And while it's possible to find lowsalt soups, their taste is often unusual, to put it kindly. What about a middle ground?

In 1993, the last time we rooted around in the soup aisle, we found only a smattering of cans and packages with enough taste to carry off their lower salt levels (300 to 500 mg per cup). Now there are dozens.

It's not just luck.

In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration decided that to be labeled "healthy," foods can't contain more than 480 mg of sodium per serving. That's 20 percent of the Daily Value. (Meal-type foods like frozen dinners can have more.)

Presto.

Healthy Not By Choice

Unfortunately, you can't take a shortcut with Progresso's 99% Fat Free soups. The sodium can run anywhere from 440 to 930 mg per cup, so you've got to stand in the aisle and check each "Nutrition Facts" label.

The good news is that many mid-salt soups get their richer flavor from a richer supply of real food, not salty water. That means you get a healthier soup, with more beans, pasta, or vegetables-and the fiber, vitamins, and minerals they bring.

The bad news is that for some categories, like vegetable and tomato, it's still tough to find a good-tasting midsalt soup. Here are the best-tasting soups we found, by category.

We tasted most Best Bites (no more than three grams of fat and 300 mg of sodium per serving, plus at least ten percent of the Daily Value for two or more of the following nutrients: fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, or calcium). We also sampled most Honorable Mentions (they could have up to 500 mg of sodium).

• Bean. Bean (and lentil and split pea) soups are hard to beat. They've got fiber, protein, iron, and sometimes calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Meat-eaters should love Campbell's Healthy Request Bean with Ham & Bacon or Healthy Choice Bean and Ham. If ham isn't your thing, head for Fantastic Foods Jumpin' Black Bean or Cha-Cha Chili. Or try Shari's Organic thick and hearty Mexican Bean Burrito. Go for Baxters 99% Fat Free Italian Bean & Pasta if you prefer your beans in a thinner broth.

• Chicken & Turkey. Every Healthy Choice or Campbell's Healthy Request chicken (or turkey) soup we tasted was delicious. Some, like Healthy Choice Hearty Chicken and Healthy Request Hearty Chicken Noodle, were loaded with chicken, vegetables, noodles and flavor. They put Campbell's classic red-and-white label salty Chicken Noodle to shame.

Health Valley's (vegetarian) dried Fat-Free! Healthy Chicken Flavored Noodles with Vegetables is awfully close to your grandmother's chicken soup. Ditto for Dr. McDougall's delicious (vegetarian) Baked-Not Fried Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodles in a cup. Though Ramen soups look harmless, most are salty and loaded with artery-clogging palm oil. To unearth one with just one gram of fat that's low enough in sodium for an "Honorable Mention" is a real find.

• Lentil. Out of sandwich ideas? Try Progresso 99% Fat Free or Healthy Choice Lentil soup and whole-grain crackers or rolls for lunch.

Shari's Organic Spicy French Green Lentil is for those who prefer exotic spices. Unfortunately, Health Valley's lentil soups are for those who prefer "off" flavors.

As for dried soups, if you like Indian spicing, pick up Fantastic Foods Couscous with Lentils or Safeway Enlighten Couscous Lentil.

• Split Pea. Campbell's Healthy Request Split Pea with Ham and Healthy Choice Split Pea and Ham both had a satisfying smoky flavor. Down on ham? Then try dried soups like Health Valley Fat-Free! Healthy Split Pea & Carrots, Fantastic Foods Split Pea, or Dr. McDougall's Split Pea with Barley.

• Tomato. If you love tomato soup, scour the health food stores for Shari's Organic Cream of Tomato. The blend of tomato puree, onions, and spices is instant comfort on a cold day. Shari's Tomato with Roasted Garlic is also delicious. In fact, Shari's were the only good-tasting tomato soups to meet our criteria.

• Vegetable. Canned lower-salt vegetable soups frequently taste like the can they come in. Ditto for minestrones. But not Campbell's Healthy Request Hearty Vegetable Beef and Healthy Choice Vegetable Beef. They tasted like an old-fashioned beef stew-but with less than three grams of fat per cup. Campbell's Healthy Request Southwestern Vegetable had a nice kick to it, thanks to the chili peppers and spices. And Fantastic Foods dried Minestrone tasted almost homemade.

• Miscellaneous. Unlike most French onion soups, Baxter's 99% Fat Free Onion has ten percent of a day's worth of iron (from concentrated beef bouillon) and fiber (from the onions). It's also got 100 percent of a day's worth of onion soup flavor.

Progresso 99% Fat Free Beef Barley is a nice variation on beef vegetable. With savory beef stock, carrots, tomatoes, and other vegetables, you won't notice that some of the salt is gone. And Healthy Choice Chili Beef tastes just like a spicy-but-not-too-hot chili should.

Health Valley dried Fat-Free! Healthy Pasta Italiano features al dente shells, red beans, and a delicious blend of vegetables and spices. The company's innovative dried Spicy Black Bean with Couscous is all you need for a quick, tasty lunch. And Dr. McDougall's Tortilla Soup with Baked Chips has a pleasing, savory mix of Mexican flavors.

Souper Duper

Soups	Calories	Sodium (mg)	Fiber (g)
Multi Serving Soups
Health Valley Organic	90	150	7
Taste Adventure Low Fat Minestrone	140	210	8
Health Valley Fat-Free	90	230	8
Pritikin Lentil or Split Pea	160	290	7
Health Valley Fat-Free! Healthy Pasta	110	290	4
Pritikin Hearty Vegetable, Minestrone, or Vegetarian Vegetable	90	290	3
Arrowhead Mills Red Lentil	100	320	3
Taste Adventure Low Fat Navy Bean	160	390	9
Healthy Choice Garden Vegetable, Minestrone, or Vegetable Garden	110	400	3
Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle, Chicken with Rice, Hearty Chicken, or Turkey with White & Wild Rice	120	410	1
Baxters 99% Fat Free Mediterranean Tomato or Onion	70	420	3
Shari's Organic	130	420	3
Healthy Choice Country Vegetable, Split Pea and Ham, or Vegetable Beef	130	420	2
Healthy Choice Bean and Ham, Chili Beef, or Lentil	160	430	6
Baxters 99% Fat Free Country Garden, ltalian Bean & Pasta, or Minestrone	80	430	4
Mayacamas Black Bean or Garden Pea, mix	60	450	3
Healthy Choice Cream of Mushroom	80	450	1
Healthy Choice Beef & Potato	120	450	0
Progresso 99% Fat Free Beef Barley or Lentil	140	460	5
Campbell's Healthy Request Bean with Ham & Bacon	150	480	7
Campbell's Healthy Request Southwestern Vegetable or Split Pea with Ham	160	480	5
Hain Healthy Naturals	120	480	4
Healthy Request Hearty Country Vegetable, Hearty Minestrone, Hearty Vegetable Beef, or Tomato Vegetable	120	480	3
Hain Home Style Naturals Chunky Tomato or Minestrone	120	480	3
Campbell's Healthy Request Hearty Chicken Noodle or Zesty Penne & Vegetables, or Creative Chef Tomato	120	480	2
Healthy Choice New England Clam Chowder	120	480	2
Campbell's Healthy Request Chicken with Rice	60	480	1
Campbell's Healthy Request New England Clam Chowder	120	480	1
Campbell's Healthy Request Chicken Noodle, Cream of Chicken, or Cream of Mushroom	270	480	0
Taste Adventure Low Fat Golden Pea or Sweet Corn Chowder	210	490	5
Westbrae Natural Fat Free	l90	580	7
Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion, mix	20	610	0
Progresso 99% Fat Free Chicken Noodle	90	620	1
Campbell's Baked 98% Fat Free Ramen, Chicken (package, not cup)	140	720	1
Lipton Noodle with Chicken Broth Soup Mix	60	720	0
Campbell's Tomato	100	730	2
Knorr Vegetable, mix	30	730	1
Progresso Lentil	140	750	7
Maruchan Ramen, Chicken	190	780	1
Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom	70	830	0
Campbell's Cream of Mushroom	110	870	1
Campbell's Cream of Chicken	130	890	1
Nissin Top Ramen, Chicken	190	910	1
Campbell's Vegetable	80	920	2
Progresso Minestrone	120	960	5
Campbell's 98% Fat Free New England Clam Chowder (made with 2% fat milk)	150	970	1
Campbell's Chicken Noodle	70	980	1
Campbell's French Onion	70	980	1
Knorr French Onion, mix	45	980	0
Progresso New England Clam Chowder	200	1,050	2
Campbell's Cream of Mushroom (jar)	260	1,130	1
Soup Cups & Single-Serving Soups
Tabatchick No Salt Added	120	80	6
Campbell's Low Sodium Chicken with Noodles	170	120	2
Pritikin	140	140	5
Mrs. Manischwitz Black Bean	200	320	5
Health Valley Fat-Free! Healthy Soup in a Cup	220	380	6
Casbah Teapot Garden Couscous or Santa Fe Rice & Beans	200	440	8
Casbah Teapot Hearty Lentil or Vegetarian Chili	190	440	7
Nile Spice Lentil, Sweet Corn Chowder, or Tomato Herb	140	440	3
Casbah Teapot Minestrone or Split Pea	220	450	10
Casbah Teapot Chicken Noodle	130	450	1
Safeway Enlighten Black Bean or Couscous Lentil	190	460	12
Safeway Enlighten Tex-Mex Beans & Rice or Tomato Basil Pasta	170	460	5
Fantastic Foods Couscous with Lentils, Jumpin' Black Bean, Split Pea, or Vegetable Barley	200	470	7
Fantastic Foods Cha-Cha Chili, Country Lentil, or Five Bean	230	480	12
Dr. McDougall's Split Pea with Barley	200	480	9
Dr. McDougall's Minestrone & Pasta or Tortilla Soup with Baked Chips	180	480	5
Dr. McDougall's Baked-Not Fried Ramen Noodles	140	480	2
Fantastic Foods Creamy Broccoli & Cheddar, Minestrone, Vegetable Curry Ramen Noodles, or Vegetable Tomato Ramen Noodles	140	490	3
Lipton Cup-a-Soup, Tomato	100	510	1
Lipton Cup-a-Soup, Chicken Noodle	50	540	0
Spice Hunter	140	640	1
Knorr Chicken Vegetable	120	860	1
Knorr Potato Leek	130	920	1

Best Bite Honorable Mention

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Source: Manufacturers