According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.), "the majority of the sodium Americans consume, more than 75%, is found in processed food and restaurant meals." Living well and protecting your health includes eating right. Canned soups, while a satisfying cold-weather meal, are often high in sodium content.

With January as National Soup Month, it's a great time for a bowl of hearty, yet healthy soup. So, put down that can of soup and reduce your sodium intake this season with these five great low-sodium recipes that can be made easily in the slow cooker.

Three Bean Vegetable Soup

Bursting with fresh vegetables, this meatless soup is low in sodium but truly satisfying as a meal any time of year.

Ingredients

• 1 can each (15-oz) great northern beans, dark red kidney beans, and black beans (choose low-sodium variety of each)
• 14-oz petite diced tomatoes
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. each sea salt and black pepper
• 64-oz reduced sodium vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Set timer for 6 hours on low heat. Serve hot.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

You can reduce the sodium in this soup by substituting reduced sodium turkey ham for ham hocks.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound reduced sodium turkey ham, cubed
• 1 pound green split peas
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. each sea salt and ground black pepper
• 64-oz. reduced sodium vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. At the end of the cooking time, remove 2 cups of the soup from the slow cooker and puree in the blender. Return the puree back to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

If you prefer, the turkey ham can be omitted for a vegetarian version of this soup. However, you'll need to increase the salt to 2.5 teaspoons and the pepper to 1.5 teaspoons and/or adjust it to taste.

Creamy Tomato Soup

A good tomato soup is true comfort food, and it can be adapted to many different nutritional needs and senior health plans. This version—which substitutes a flavored Greek yogurt cream cheese for the heavy whipping cream often found in traditional creamy tomato soups—is easy to make in the slow cooker.

Ingredients

• 3 cans (84-oz) peeled whole tomatoes (don't drain)
• 1 large yellow (or white) onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1.5 tsp. each, sea salt and ground black pepper
• 48-oz reduced sodium vegetable broth
• 1 container Greek yogurt cream cheese (onion/chive variety)

Place all the ingredients, except the Greek yogurt cream cheese, into your slow cooker. Set it to cook on low for 6 hours. When it's done, add the container of Greek yogurt cream cheese and blend the soup in the slow cooker using an immersion blender. Another method is to puree batches of the soup in your food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Rotisserie chicken makes this slow cooker soup simple and quick to prepare.

Ingredients

• 1 fully-cooked rotisserie chicken (meat removed from bones and coarsely chopped)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1.5 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 48-oz. reduced sodium chicken broth
• 8-oz pasta (your favorite noodle)

Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, except the pasta, and set it to cook on low for 6 hours. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions and add to the soup before serving.

Ham and Bean Soup

Substitute a low-sodium turkey ham to help reduce the sodium content in this hearty soup.

• 1 lb. reduced/low sodium turkey ham, cubed
• 3 cans great northern beans
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 48-oz. reduced sodium vegetable broth or 24-oz broth and 24-oz water

Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low.