Diet Food Reviews
Healthy Choice Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
By: | Oct 12, 2007
Unfortunately, this was the last week of summer for the year in Michigan. There is not even a hint that it might be back as the temperatures have dipped to the 50s. And, what better way to usher in the impending cold weather and inevitable flu, than to do a few soup reviews. So to kick things off, I got the Healthy Choice Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup - in a new-style microwavable container.
This took under 3 minutes to prepare - open the plastic cover, remove the metal lid, replace cover and microwave for 2 minutes. It looked super delicious with a nice yellow broth, lots of carrots floating around, and even more veggies and meat when it wasI stirred up. That first taste was pretty good - not quite like old fashioned soup because it was too watery, but I was still pleased, UNTIL ... and I don't want to be overly dramatic here ... I experienced the nastiest after-taste ever! It was weird, metallic, slightly bitter but very noticeable, with a persistent lingering effect. I drank an entire 16 ounce bottle of water trying to get rid of it, and I could still taste it hanging around a few hours later.
I searched the container for clues as to what could cause this. Was it expired ... no (the expiration date is 2 years from now). Next I checked out the ingredients ... potassium chloride ... used to replace salt (sodium chloride) ... so the sodium content won't be as high ... known for it's disgusting taste. I think that was the culprit - but only Healthy Choice knows for sure.
It's a pity that I didn't enjoy my Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle Soup, because the nutrition facts are pretty good. One serving size is 1 cup - and there are almost 2 servings in the container. One container (because there is no way anybody drinks half of this), has 192 calories, 3.5 grams of fat (approximately 6% of the RDA), less than 1 gram of saturated fat, 35% of the RDA for sodium (20% per serving), 14 grams of protein and 30 grams of total carbohydrates which includes no sugar and 5 grams of fiber (20% of the RDA).
I have tried (and enjoyed) the regular Healthy Choice chicken noodle soup (read the review), in a no frills non-microwavable can, but I didn't even finish this new updated version. There are a few reviews over at Amazon.com and at least 1 other person who experienced something similar.
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Hey, have you tried any of those new Progresso Light soups? I found some on sale for $1.50 a can last week and bought a mess of them. The sodium is high, but they are really tasty and loaded with vegetables!
I had a container of the HC Chicken Rice soup & experienced the same bitter, metallic, utter nastiness. Blegh. I wish HC would do something about it, as those containers are mighty handy to keep in a desk drawer... but not if the product they hold is inedible!
My local store recently had a case sale of Healthy Choice canned soups - buy a case of twelve for $10. That's a really good price, so I bought a couple cases. Thus far, I've enjoyed them all immensely. I haven't tried the bowl soups, though, and from the sounds of it, something in the bowl has a reaction to the food - I don't know if I'd trust buying them.
Same holds true for the Minestrone. It's true; the aftertaste is very metallic and it lingers. I wonder what's leaving it? I'll never purchase this product again!
I am not tasting an aftertaste but I am really hacked off that it was mostly broth. There were about six noodles and less chicken meat than you would find on a baby chicken wing. Hardly anything but broth at all.
Watch out for HIDDEN MSG HEADACHES! they hide it in the chicken broth. buyer beware!
I also bought several microwavable cans of HC (chicken noodle, chicken and rice, and vegetable) and the taste was AWFUL! The first spoon was okay, but it had a slight bitter taste. After eating a little more, the bitterness was overwhelming. I couldn't eat the rest. The awful taste lasted for hours. I drank a liter of water, ate half a bag of potatoe chips, and a candy bar, all to get rid of the taste to no avail. I checked the ingredients to see if there were any unusual ingredients and found none out of the ordinary. I gave it to my dog, and she seems to have liked it. I still have my receipt and will be returning every can that I purchased! I will NEVER purchase anything from this label again.