January Celebrates Hot Dishes for a Healthy Heart

January may be the official month celebrating soup, oatmeal and hot tea, but how do you keep those toasty-treats healthy?

Like many of the healthy recipes we discuss, the key is knowing what's been added to these dishes. is a great way to get a variety of vegetables and protein in a new presentation; oatmeal is part of a heart-healthy diet; and hot tea often offers antioxidants. But make sure you don’t cancel these benefits with added sugars and saturated fats.

At home, you can control what gets added to your food. Avoid pre-packaged oatmeal packs and most canned soups, which are filled with preservatives, sodium, and often sugar. Instead, try using low-sodium alternatives to make your own fresh soup using combinations of your favorite healthy treats. I like a quinoa, chicken breast, and vegetable soup. You can make a big batch and then portion into servings to freeze.

Steel-cut or quick-cook oats are a great warm breakfast. Sweeten it with a small amount of fresh fruit or stevia extract. There are many flavor extracts available for those that get bored easily. I’ve done coconut peach, peppermint cocoa, and many more. Oats are a slow-digesting, non-gluten carbohydrate that will provide steady energy for the rest of your day.

Hot tea can be a very satisfying treat. Green tea is often touted as the most beneficial with health, with lots of beneficial phytochemicals that serve as antioxidants or serve in other ways to our bodies. But hot teas are also a great way to satisfy a craving for an indulgent food without the calories. Chai tea is my favorite secret weapon—the tastes of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and other spices make me feel like I’m sneaking a cinnamon roll. I have a wild orange tea that gives me the fragrant satisfaction of fruit without the blood sugar spike. Again, I use stevia extract to give it a hint of sweetness.

There are several businesses in Ballwin and Ellisville where you can celebrate these foods. Gingham’s Restaurant in Ellisville is known for their homemade soup. Their most healthy soup is their Vegetable beef recipe, which is made with sirloin beef tips and fresh vegetables, and is low in calories and sodium.

“I think that vegetable soup is attractive to healthy eaters because it is a fulfilling hearty meal made from scratch that is low in fat and in calories,” said Marvin Green, Head Chef and Kitchen Manager at Gingham’s.

While there, you can have a cup of Camellia hot tea with honey and lemon. If you’d like to get breakfast, Gingham’s also offers oatmeal made-to-order. Brown sugar, butter, milk and bananas or blueberries can come on the side so you control what nutrients are included in your oatmeal.

A great place for specialty health tea is Planet Health in Ellisville. Naomi DiCresce, owner of Planet Health, said that she prefers a chai-green tea blend, but her most popular tea is a green tea and gingseng blend.

“The Good Earth brand is also somewhat hard to find,” said DiCresce. “Oolong tea is also good for bloating, to release excess water.”

Many larger supermarkets carry a variety of teas as well, so DiCresce makes sure to carry unique brands, such as Traditional Medicinals, to help with a variety of ailments.

Lone Wolf Coffee Company in Ballwin also is a great place to enjoy both a hot meal and a unique atmosphere. Lone Wolf offers all of this month’s celebrated foods.  I chatted up a local resident when I had a cup of hot tea there this week.

“Oh, I’ve had the apple walnut oatmeal before,” said Jan Spears, 37, of Ballwin. “There is just something wholesome feeling about it.”

And perhaps that’s what makes these foods such a draw—not only are they healthy additions to your diet, but you feel good eating them too.