Food for the soul

by Jeni Tackett – Registered Dietitian, Trinity Medical Center

Soup is food for the soul.  As the temperature drops outside nothing warms your body and soul more than a warm cup of soup (well, except a fire in the fireplace, perhaps).  Unfortunately, many canned soups are high in sodium, which can exacerbate health problems for some people.  Even healthy individuals may notice increased swelling after eating high sodium foods.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans from the United States Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services recommend daily sodium intake of 1500 mg per day for individuals 51 and older, African Americans, or those who have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.  For the rest of the population, the recommended intake of sodium is 2400 mg per day.  Most Americans consume way too much sodium (4000 mg or more) from canned and processed foods along with added salt.

Have you ever looked at the sodium on food labels?  One serving of canned soup (1 cup prepared) has 800-1000 mg of sodium.  How often do you eat just one 8 oz. cup of soup?  If you eat two servings, you have nearly reached your daily allowance of sodium.  As a general rule of thumb, a meal should be around 600 mg of sodium if your goal is no more than 2400 mg of sodium per day.

There are lower sodium canned soups on the market.  Healthy Request soups have on average 410 mg of sodium per cup, which is 50% less sodium than regular soups.  Healthy choice soups contain 300-600 mg of sodium per cup.  You would still need to keep your portion size to one cup and add other foods to your meal, such as a fresh salad or fruit.  Always check the labels on soups, no matter the health claim, so that you know the sodium content.

Another option is to make your own soup.  There are many low sodium, healthy soup recipes available on the Internet and in cookbooks (yes, there are still cookbooks out there).  The American Heart Association has a low salt cookbook available, and another great low sodium cookbook includes 500 Family Favorites.

Rather than adding salt to soups, you can add onion, garlic, ginger, peppers, and herbs and spices for increased flavor.  Food does not have to be bland just because you hold the salt.

You may feel like you don’t have time to make your own soup.  Try making soups on the weekend and then refrigerate in containers for the week.  When you are in a rush to get to work in the morning, grab a container of homemade, low sodium soup.  You’ll be glad you did!

Creamy Asparagus Soup Recipe

 

For other stories related to this subject, check out the following:

• Intel health (www.intelihealth.com) Click on Nutrition; then on “Healthful Recipes” Cooking Light Magazine (www.cookinglight.com).

• All Recipes (www.allrecipes.com)  Click on “Recipe Index”; Then click on “Special Diets”

 

Jeni Tackett is a registered dietitian at Trinity Medical Center and the Two Rivers YMCA. Jeni majored in Nutrition and Dietetics at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Caroline. She lives East Moline with her husband, Nathan and their two children, Noah and Lily and two dogs. Jack and Lola.For a listing of all of Jeni’s blog posts on MVHNews, click here.