Soup and sodium

jamie_lee80
jamie_lee80 Posts: 176 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Looking for some ideas on how to lighten up the sodium in my home made soups. I am in Western PA and soup season is already upon us. Through fall and winter I tend to eat soup everyday for lunch. Typically I make a crockpot full on Sunday and divide it up for the week. I am currently eating a lower carb/higher protein tortilla soup (I am type 1 diabetic so I have to keep my carbs on the low side) that is delicious, I used low sodium ingredients, from the broth, to the black beans, tomatoes but there is still an astronomical amount of sodium and this tends to happen with any type of soup that I make. I am trying to watch the sodium as well, again being a type 1 diabetic I need to keep that in check. I appreciate any suggestion!

Replies

  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
    If you buy dried beans and soak them overnight yourself, that will cut the sodium a good deal, and use fresh tomatoes instead of canned also? You can roast and peel them and they're a lot better than canned if you have the time. If you're spending Sundays doing it, then a bit of prep for the beans on Sat night won't add that much time. The tomatoes can roast in the oven for 30-45 mins while you're prepping the rest of the crock pot meal.

    You can also make your own stock with chicken bones & leftovers, but from my experience, it is hard to get it lower sodium and lower fat than the pre-made varieties without standing there skimming it forever and having it taste super bland. But maybe some stock-making professionals would care to give some tips! Because if you get it right, you can make a LOT of stock per batch and it can be frozen in batches that you need too :)
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    Only thing that I can think of is to just put in the desired salt content.

    I make soup weekly also and I am sodium restricted so I don't add any salt.

    Doc has me restricted to 1500mg and my daily is typically 500-750mg. So I assure you it can be done.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    Yup. If you are using canned goods you are in a tough spot.

    I only use whole foods in mine. Nothing from canned
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    If it comes out of a can; it is high in sodium. Sustitute fresh.
  • kender54
    kender54 Posts: 58 Member
    Try cutting the amount of broth? If your soups call for 100% broth, split it 50/50 with water. You can also find sodium free bouillon granules, although they don't make nearly as flavorful a broth as the real stuff. Make up the lost flavor with other herbs and seasonings. But really, its going to be soup and ingredient specific.
  • thinklivebefree
    thinklivebefree Posts: 328 Member
    Simple...Dry beans, fresh tomatoes, salt free broth or just make your own broth
  • Gemini61454
    Gemini61454 Posts: 85 Member
    Post your tortilla soup recipe. Sounds good and maybe we can see what you could change to lower the sodium??
  • Maryam2014mfp
    Maryam2014mfp Posts: 174
    You can get no salt canned tomatoes. Also there are no salt mixed spices that you can get specifically for certain things; such as soup, fish, meat, etc. Check at your grocery store. If they don't have them, ask as maybe they would bring them in for you. You could also mix your own, if you can't get any. When picking spices, select the powders instead of the salts. (Ie, garlic powder/garlic salt). My main ones are garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, parsley, etc. If you google spices, you can see which ones are best with certain things - chicken, beef, vegetable, etc. good luck
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'm watching my sodium too. If you're buying broth look for the reduced sodium type, if this is still too high make your own stock - a little more work but much better tasting and you can absolutely control the amount of sodium.

    +1 on the dried beans and making sauce from fresh tomatoes (or buy the no salt added variety canned ones).

    Something else to consider if you're hypertensive.....increase your potassium intake. I was shocked when I did a little research and found that the average adult should be aiming for over 4,000mg a day!
  • jamie_lee80
    jamie_lee80 Posts: 176 Member
    Great ideas! The thought to roast my own tomates never even crossed my mind and I didn't realize that the dried beans would have a lower sodium content. I did buy the low sodium canned beans, the low sodium broth, etc but all of that low sodium really adds up.

    Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedback!
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Yup. If you are using canned goods you are in a tough spot.

    I only use whole foods in mine. Nothing from canned

    With the exception of the tomatoes, this.

    Beans are cheap and easy to make as is beef broth. If you do not have one, buy a pressure cooker. Beans from dry to done in 20 minutes.

    And if you use veggies in a can, frozen vegetables are way better if using all fresh ingredients are not an option for you.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    The "low sodium" canned beans and boxed broths are not really very low in sodium. They are just lower in sodium than the same brand's regular version.

    Yes, homemade broth, dried beans and fresh ingredients are key. They are also cheap! And delicious.
  • andielyn
    andielyn Posts: 233 Member
    Agree with others. Here's a good recipe for homemade chicken stock: http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3758257/k.D3BD/Recipes__Lowsodium_chicken_or_vegetable_stock_made_from_scratch.htm

    Any meat product is going to have naturally occurring sodium. There are good no added salt canned tomatoes available if you don't have time to roast them. You can freeze dried soaked beans ready to cook; they are better if you freeze them soaked not cooked. Plus SOOO much cheaper!!

    And a pressure cooker can be your best friend with dried beans!

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