Chicken Soup for the Heart

Heart-healthy tips for enjoying soups and stews 

By Teller Stalfort, MPH, RD, registered dietitian of the UVA Heart and Vascular Center 

With the days getting shorter and the nights turning cooler, welcoming fall with a hearty soup is a great thing to do. What could be more comforting than tucking in to a steaming bowl of soup for dinner, accompanied by a chunk of whole grain bread and a salad to bring your day to a comforting close? There are many ways to incorporate autumn’s bounty in soup; the key is to make sure you include ingredients that keep you on a healthy track. 

Here’s my advice for a savory soup 

1. Avoid using heavy creams and salty canned products that rack up the fat and sodium content. Instead, choose light, low or non-fat ingredients as well as fresh, frozen or no-salt-added canned products that are as tasty as their unhealthier counterparts.  

2. Choose brightly colored produce that bump up the antioxidant content of your soup. Aim for the yellows, oranges, greens and reds that reflect the changing leaves. Pumpkin, butternut squash, tomato and kale are also great in soup. 

3. Boost flavor with fresh or dried herbs, spices and other no-sodium seasonings. This way you’ll keep your blood pressure in check. Remember, one teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium which is a whole day’s worth in one fell swoop. Many canned soups have 800 or 900 mg of sodium (or more) in a one cup serving and most cans contain two or more servings!  The reduced-sodium canned options cut the salt by 30-50% per serving but if you eat the whole can you are back where you started.  

And don’t forget about stews 

Breaking out the slow cooker is also a great, easy option for this time of year. 

Convenient? Yes.

Valuable time saver? Yes.

Tasty? Yes.

Aromatic? Yes. 

So have fun with hearty soups and stews that shine on their own as one-dish meals or as part of a heart-healthy, and heart-warming, ensemble.