Chili is a stew-like soup made entirely with meat, chilies, or chili powder (or both) and, depending on what region of the United States you live in, it can also include beans. There are many stories about where chili originated and it is generally thought by most historians, that the earliest versions of chili were made by the very poorest people dating back to the 16th century. There are many versions of chili out there, some healthier than others. We are going to compare a healthier version by The Sneaky Chef, called “Doctor’s Choice Chili” to a regular chili recipe.
When comparing chili, we want to take a look at fiber, fat, protein, and sodium which are very common nutrients found in any version of chili. To begin with, the Doctor’s Choice Chili recipe has about half the calories as the regular version per cup. (See labels below and note that the recipes are different sizes, with the Doctor’s Choice Chili serving size giving you nearly twice as much for the nutritional content listed.)
Next, comparing protein, the Doctor’s Choice Chili recipe shows 23.4 grams of protein compared to the regular version which shows 13.4 grams of protein. However, this is about the same amount of protein per serving since the food labels are dealing with different serving sizes. The Doctor’s Choice Chili may be similar in protein content, but the vegetable puree in the chili really boosts the fiber as well as vitamin/mineral content. The Doctor’s Choice Chili has more iron and vitamin A than the other version as well.
When it comes to soups, such as chili, they tend to be very high in sodium. The regular version has 3 times the amount of sodium as the Doctor’s Choice Chili! The Doctor’s Chili has less fat so it is a healthier choice there as well.
Based on this comparison, it is without a doubt a better choice to go with The Sneaky Chef’s Doctor’s Choice Chili recipe.
Rebecca
