Nutrition

A Delicious Way to Make Your Cochlea Happy

Nutrition is an easy way to keep your hearing health going strong. January is National Soup Month, and it’s just the time to try some great soup recipes that will please your taste buds and your cochlea.

Folate and Omega-3

Savor the flavor of these six soups rich in folate, omega-3 fatty acids, or both! Folate ensures plenty of healthy blood gets to all the structures of your inner ear, and omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation and protect your inner ear from age-related deterioration.

Lentil Soup with Lemon and Turmeric

If you’re new to lentils, this soup is a great introduction — it’s delicious and simple to make! The recipe has tips for preparation, several ingredient alternatives, and instructions for blending the soup, if you decide to go that route. Plus, if you’re no stranger to cooking, you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already.

The hearing-health kickers are the lentils and veggies, which are all brimming with folate!

Vegetable Beef Soup

There’s nothing more satisfying than this classic omnivore standby option on a winter evening — savory stock, tender beef, a medley of veggies, and bread nearby for dipping in the bowl after you finish. This recipe uses staples like onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, corn, and peas, but you can use whatever you have on hand! The recipe also provides tips for using a slow cooker instead of a pot.

This dish supports your hearing health by providing ample folate from the veggies.

Easy Clam Chowder

This clam chowder truly is a cinch. The trade-off, at least for the purists, is that the clams in this recipe are canned. But you can make them as thick or runny as you like and, as the recipe says, it’s chockfull of clams!

The hearing-health superstars in this recipe are the clams, which pack in the omega-3s, but the onions and potatoes are no slouches in the folate department, either.

Chicken and Kale Soup

This simple, hearty, satisfying soup is ideal on a crisp, rainy day or a cold winter evening. The seasonings are unassuming and easy to adjust to your taste. If kale isn’t your leafy green of choice, feel free to substitute your favorite.

Your cochlea will thank you for all the folate support from the onions, beans, potatoes, and leafy greens!

Easy 20-Minute Moqueca

The textures and flavors of this Brazilian classic are complex, lovely additions to a simple side of rice, beans, or both (adding even more folate!). This recipe uses cod, but you can easily replace it with flavorful shrimp, catfish, or salmon — all of which also pack a more powerful omega-3 punch! In fact, this recipe is full of opportunities to swap, add, and substitute, so you can put your own unique spin on it.

Plus, this delicious dish is a perfect balance of folate (onions, tomatoes) and omega-3s (fish)!

Four-Bean Chili

I can practically hear you saying, “Hey, what’s the big idea? Chili isn’t soup!” You might be surprised to find out it’s an age-old debate — is it a soup or a stew? No matter what category you put it in, you’ll pronounce it “yummy”! This unassuming four-bean delight has a secret — that fourth bean is refried beans! The as-written recipe won’t satisfy fans of very spicy foods, though, so feel free to toss in jalapeños, habaneros, or whatever food on the Scoville scale you can handle.

Beans are nature’s little folate fountains, so your inner ear is sure to appreciate this chili.