Have you ever looked at the Nutrition Facts panel for your soup? Most people are surprised to hear that soup can contain an excessive amount of sodium for the number of calories it provides. This applies to canned, jarred, fresh, and frozen.

Here are just a few quick examples...

• 1 cup of chicken noodle soup: 1780 mg sodium

• 1 cup of vegetable beef soup: 860 mg sodium

• 1 cup of tomato soup: 750 mg sodium

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise people to "Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease."

Why?

Let's turn to the guideline’s assertion, "On average, the higher an individual’s sodium intake, the higher the individual’s blood pressure. […] Keeping blood pressure in the normal range reduces an individual’s risk of cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease. Therefore, adults and children should limit their intake of sodium."But you know all this already. The question is, how can you help your clients reduce the sodium in their diets?

Soup is a great place to start. I mean, look at the stats above! The sodium in a single cup of chicken noodle soup is more than roughly half of the U.S. population should consume in a single day. That's crazy. But many soups are like that, even the ones with reduced sodium. Yes, I'm serious. A cup of reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup still packs a whopping 1300 mg of sodium, while a cup of reduced-sodium chicken noodle soup contains 1320 mg of sodium.

The answer to reducing the sodium in a bowl of soup is to make that soup at home. It's easier than your clients may think!

For inspiration, here are two easy favorite soup recipes. They are perfect for cooking demonstrations or speedy handouts. You can also prepare samples at home and bring them to your next session. The samples make equally-good health fair booth lures. Which will you try first?

These soups aren't just tasty and healthful; they're also low in sodium. Here's the breakdown of sodium content in a cup of each soup...