Boxing food rankings
The best soups & sauces for boxers
All 107 soups & sauces from the official UK food dataset, ranked by all-round score. Dressing, Sauce, Soup lead the group. Open the full explorer to rank them for making weight, bulking or maximum protein instead.All 107 soups & sauces, ranked by Super Score (%Protein per kcal x Nutrient Density x estimated Satiety, each normalised 0 to 100). Switch goals in the explorer to re-rank for cutting, bulking or maximum protein.
Soups and sauces score very low across every measure in this dataset, which is accurate: as a food group they are not a meaningful protein or micronutrient source for boxers.
The honest reason this group ranks last or near-last is that most soups and sauces are mostly water, salt, starch and flavour. Even the better options (a lean meat-based broth, a tomato sauce with some pulses) deliver very little protein per calorie compared to the food groups they accompany. The dataset treats them as foods in their own right, which they rarely are in practice: they are modifiers of a meal, not the meal itself.
There are legitimate uses for this group in a boxing diet. A well-made broth can aid hydration and provide electrolytes (particularly sodium) in the day or two after a fight when the priority is rehydration. A tomato-based pasta sauce made with lean mince adds protein to what is otherwise a carbohydrate meal. A soup-based meal that is genuinely protein-rich (chicken broth with a full breast portion, or a lentil soup with a large legume content) can be nutritionally substantial.
The practical takeaway: do not choose a food from this group expecting it to carry nutritional weight, and be aware that most commercial soups and sauces are high in sodium. Use them to add flavour or hydration, and build the nutritional substance of a meal around the food groups that score well. The ranking for this group reflects reality accurately.
| # | Food | All-Round score | % Protein/kcal | Nutrients | Fullness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dressingyogurt, homemade | 3.7 | 30% | 13 | 68 |
| 2 | Saucepasta, white, with ham and mushrooms, homemade | 3.5 | 23% | 16 | 66 |
| 3 | Soupgoulash, homemade | 3.1 | 28% | 12 | 66 |
| 4 | Scotch brothhomemade | 3.0 | 37% | 8 | 71 |
| 5 | Souplentil, homemade | 2.9 | 19% | 17 | 64 |
| 6 | Raitahomemade | 2.6 | 29% | 9 | 69 |
| 7 | Cheese saucepacket mix, made up with skimmed milk, homemade | 2.5 | 29% | 9 | 67 |
| 8 | Cheese saucemade with skimmed milk, homemade | 2.3 | 19% | 13 | 62 |
| 9 | Cheese saucemade with semi-skimmed milk, homemade | 2.1 | 18% | 14 | 61 |
| 10 | Cheese saucemade with whole milk, homemade | 1.9 | 17% | 14 | 60 |
| 11 | Cheese saucepacket mix, made up with whole milk, homemade | 1.9 | 21% | 10 | 65 |
| 12 | Cheese saucepacket mix, made up with semi-skimmed milk, homemade | 1.8 | 22% | 9 | 65 |
| 13 | Bread saucemade with skimmed milk, homemade | 1.7 | 19% | 10 | 65 |
| 14 | White saucesavoury, made with skimmed milk, homemade | 1.6 | 15% | 11 | 64 |
| 15 | Bouillabaissehomemade | 1.5 | 31% | 5 | 68 |
| 16 | Bread saucemade with semi-skimmed milk, HOMEMADE | 1.5 | 16% | 10 | 64 |
| 17 | Soupchicken noodle, dried | 1.4 | 21% | 11 | 43 |
| 18 | White saucesavoury, made with semi-skimmed milk, homemade | 1.3 | 14% | 11 | 63 |
| 19 | Onion saucemade with skimmed milk, homemade | 1.3 | 16% | 9 | 67 |
| 20 | Bread saucemade with whole milk, homemade | 1.3 | 16% | 9 | 64 |
| 21 | Souppea and ham, homemade | 1.3 | 23% | 6 | 68 |
| 22 | Onion saucemade with whole milk, homemade | 1.2 | 14% | 9 | 66 |
| 23 | Souplentil, canned | 1.1 | 26% | 4 | 70 |
| 24 | Saucepasta, tomato based, reduced fat | 1.1 | 17% | 7 | 68 |
| 25 | Onion saucemade with semi-skimmed milk, homemade | 1.1 | 14% | 9 | 66 |
| 26 | White saucesavoury, made with whole milk, homemade | 1.0 | 11% | 10 | 60 |
| 27 | Saucepasta, tomato based, for bolognese | 1.0 | 13% | 8 | 67 |
| 28 | Saucepasta, tomato based, with added vegetables | 0.9 | 12% | 8 | 68 |
| 29 | Saucepasta, four cheese | 0.8 | 16% | 6 | 64 |
| 30 | White saucesweet, made with skimmed milk, homemade | 0.8 | 12% | 8 | 61 |
| 31 | Dipssour-cream based, reduced fat | 0.8 | 9% | 10 | 60 |
| 32 | Curry paste | 0.8 | 8% | 15 | 48 |
| 33 | Soupbroccoli and stilton, carton, chilled | 0.7 | 17% | 4 | 68 |
| 34 | White saucesweet, made with semi-skimmed milk, homemade | 0.7 | 11% | 8 | 60 |
| 35 | Saucepasta, tomato based, napoletana | 0.7 | 9% | 8 | 68 |
| 36 | Souplow calorie, canned | 0.7 | 12% | 6 | 69 |
| 37 | Souppotato and leek, homemade | 0.6 | 12% | 5 | 68 |
| 38 | Saucetomato based, homemade | 0.6 | 8% | 8 | 66 |
| 39 | White saucesweet, made with whole milk, homemade | 0.6 | 10% | 7 | 59 |
| 40 | SaucesIndian cook in, other | 0.6 | 9% | 7 | 66 |
40 of 107 soups & sauces. Open the full interactive explorer to search and switch goals. Satiety is an estimate. It is modelled from the known drivers of fullness (protein, fibre, water, low energy density, low fat), not measured directly.
Common questions
What are the best soups & sauces for boxers?
Dressing (yogurt, homemade), Sauce (pasta, white, with ham and mushrooms, homemade), Soup (goulash, homemade) score highest in this group on the all-round measure, which combines protein per calorie, nutrient density and estimated fullness.
How is the ranking worked out?
Each food is scored from the UK Government CoFID 2021 dataset and ranked by an all-round score. Switch goals in the full interactive explorer to re-rank for making weight, bulking or maximum protein.
General information for boxers, not medical or dietary advice. For a plan built around you, speak to a registered dietitian or your GP. Food data from the UK Government CoFID 2021 dataset, used under the Open Government Licence.
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