Everyone knows that canned soups are loaded with sodium. What many people don’t know is that homemade soup can be, as well. Choosing the wrong ingredients can make a homemade version just as unhealthy as the canned version. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. There are several ways to reduce the sodium in homemade soup. If follow a few easy steps, even your favorite old-time recipes can be healthier.
Start with a low-sodium or homemade broth. Canned broths can be loaded with sodium. Thankfully, some brands offer low-sodium versions. Still, the best way to reduce the sodium in homemade soup is to use homemade broth.
Prepare fresh tomato sauces. If you’re preparing a tomato soup, making the sauce from scratch allows you to control the amount of salt. A mere 1/4 cup of canned tomato sauce contains roughly 390mg of sodium. Depending on how much soup you eat, you could consume your daily amount of sodium in one meal.
Use frozen or fresh vegetables instead of canned. Canned vegetables, even lower-sodium versions, can be high in sodium–not to mention that they are cooked to mush. Fresh and frozen vegetables are both low in sodium and can be cooked to suit your preferences.
Season the soup with sea salt. There’s no denying that foods need salt in order to taste their best. To reduce the amount of sodium in your homemade soup, use sea salt. It has a stronger flavor, which means you’ll be able to use less.
Add fresh meat rather than processed. Sausage may taste wonderful, but it is loaded with salt. For example, Italian sausage has 600mg of sodium in every 2 ounces. On the other hand, fresh chicken breast has around 77mg in 4 ounces. If you’re adding meat to your soup, fresh meat is a wonderful way to reduce the salt.