Standard Can of Soup Sizes, Weights and Nutrition Facts

Understanding Can of Soup Weights, Nutrition Facts, and Diets

Canned soups represent popular convenient meal options appreciated for their budget friendly prices, long shelf lives, and versatility. But the weight and nutritional contents can vary tremendously between different soup styles, brands, and packaging formats. Here is an overview of some common can of soup weights and how they may factor into diets promoting canned soups for weight loss like the cabbage soup diet.

Standard Can of Soup Sizes and Weights

Canned soups most often come in three standard can sizes with approximate weights when full as follows:

• 10.5-11 oz - Typically condensed soups around 1 1/4 cups volume
• 19-20 oz - Larger regular single serve portions around 2 1/4 cups
• 50-51 oz - Large family size cans roughly 6 cups volume

So your average single can of soup will weigh between 11 ounces up to 1 pound when filled. However soups sold in multi-pack cartons may use different custom can sizes. And cream based vs broth soups also show significant weight differences discussed next.

Broth vs Cream Soup Weights

Canned broth soups containing mostly liquids with meat, veggies and grains average around:

• 10.5 ounces for condensed broths
• 19 ounces for regular broths per can

Meanwhile cream style soups thickened with flour, milk, cheese etc average approximately:

• 11 ounces for condensed cream soups
• 20-21 ounces for regular cream soups

So cream based chowders, potato soups, bisques etc show heavier can weights by an ounce or more over broth varieties given the additional thickening agents and dairy ingredients.

Nutritional Contents of Canned Soups

When it comes to calories, carbs, protein, fat and other nutritional contents, values can range tremendously between:

• Hearty meat and bean soups
• Vegetable and lentil broths
• Creamy bisques and chowders
• Condensed versus ready-to-eat varieties

Some standard comparisons for a typical can include:

• Broth soups: 100-200 calories, 15-30g carbs, 5-10g protein per serving
• Cream soups: 200-300 calories, 15-25g carbs, 5-10g protein per serving
• Condensed soups: 110-140 calories, 10-15g carbs, 2-5g protein per 1/2 cup

Canned Soup Diets and Souping for Weight Loss

Given their inexpensive nature, long shelf life, and ease of storage, canned soups often feature prominently in fad crash diets promising rapid weight loss results. But are these soup centered plans truly effective and sustainable?

The Cabbage Soup Diet

One of the most popular canned soup diets is the cabbage soup or military diet built around fat-free cabbage soup. The diet typically works by having you eat primarily cabbage soup with very restricted other foods for a week straight. The average daily cabbage soup intake looks like:

• Breakfast: Fruit and 16oz cabbage soup
• Lunch: Vegetables and 16oz cabbage soup
• Dinner: Meat and veggies with 8oz cabbage soup

At roughly 1-2 pounds per 16oz can, this equates to 2-4 pounds of canned soup consumed daily! Proponents claim you can lose 10 pounds in a week following this regimen.

Criticisms of Canned Soup Diets

Unfortunately, while drastic initial weight loss is possible on very low calorie and low carb diets like cabbage soup diet, results are transient with weight usually rebounding rapidly as soon as normal eating resumes. This happens because most losses stem from temporary water and glycogen depletion rather than lasting fat burning. Such diets also often lack proper nutrition for sustenance meaning effects like fatigue, headaches, irritability appear quickly.

Healthy Souping Approaches

While following fad cabbage soup style diets for fast weight loss is generally not advised, incorporating an abundance of nourishing homemade or lower sodium canned soups into your diet can foster healthy sustainable weight management.

Benefits of healthy souping include:

• Increased hydration from liquid content
• High nutrient density with veggies, lean protein etc
• Low energy density meals that fill you up without overeating calories
• Versatility - enjoy hot or cold for all meals/snacks

Some examples of nutritious packaged or homemade soup options might include:

• Low-sodium minestrone, lentil, vegetable medleys
• Chicken noodle with whole grains and ample veggies
• Savory bone broth styles like pho or mushroom
• Hearty 15 bean soup loaded with fiber

Tips for Healthier Canned Soup Choices

When selecting packaged canned items focus on soups with:

• Less than 500mg sodium per serving
• No added sugars in ingredient list
• At least 3g fiber and 5g protein per serving
• Limited added thickeners like cornstarch, flour
• Practically no saturated fats or trans fats

Ideally low or reduced sodium vegetable, legume and whole grain varieties make the most nutritionally sound choices.

The Bottom Line

Standard can sizes for condensed soups are typically 10.5-11 oz, regular individual soups 19-20 oz, and family size 50-51 oz. Broth style soups tend to show lower weights than thicker cream based soups per can. While fad crash diets built around high canned soup intakes like cabbage soup diet are rarely sustainable or nutritionally adequate, incorporating more wholesome moderate sodium soups into your routine can support healthy lasting weight management.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.