Soup du ....Salt?

I love soup.  Mmm soup.  Especially in the winter.  It's a wonderful comfort food, easy meal, or pick me up.  Yes, I definitely love soup.


I don't, however, love salt.  In fact, the only time I ever put salt on anything is when I'm in a Mexican restaurant eating chips and salsa.  It's really not very healthy for you and it tends to make you bloated.  Therefore, I tend to use it as sparingly as possible.  


You can imagine my surprise, then, when I stepped on the scale this morning after living on soup for a week, to see I'd gained 3 pounds.  I was stunned!  The soup was delicious - a box of roasted red pepper soup mixed with squash and green onions and ground turkey and garbanzo beans.  And it was healthy! . . . or so I thought.  Turns out, even though I created my own "soup du jour", with some wholesome and healthy add-ons, I had unknowingly also created a version of my own worst nightmare:  a sodium time bomb just waiting to explode on my scale.  Now, I'm far from perfect, and there were definitely M&Ms and chocolate bits in my diet this week too, but there was also a lot of running. I am sincerely trying to be healthier.  Yet, this morning, my scale became my enemy.


So, I looked for some answers.  As it so happens, I discovered that soup contains sodium, and not just normal amounts of sodium, but high quantities of sodium.  Sometimes it can be as bad as 40% or higher in just one serving!  Tricky little canned/ boxed bastards!!  Even though I was bummed and upset, I refused to let this minor setback win, so I'm turning it into a learning opportunity.  The strategy?  Next time, dilute it with water and/or add more veggies.  Less straight soup.  Less sodium.  Less weight gained.  Overall, one happier girl.  


Now. . . I just need to find a spoon.

Starbucks Gets a "Health" Conscience

That's right, the land of Venti Double-Chip Frappuccinos, Caramel Macchiatos, and Blueberry Scones rethinks their dining experience. I walked into the Starbucks on the corner of 75th and Lemont in Darien, IL, to have coffee with my dad, and was immediately welcomed by 3 new food displays. Apparently Starbucks, now a coffee shop/café, wants to ensure the availability of well-rounded meal options for their customers.

Is this a complete surprise? No. Starbucks has been slowly introducing new foods to their menu for the past few years, including breakfast sandwiches and "Signature Oatmeal". However, its true health food has often been relinquished to the drink department: Organic Horizon milk, Naked fruit juice, and the Vivannos (a protein and banana smoothie made popular last year). Today, I was pleasantly surprised to see their new options have expanded to food "bites" and not just food "sips".Four new hot sandwiches line their menu including a Ham and Swiss panini, all of which sounded and smelled wonderful and are around 400 calories (so they claim). Yum.

The other displays included new, what I call Whole Foods inspired food: Two moms in the Raw granola bars, Kind fruit and nut bars, dried fruit packets, sweet potato crisps, and organic chocolate.

I highly recommend the Kind Almond and Cashew bar. 180 calories, 4 grams of fiber and protein, and absolutely delicious. It's the perfect snack with a cup of coffee or Starbuck's full leaf teas. Eat on and live well. Thanks Starbucks!