Soup Recipes for Diabetics

Soup offers a great way to warm up a cold night or help you recover from a cold or the flu. It is also a great low-carbohydrate meal or appetizer for a person with diabetes. Soup is filling and can contain lots of vitamins and minerals. The soup recipes listed below count as only one or no carbohydrate exchanges. They can also help you get more vegetables and protein into your diet.

Soup Tips

Try having some soup before a meal and you may find yourself eating less of the main meal. Or have the soup as your main meal for low-carbs and lots of nutrition. Add some of your own ingredients to give these soups your own special flair. But remember, adding carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, or other grains will add carbohydrate exchanges to the soup. This is fine if the soup is your main meal. If you are watching your salt intake, use more herbs and spices and go easy on the salt.

Three Soup Recipes for Diabetics

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 tsp plus 3/4 tsp canola oil
• 3/4 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 1/3 cups chicken stock, low-fat, low-sodium
• 2/3 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp dry sherry
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet and drizzle 3/4 tsp canola oil on the seeds. Toast for five minutes, then remove from the oven.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a stockpot. Add the onion and sauté for five minutes.
4. Add the pumpkin and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the milk, sherry, and cinnamon. Simmer for five minutes.
5. To serve, place soup in bowls and top with pumpkin seeds. Grind pepper over each serving.

Serving and Nutrition Information

Per serving: 131 calories, 507 mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol, 12.6 g carbohydrates, 8.3 g protein, 1.7 g fiber, 5.1 g fat.Diabetic Exchanges per Serving: 1 carbohydrate, 1 fat, 1 protein

Adapted from: American Diabetes Association's "Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes - Or Less"

Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 4 Tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 lb carrots, diced
• 1 quart low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 dash white pepper
• 4 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and ginger. Cook until the shallots become translucent.
2. Add the diced carrots and enough chicken stock to cover them. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim off any scum or fat which floats to the surface, cover the pot tightly, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft.
3. Place the carrots and chicken stock into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Season with salt and white pepper.
5. Serve immediately and garnish with a dollop of heavy cream and fresh chives.

Serving and Nutrition Information

Makes 4 servings.Serving Size: 1/2 cup Per serving: Calories 105, Calories From Fat 19, Total Fat 2 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 353 mg, Total Carbohydrate 21 g, Dietary Fiber 5 g, Sugars 12 g, Protein 2 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 4 vegetable

Adapted from: "Cooking with the Diabetic Chef "

Cabbage and Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 3 cups low-fat, low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
• ½ stalked celery, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped with tops
• 1 potato, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp caraway seeds
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine water, broth, tomatoes, celery, onion, potato, bay leaf, salt, thyme, and caraway seeds. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Add the cabbage, chicken, lemon juice, and sugar.
3. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Serving and Nutrition Information

Makes 8 servings. Serving Size: 1 cup Per serving: Calories 81, Calories From Fat 15, Total Fat 2 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 16 mg, Sodium 526 mg, Total Carbohydrate 9 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Sugars 4 g, Protein 7 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 vegetable, 1 very lean meat

Adapted from: "The New Soul Food Cookbook for People with Diabetes"

Soup Is Filling

Whether you are diabetic or not, soup is a food that can fill the tummy without expanding the waistline. Add soup to your meal plan for a hearty, tasty change of pace.