By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD
Nutrition and fitness manager, Northwest Kidney Centers

There is nothing quite so pleasant as a mug of soup on a cold winter’s day. Homemade is much better than most canned soups, or those in boxes, or soup from a kiosk in the grocery store – because they are all full of salt and that’s not good for your heart, blood vessels and kidneys. How do you enjoy the comfort of soup without the salt?

Try making your own and pumping up other flavors. The fresh herbs and vegetables that you put in the pot will taste much better than the pressure-canned, flavorless commercial options you can buy.
Make soup on the weekend and freeze it for meals during the week when you don’t have time to cook, or try putting everything in a slow cooker before you go to work. When you get home, dinner is ready. Just add a slice of whole wheat bread and a quick salad or sectioned tangerines, and you’ve got a complete meal.

Slow cooker split pea soup

Split pea soup can be salty if you use ham, but a smoked turkey leg gives a similar taste with less salt. It has only 450 milligrams of salt per 4 ounces, as opposed to more than 1,000 milligrams for most ham.

1 one-pound bag of split peas
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 smoked turkey leg

8 cups water

Note: dried herbs can be substituted for fresh. Use about 1 tablespoon for every ¼ cup fresh herbs.
Sort through peas and check for small stones. Chop carrots, celery, onions and herbs. Put everything in the slow cooker, turn on high. Cook 6-8 hours. When you get home, take the lid off and have dinner. Yields about 10 cups of soup.

Nutritional information (per 1 cup):
Calories: 278, Carbohydrates: 25 grams, Protein: 32 grams, Sodium: 82 milligrams

Slow cooker chicken barley soup

About one pound of chicken parts: thighs, legs or breasts
1 cup onion, chopped
2 potatoes, diced

3 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh sage

½ cup barley
6-8 cups water

Note: dried herbs can be substituted for fresh. Use about 1 tablespoon for every ¼ cup fresh herbs.
Remove skin from chicken. Cube chicken, or cut in bite-sized pieces. Chop potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and herbs. Put everything in slow cooker. Turn on high. Cook 6-8 hours. When you get home, take the lid off and have dinner. Yields about 8 cups of soup.

Nutritional information (per 1 cup):
Calories: 180, Carbohydrates: 26 grams, Protein: 15 grams, Sodium: 107 milligrams

The information in this column is meant for people who want to keep their kidneys healthy and blood pressure down by following a low-sodium diet. In most cases, except for dialysis patients, a diet high in potassium is thought to help lower high blood pressure. These recipes are not intended for people on dialysis without the supervision of a registered dietitian.

[Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. The 2014 recipient of National Kidney Foundation Council on Renal Nutrition’s Susan Knapp Excellence in Education Award, she has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington. See more of her recipes at www.nwkidney.org.]