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 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

Best Bite Honorable Mention

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Source: Manufacturers