There's nothing like a steaming bowl of hearty soup to warm you up on a cold winter's night. However, nutritionist Rosemary Stanton says that if you want a really healthy soup, you'll have to make it yourself

High blood pressure

Recent large-scale trials have shown that too much salt can lead to high blood pressure.

Three million Australians currently have high blood pressure, and therefore an increased risk of stroke. We only need 920-2300 milligrams of sodium per day, yet many packet soups, stock cubes and concentrated stocks contain a whole day's supply of sodium.

What to do Rosemary suggests that you make your own stock, and your own healthy soup (see recipes below). If you can't be bothered making your own soup, the best option is to buy one of the fresh, ready-made soups. They do contain too much salt, but at least they taste good and are low in fat. Check the label and try to choose a product with the lowest sodium level. Drink plenty of water. Water can help to flush out excess salt. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. They contain potassium, which provides a partial antidote to salt.

Healthy vegetable soup

1. Cook some onion, garlic and herbs in a little olive oil
2. Add vegetables of your choice (you'll need about a kilogram) and 1 litre of homemade stock. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked, then puree the soup.
3. If you want a thick, creamy soup, add about 1/2 cup powdered skim milk.

Lamb shank and lentil soup

This is a meal-in-a-pot. It can be made ahead and frozen until needed.

2 lamb shanks, trimmed of fat
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp mixed dried herbs
4 bay leaves
6 cups water
1 cup red wine (or use extra water)
1 cup brown lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
250g mushrooms, preferably field mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
4 medium zucchini, sliced
250g frozen peas

1. Heat a large flameproof non-stick casserole or saucepan and brown shanks
on all sides. Add onion and herbs, cover and allow to sweat for 4-5
minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add bay leaves, water, wine and lentils, bring to the boil, cover and
simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
3. Stir in rice, carrots and mushrooms, cover and continue cooking for
another 20 minutes.
4. Remove shanks and separate meat from bones. Discard bones. Add meat,
zucchini and peas to the soup and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Serves 4

Minestrone

6 cups chicken stock (or use water)
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 stick celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced finely
1 leek, washed and sliced
800g can tomatoes (no added salt), chopped roughly
2 tbsp tomato paste (no added salt)
1 tsp dried basil
4 bay leaves
100g small pasta shells
440g can red kidney beans
4 cups vegetables (shredded cabbage, sliced zucchini, peas, spinach, sliced
broccoli or cauliflower)
100g mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp torn basil leaves
2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large saucepan place stock, onion, celery, carrot, leek, tomatoes, tomato paste, basil and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, add pasta and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
2. Add undrained beans, vegetables and mushrooms and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with basil and cheese.
Serves 6

Easy chicken stock

Either keep the bones from a chicken meal or buy 750g chicken bones from a supermarket or chicken shop. Place the bones in a large saucepan; add a bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 2 sprigs of parsley, a roughly chopped carrot (or other leftover vegetables) and 4 cups of water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain stock, refrigerate and remove any fat that forms on the top. Use immediately or freeze until needed.

Copyright CTC Productions 2001