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Original poster

Do people REALLY only eat half a carton of fresh soup?

212 replies

sprigatito · 02/01/2026 20:00

I’m struggling to get my head around this! I’ve seen on MN several times lately that people eat half of a carton for a meal, and I know the calories are given that way on the packaging, so officially it’s a serving…but I’ve never met anyone in real life who doesn’t eat the whole carton! I’ve lost 4.5 stone this year and I eat soup most evenings for dinner. I don’t overeat generally. My soups are mostly homemade, but I do use fresh supermarket ones sometimes, and half a carton really would be a miserable little puddle in the bottom of the bowl! Is it really, honestly normal? And…why?

YABU: half a carton is ample. You’ve lost sight of what a normal bowl of soup looks like
YANBU: nobody actually does that. It’s soup, not golden syrup with extra chunks of pork fat.

OP posts:
Bloozie · 03/01/2026 11:42

I always have the full carton. But it IS a bit much. 450g would be the ideal I think.

However, 300g really isn’t. So. Full carton.

BurntBroccoli · 03/01/2026 11:38

Yes - I only ever eat half a pot of the fresh soup. I normally add half a tin of butter or other beans to up the protein plus add a dollop of cottage cheese on top, again for the protein.

SatsumaDog · 03/01/2026 11:38

I would probably eat a whole carton too. I don’t see an issue with that as long as you’re taking into account the calories in 2 portions.

In general I think people vastly underestimate the calories they consume. However, if you’re a healthy weight then it’s not an issue. It’s only really when people are overweight and in denial that it really matters.

Toddlertiredp · 03/01/2026 11:34

Occasionally I’d only eat half (I get bored of eating it) but I’d eat it with a sandwich, fruit, yoghurt and probably some form of chocolate.

So nothing to do with portion or trying not to eat small portions 😂

WombatChocolate · 03/01/2026 11:19

Assuming soup is the smaller meal of the day (not the main meal) then I think half plus a bit of bread is reasonable.

As people have said, in the past people ate half a can of soup for lunch. Granted the cans have probably shrunk in size, but they were considered 2 portions. People didn’t need to fill a huge bowl and perhaps half to 3/4 of a standard bowl was considered enough with some bread.

Our sense of portion size is a bit distorted isn’t it. Most of us could eat more soup, but for a standard sort of lunch (not main meal) half is probably a standard portion.

WombatChocolate · 03/01/2026 11:13

I’d have half - that would be a bowl full. And that’s a pretty standard sized bowl. I wouldn’t expect to eat more than one bowl full. Would have bread too.

Flaskfan · 03/01/2026 11:00

1/2 a morrison's/lidl one. But the carrot one is a bit weedy. It's the only time I eat bread, so i like a couple of nice rolls to go with it.

TidyCyan · 03/01/2026 10:55

Sometimes we split one but only if having it with a baguette or sandwich each.

Dancingsquirrels · 03/01/2026 10:55

I'd have half a carton for lunch. Perhaps with a piece of bread, not always

Sometimes, DH, DS and I will share a carton between 3 of us, with bread

Tigerbalmshark · 03/01/2026 10:55

ShodAndShadySenators · 03/01/2026 08:56

We share a pot too, but always with nice bread and butter and a half actually fills our soup bowls, so it doesn't look miserly. Can't imagine having the whole carton at once. If it was the smaller tin version I would probably have the whole can but less bread with it.

(I'm getting flashbacks to primary school where through the winter, they would randomly give us a bowl of vague soup like vegetable then a main that always seemed to have gone cold on the plate, and no pudding, just a biscuit. I was not a fan and still recall the terrible disappointment of finding it was a soup lunch meaning no custard again)

I also can't imagine having a carton of soup for dinner, seems odd to me. Wouldn't you be hungry again at (or before) bedtime?

Big Sunday lunch at 2pm, then small bowl of soup and bread for dinner at 7pm.

I wouldn’t have a bowl of soup for my main meal of the day, but dinner isn’t always the main meal.

Tigerbalmshark · 03/01/2026 10:52

Depends - by itself, or for dinner, definitely a whole carton. With plenty of bread, for lunch, I can split a carton with DH.

Nothing wrong with having a whole carton though.

Boomer55 · 03/01/2026 10:51

Drind · 02/01/2026 21:26

One carton of soup as your whole evening meal?!

Show quote history

I do as well. I don’t eat lunch, but can eat a whole can/carton of soup for dinner, with a wholemeal roll.

UninitendedShark · 03/01/2026 10:45

gamerchick · 02/01/2026 20:16

It's more the salt content in them rather than the calories for me. Much better to make your own I think.

This! The NCG leek and potato is very salty. I do like it, but I can only eat half a carton. If I make it myself I might eat 3 bowls in a row though!

staringatthesun · 03/01/2026 10:38

I would have a half carton of soup but usually a whole tin - somehow the cartons seem more filling. I make a lot of homemade soup too and I'll sometimes get through two bowls of that!

smallsilvercloud · 03/01/2026 10:27

I’m generally quite greedy and the scales show it 😅 but I only have 300ml of soup, bread as well!

soupyspoon · 03/01/2026 10:20

CactusSwoonedEnding · 03/01/2026 09:45

Sorry I realise I had a copy and paste fail in my post of 9:21 and missed out the protien - the soup&bread nutrition should be
Energy 321kcal
Fat 6.6g
Carb 48.0g
Fibre 6.0g
Protien 15.1g

As you say, about 8g of protein is from the soup but that's not sufficient according to the advice I have been given.

But you're not having the soup on its own!

15g of protein for a meal is perfectly adequate, people arent going to become ill if they have 15g for lunch but then 25g for dinner, it doesnt have to be anal like that, for the vast majority of us around 60-80g of protein a day is absolutely fine, my own health team have been guiding me with this because I also need to focus on protien. I eat nuts, cheese, high protein grains and pulses to get that in over the day

This obsession with what is in one ingredient and one meal is really unhealthy and leading to lower levels of fibre intake.

GalaxyJam · 03/01/2026 10:19

Paaseitjes · 03/01/2026 10:18

Half, with some bread. Have you seen how much salt is in them?! Even besides the calories, that's enough not to eat the full carton. I only eat soup at lunch though, it doesn't feel like dinner food and if get bored reading a whole carton.

The OP doesn’t have bread though.

Bunny44 · 03/01/2026 10:18

I've always had half but I'd have it with bread and probably some cheese on the side

Paaseitjes · 03/01/2026 10:18

Half, with some bread. Have you seen how much salt is in them?! Even besides the calories, that's enough not to eat the full carton. I only eat soup at lunch though, it doesn't feel like dinner food and if get bored reading a whole carton.

Chipsahoy · 03/01/2026 10:16

Half for me but I eat six small meals a day for my silent reflux.

GalaxyJam · 03/01/2026 10:12

sprigatito · 02/01/2026 21:15

I don’t serve soup in breakfast bowls, I have earthenware soup bowls that fit 600ml pretty much exactly. I don’t have bread and butter or cheese with it, though.

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I’d have a whole bowl if not having anything alongside (bread etc). Probably half otherwise.
Why are you fussed what other people do though? It only really matters in the context of what you eat overall, not just for one meal. The people having half a carton of soup for lunch might have had a 1500 calorie fry up for breakfast 🤷🏻‍♀️.

HugglesAndSnuggles · 03/01/2026 10:04

Half a carton and two slices of toast is enough for lunch.

WhereAreWeNow · 03/01/2026 10:03

I could only eat half a carton of soup (are we talking like one of those Covent Garden soups?) but I would have one or 2 thick slices of sourdough bread and butter with it.

SomethingRattling · 03/01/2026 10:00

Portion sizes are often bonkers. Three quarters of a carton is right for me.

Parker231 · 03/01/2026 09:49

For lunch I’d have the full carton and bread or a sandwich. It’s not much more than a snack. I’d be hungry otherwise.