realized this. I called Dole to ask if their pineapple cans are lined with BPA assuming that is was going to be yes. I was going to say that I would no longer be purchasing this product until that was remedied. However, the answer that I received surprised me. They said that the cans are no longer lined with BPA. The outer side of the pull top cans are still covered with BPA, but the part touching the food is not. They are not advertising this because it is still new and studies have not not been completed on it. Have you heard anything about this? What is your opinion?
This is a shame, for people who are low income that go to food banks, poor people usually consume the most canned food, and it’s true that most of the kids from that background do have behavioral problems with hyper activity and the girls do seem to develop earlier.
Funny how no one worries about cell phone/Iphone radiation, illegal drug use and promiscuity as the major and more serious health problems facing humanity…. Yet people worry about some miniscule amount of chemical in a can lining. It is really funny to me that a food product is more of a threat to some people than having sex with everything that walks on two legs. I think many of you better rethink your priorities in life. The WWII generation were exposed to more chemicals back then and yet they live well into their 90′s while today’s generations will die prematurely from drug use, radiation and diseases.
Oh, and don’t forget the way people today POP A PILL for every normal life situation. One to sleep, one to wake up, one for this pain, that pain, that mood, that feeling, that challenge, that task, etc. etc…. You don’t worry about all the pills you take, but worry about a can lining? LOL
This makes a lot of sense. I was going to give my canned goods to the starving, but this article made me think better of it. Why subject the needy to a long drawn out chemical death, better that they starve now.
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