Healthy Natural Soup

Hello Everyone,
I wonder if you saw this recent article? I've copied it for you and included, at the end, my suggestions and a recipe for natural quick soup.

(Nov. 9) -- Opening a can of soup on a cold winter day is a time-honored tradition in America. It may also prove harmful to your health, according to a new study.

In the study released by Consumer Reports, canned soup, tuna, juice and green beans have all been found to contain potentially dangerous levels of bisphenol A, a man-made chemical preservative that increases shelf-life. Hundreds of scientific, peer-reviewed studies have suggested health risks from exposure to the chemical, known as BPA, including increased incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disorders, breast cancer and abnormal reproductive organ development, Consumer Reports said.

"Just one or a few servings of these products is enough to take you to a level of concern, in which the scientific literature shows similar levels causing problems in animals," says Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist at Consumer Reports who was involved in analyzing the data.

The highest concentrations of BPA that Consumer Reports measured were in Campbell's and Progresso soup cans, and canned Del Monte green beans. The magazine even discovered BPA in the canned version of Similac Advance infant formula.

Anthony Sanzio, a spokesman for Campbell's, took issue with the notion that the BPA used to line the cans of his company's signature product is in any way unsafe. "Every leading regulatory agency in the world has concluded that BPA is safe," Sanzio said. "We use BPA to protect what's inside the can, and ensure safety."

According to Consumer Reports, however, a 165-pound adult who ate one serving of canned green beans would exceed by about 80 times what the magazine's experts considered an acceptable daily amount of BPA. Children who ate multiple daily servings of foods found to have high levels of BPA would approach levels found to have done harm in animals, the report said.

Current federal guidelines, which Consumer Reports believes are based on inaccurate science, limit exposure of BPA to 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. Sanzio notes that Campbell's is adhering to the law.

I suggest you don't use canned vegetables of any kind, frozen is a better choice and of course, fresh is the best choice of all. Buy juice in glass only, and as far as tuna is concerned, I just would not use it. Now- here is my recipe for quick natural soup-

Soup for 4 people-
1 box natural soup broth or 3 cubes of organic no salt vegie bullion
2 cups of cooked instant brown rice
8 cups of fresh washed, cut vegies ( you can use frozen, but fresh is better!)
If you want to add meat or other protein, add 2 cups of cubed firm tofu, pre-cooked turkey, chicken, or beef.
1/2 t. pepper
1 t garlic powder
1 t herb of your choice- rosemary, oregano, nutmeg, basil, all work well, choose one or more.

It takes about 10 minutes to make the brown rice, so put that on the stove and chop and boil the meat you want to use while the rice is cooking.
You can also pan fry the meat if you like, chicken strips, turkey burger, thin steaks, all of these can be cooked quickly on the stove top. Cook the meat thoroughly as you are not going to cook the soup long once you throw it all together.

I usually wash all the vegies when I bring them home from the store, so when I make the evening meal I just pull what I need out of the crisper and chop it up. This really saves time. Use a few stalks of celery, half an onion, two or three potatoes, ( sweet potatoes work well too!) a few carrots, a few broccoli tops, maybe some butter nut squash, really the choices are unlimited. Figure two cups of vegies for each person eating.

Cut the hard vegies, like potatoes and carrots into small pieces for quick cooking. Cut the soft vegies, like broccoli and sweet peppers into larger pieces so they do not over cook. If you want to add spinach or other greens, do so in the last two minutes of cooking.

Mix and match your vegies- one day use broccoli, mushrooms and squash and anther day use potatoes carrots, green beans and corn. This same basic recipe can be altered by adding different meats, vegies, spices and broth flavors to make many enjoyable soups. I often omit the rice and add pre-cooked beans ( I buy organic, dry beans, I cook and freeze them in serving size containers), You can also use pre cooked pasta, add it in the last two minutes of cooking.

When the meat and rice are cooked, put them in a large pot and add everything else. Put over a high fire and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the vegetables are cooked, crisp not mushy please!

Your soup is ready to serve with the addition of salt to taste, and if you like garnish with some grated cheese. Serve this with whole grain bread and a salad for a very healthy and quick meal!