During the winter months, it can be hard for some moms-to-be to find satisfying, soothing foods that are also nutritious. Soup is a warm, hearty one-dish meal easily varied to fit individual tastes and is so simple to prepare.

"Soup can be a great choice for expectant moms," says Peggy O'Shea, a Boston-based registered dietitian and a member of the Massachusetts Dietetic Association board of directors. "Soup can be a great 'comfort food' and can be packed with great nutrients that both mother and baby can benefit from." Soup also provides some of the extra fluids required by pregnant women.

When thinking soup, it's best to make it homemade and not settle for canned. "Homemade soups are a great choice because you can create something that best appeals to you," says O'Shea. Canned soup also can be high in sodium. If you do buy ready-made soups, O'Shea says to check the label and avoid those with a high salt content and to select lower-fat soups, which are generally clear broth rather than cream soups. "Try soups that are chicken or vegetable based," she adds.

Making homemade soup is a great way to get more vegetables into your diet, which helps get moms-to-be a little closer to their daily vitamin and mineral requirements. "A warm, soothing vegetable soup ... provides plenty of vitamins, minerals and fiber," says O'Shea. And many people find they will eat vegetables they're not so found of if they're incorporated into a tasty soup base. "Try chopping some spinach finely and mixing it into chicken vegetable soup, for example," says O'Shea. "Also experiment with whole-grain products such as wild rice and barley in soups. They add additional health benefit along with great taste!"

O'Shea says minestrone, garden vegetable, wild rice with chicken and the classic chicken noodle are great choices for moms-to-be. But she encourages them to use their imaginations. "Craving something spicy? Throw some salsa in with your vegetable soup," she says. "Feel like something warm and bland? Chicken with rice might be just the thing. Remember that pregnancy is a time when food cravings, aversions and intolerances can cause challenges at mealtime – and in between. Soup can be a great way to get some very important nutrient benefit in a very warm and soothing form."

Here are some satisfying soup recipes moms-to-be (and dads-to-be!) will love.

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