It might seem counterintuitive to recommend foods high in salt to aid in the reduction of high blood pressure.
And it’s true that many high-sodium foods are terrible for you. However, it’s not because of the salt, necessarily, that this is so. It’s all because of the other ingredients of a particular food.
Scientists put this idea to the test recently and found that one very salty soup is very beneficial to health and even lowers blood pressure.
What do tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onion, vinegar, garlic and olive oil all have in common? Other than each being really good for you separately, they are all ingredients in fresh gazpacho, a very healthy Spanish chilled soup.
The ingredients of this tasty traditional dish can vary from region to region, but basically include all the ingredients above, plus other seasonings- like salt.
Gazpacho is pretty high in salt, no matter how it’s prepared, but the high salt content can’t ruin the tremendous health benefits, says a research group out of Barcelona, Spain.
After looking at the effects on almost 4,000 people studied, the conclusion was that blood pressure could be dropped by more than 25% by including fresh gazpacho regularly in diets.
Each of the ingredients has its own long list of health benefits, and the fact that it’s chilled and not cooked preserves most of them.
Cooking degrades the nutritive value in any food, and gazpacho is served chilled after it’s blended in a food processor. Using fresh, organic ingredients makes it even healthier.
The antioxidant and vitamin benefits of the soup, it is theorized, far outweigh the detrimental effects of the added salt.
Simple Gazpacho Soup Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, sliced into chunks
4 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 bell pepper, any color
2 cloves garlic
1 celery rib, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 sweet onion, quartered
3 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
dash black pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Preparation:
Simply combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, except the fresh herbs and process until smooth. Stir in the herbs, refrigerate until cool and serve with bread.
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I LOVE Gazpacho. it is a great refreshing soup. But why serve it with bread – which is wheat? It doesn’t need it. Everybody always wants to add bread. Take it out of your diet and you’ll feel a lot better.
Is there any reason that the gazpacho soup couldn’t be heated (not cooked) before it is served? Seems to me it would be more palatable served warm or hot. Thanks for your consideration.
I'll try it. It sounds Good.
I made a gazpacho this week end, but not to this recipe. It’s not a salty soup. In fact the taste of salt in it is not desirable. The fresh taste of tomatoes and cucumbers etc is where its charm lies.
The recipe misses an essential ingredient in all the varieties of spanish gazpacho, iced water. Add up to a cup of iced water and ice to each serving depending how thick the base is.
As far as bread goes croutons are the way to go. Also add olive oil.
A small amount of wheat is not going to hurt people, It’s the fact we eat way too much wheat, and corn and soy products that are the problem. The wrong kind of milk too, from T1 and not T2 cows.
there’s no reason why gazpacho has to be high in salt…unless people are using canned tomato juice!!!!! if it’s made as above, with all fresh foods…it won’t be super high sodium.
Worth a try. Thanks for the info
Thanks for the recipe and will try it very soon! It will be a wonderful soup especially for the
summer months.
Yes, I agree with u that the comments on your posts add a lot of value if read along with the posts. But, I also do think it would add greater value still if you guys respond to these comments.
Most soups are tasy and easy to prepare and I love the ingredients of your Spanish cold soup BUT on cold days is it really going to matter that much if its served warm?
I do agree with John as far as the added salt in the soup. The salt is not to be addded, it will taste just as good w/out it. When it comes to HBP no salt need to be added to any food
Have a healthty yr. 2013 and Happy new year
God bless all
The first time I had Gazpacho was in the hospital when I had my first child. This was a chunky version and I loved it!!! I would definitely leave chunks of the vegetables :o)
Thank you for posting!
You mention olive oil but it's not in the list of ingredients?
Great item for control or lowering blood pressure. I like it.
It won’t be a Gazpacho summer soup if it was served warm. I would probably take the cucumbers out too if that were the case.
I’ve tried many variations of Gazpacho. I like to have it with green Jalapeno sauce as well. One variation that was interesting was having it with shaved frozen tomato and little bit of watermelon in it to give it an extra dimension. This will look more appetizing if it were summer obviously…
this looks good.
or you could make a salad.
In some of the interesting comments on the soup, the readers ask questions that could be answered for better dissemination / understanding of the original thoughts of the article’s author.
Can anybody tell of an independant mass study that proves that salt causes heart attacks and high blood pressure and that we would live longer and healthier without it.
Sounds great. It must taste great too. I shall try it soon. Appears to be healthy.Usually soups are had warm. Nothing like trying. Thanks for the recipe.
Must try this one of these days.Sounds nutritious & cooling.Thank you.
Christian, I find this article very interesting but rather confused. I get your email alerts and when I saw the headline today for the second time, I thought, oh now it’s miso soup. But no, you’re bringing attention to the same article about “Gazpacho” saying it’s “pretty high in salt, no matter how it’s prepared”. Don’t you find this a little silly? Your own recipe has only 1/2 tsp of salt – not much at all. And why not just reduce it further?
So calling this a “salty” soup and making this an article on salt vs high blood pressure seems off base. Please explain or redo the article.
Salt is not a problem provided it is unrefined sea salt. The body needs salt to function properly and for the metabolism to stay
In harmony.
What you do no need is the heavily refined and processed salt that finds its way into ready meals. However, even that is not as bad as the No 1 killer sugar. Avoid at all costs.
Regards
Mark
I tried this and did not like it.
I really like that you provide a recipe! Great article, Christian! I will be adding this to my regular foods, maybe even today. I think I have all the ingredients, from friends and my own garden! They gave me tomatoes, I have herbs! I am willing to eat any and all natural vegetables in ways to lower my blood pressure! I am also willing to add other suggested items for lowering blood pressure, or lowering sugar levels! Much appreciated article, again, Blue Heron and their hero research writers! Marvelous people! Georgia C.
I agree with Mark. 1/2 tspn of salt in about 5 cups of soup (about 5 servings) is not very much. Of
course, adding bread, if it is store bread, will also add more salt (sodium). I bake my own bread, using
only water,whole wheat flour, butter, honey, yeast, salt, and adding a couple of tablespoons of quinua,
or other whole seeds (chia, flax, etc). I may also add molasses to increase sweetness and potassium
content. Of course, since there are no preservatives, it should be stored in a fridge or a cool place.
I am going to try this recipe as soon as I can, but as others have said, I will warm it up.
This resipi is choice too for it whanau
I would use Himalayan, Real Salt, or Celtic salt myself if I felt it was needed after tasting. Have been using Real Salt for a few years and like it a lot. I salt lightly but now live where very hot & humid. Am now sprinkling a little in my drinking water (not enough to even taste).
Have had Gazpacho in the past and some was very good, others, so-so.
I call this Salad Soup. Maybe that will take away some of the northern men’s horror of cold soup! 🙂 To a northern man, nothing could be colder and more heartless than their idea of cold soup — the fare left on the back of the stove when the missus has gone to bed to stay warm wrapped only in blankets and memories. The fire in the fireplace and on the stove, and possibly in the heart as well, has died from lack of fuel and attention. The cold soup sits at the back of the stove as a silent reminder of their own negligence or inability to provide the warmth, the passion, required to keep the soup warm. Yet still the work of the wife lies above the long dead coals, for sustenance if the man of the home does return. On the other hand, Gazpacho is a wonderful Spanish soup, relished by the hard-working men of southern climes. Its bright summery colors are an engaging and refreshing sight, especially as it is served by deeply colored, passionate women in gaily colored dresses, ribbons fluttering in a gentle southern breeze. In the hot summer sun, the scent of the fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs are a glad welcome to the noonday meal. The salt is not excessive, and doesn’t need to be added at all if you are not working all day in the hot summer sun, losing electrolytes from sweat, but the natural salts are a life saver for the laborer. Gazpacho found its way across the ocean to Pensacola, Florida with the seamen. Somewhere along its journey, it acquired a few new ingredients and a new form. The sailors soaked their hard-tack in the soup, soaking up its flavors with the staple bread. A dollop of soured cream stirred in with the softened hard-tack turned the soup into a molded salad, called Gazpachee. I used a few dollops of sour cream, a dollop of two of mayonnaise and chilled overnight. Black olives make a marvelous (and authentic) Spanish accent. Yes, use sea salt, whether Spanish, Italian, Israeli, Celtic or Himalayan for added flavor and essential micro-nutrients. I also add cilantro with the herbs for a cleansing effect and Spanish flavor.
What is a “SWEET ONION”?, maybe its something we don’t have here, or maybe we call it something else, could you please describe it to me? But the recipe’ looks like it would be very tasty, healthy and refreshing on the hot days we are now having in Northern China.