Soup’s On

That’s right, it’s soup season!! 🍲

I love soup ♥️ it’s great for any meal, or even a late night snack (midnight beef noodle soup anyone?).

A soup can be as simple as a bone broth to a complex bouillabaisse. However, most contain an extremely large amount of sodium, usually found in the broth itself.

You can find several low/no sodium soup recipes on our site, but here are a few tips for when you’re out and about.

Convenience at a Cost

Most canned, jarred or ready-to-heat soups found in the grocery stores contain high levels of sodium. After all, salt makes food “taste.” 

Canned soup is convenient, but it can also be loaded with salt. A serving has more than 600mg and can have more than or 1,500 for the can (cause who eats just a cup of soup)! 

Unsalted varieties exist, but these can often seem bland or lacking flavor. I do keep a few cans of unsalted condensed soups for a variety of recipes. These help control the final amount of sodium.

If convenience is a must, check the labels and stick with soups marked, “reduced sodium,” verses, “heart healthy. Consider skipping drinking the broth (I know, the best part), as a way to reduce total salt. 

While we’re looking at labels, you may also notice the “thick” and “chunky” soups also contain more sodium. Vegetable and broth based soups tend to be a bit lighter.

Stock Up

I’ve blogged about making your own chicken and vegetable stock. I’m thankful I have an extra freezer space to store containers of homemade broth. These come in handy for a variety of recipes and can be thawed pretty fast.

But if storage or time of the essence, purchase unsalted stock in cans or containers, or use unsalted bouillon packets. Both are great options when making a quick meal at home.

Out and About

I’ll be honest. I try to avoid eating soup from restaurants or take-out places. However, if soup is on the menu, avoid cream-based or heavier soups that likely have added sodium and also limit the ability to skip the broth. Who would eat clam chowder but leave the chowder?

Similar to their canned cousins, broth based soups over creamed will likely have less sodium. For most franchise restaurants you can check out the nutrition information on their website.

From split pea to ramen, chili to chowder, what’s your favorite soup this season? Share in the comments below.

#StaySalty