Nutritious Soups for Elderly Family Members: Ideas and Recipes

Updated April 1, 2021

Soup is an excellent meal for elderly men and women, as it tends to be healthy, is full of nutrients, and can be prepared with fresh ingredients. Although soups are often seen as a winter choice, they can be enjoyed all year round. There are many nutritious soups for elderly people to choose from, which is one more reason to try soup regularly.

If those weren’t enough advantages, soups are also helpful for caregivers. After all, soup can easily be made ahead of time and then simply heated up when needed. Caregivers can even make large batches of soup and freeze some for later.

There are thousands of different soup recipes and they’re native to different parts of the world. While a soup will only be as healthy as its ingredients, there are countless nutritious soups for elderly people. Many soups contain decent amounts of fiber, vitamin A, magnesium, iron, and potassium. These nutrients are all essential for a healthy diet, especially for seniors.

Soups tend to be low in calories too, making them perfect for seniors who need to watch their calorie intake.

The one problem is that sounds are often high in sodium. While sodium is an important electrolyte, it can raise blood pressure and many people consume too much of it already. Thankfully, there are some low sodium soup recipes. The best ones will skip the salt and use other ingredients to provide flavor.

Now that you know all the advantages of soup, let’s take a look at five nutritious soups for elderly people and why they’re so powerful. We’ll also highlight a few fantastic recipes for each of the soups that we cover.

Nutritious Soups for Elderly Family Members

• Butternut Squash Soup
• Seafood Chowder
• Chicken Soup
• Tomato Soup
• Tuscan Bean Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soups are becoming more common than ever during the winter season. Nothing says winter quite like the scent of a smooth and creamy squash soup. The soup still seems to relax you from the inside out, whether you want to have yours warm or cold.

You might be familiar with the many different types of squash soups, which each rely on their own particular roots and have different advantages for the people who enjoy them.

While the soup isn’t extremely filling on its own, eating a cup of butternut squash soup with a nutritious main course that’s high in protein creates a well-balanced dinner.

The soup itself is made from butternut squash that has been stewed and pureed. This creates a smooth soup that is easy to eat, even for seniors who cannot chew properly. The soup is also rich in nutrients, including potassium, vitamin B6, niacin, thiamin, and vitamin E.

The most convenient and fastest way to puree a butternut squash is with an immersion hand blender. However, if the senior likes his soup to have an extra smooth consistency then a countertop blender may be a better option.

Benefits

• Butternut squash is rich in potent antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene.   
• Antioxidants help inhibit or slow down the damage caused by cells and minimize inflammation, potentially reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases.
• Studies have shown that foods rich in certain antioxidants present in butternut squash, including carotenoid antioxidants and vitamin C, will decrease the risk of certain cancers. 
• It has been shown that yellow and orange vegetables and fruits, including butternut squash, may help prevent heart disease. The antioxidants that are present in these colorful vegetables have a strong influence on the life of the heart.

Recipes

• Curried Butternut Squash Soup from Minimalist Baker
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup from Downshiftology
• Vegan Butternut Squash Soup from Loving it Vegan
• Low Sodium Butternut Squash Soup from Hacking Salt

Seafood Chowder

If you want a soup that’s filling without making you feel lethargic, then seafood chowder is perfect. It has a soft and savory broth that will fill you up. When made well, fish chowder is a delicious broth filled with tomatoes, onion, and fish like cod or salmon.

The soup offers plenty of vitamin nutrients and essential minerals too. The soup is also a perfect way to increase omega-3 fatty acid intake. This type of fat is important for decreasing blood cholesterol levels, along with decreasing the risk of conditions like asthma and Alzheimer’s disease.

Chowders traditionally use dairy ingredients to create their rich creamy texture. This can be a problem in some situations and may lead to a calorie-dense meal. Thankfully, health-conscious chefs have created innovative recipes using dairy substitutes such as coconut or almond milk for people who prefer alternatives to milk. 

Benefits

• The omega-3 fatty acids in the chowder lower blood pressure, and significantly reduce the development of clots and plaque in the arteries. This, in turn, reduces the chances of heart attacks and stroke.
• Fish is a main ingredient in fish chowder soup. Fish has proven medical benefits to prevent cognitive decline and memory loss, which could lead to lower risk for dementia.

Recipes

• Southwest Seafood Chowder from Food & Wine
• Creamy Seafood Chowder from Spend with Pennies
• Healthy Seafood Chowder from Kim’s Cravings
• Creamy Corn and Seafood Chowder from The Spruce Eats

Chicken Soup

Since the winter season is here, it’s the time of the year when most of us, especially the elders, want something hot to drink. What could be better than chicken broth? Not only does this taste great, but it also has remarkable benefits. Add in an extra layer of spicy seasoning or your favorite ingredients and this meal will certainly improve your winters. 

Chicken soup is high in protein and often includes ingredients like carrots, celery, onions, and parsley. These are all rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Add some whole wheat pasta for a side of good carbohydrates if you like to make it more satisfying. Or, why not turn the dish into chicken noodle soup?

The bone broth used to create the soup can be a real lifesafer. It is high in many critical nutrients, like phosphorous, magnesium, and calcium, partly because it is made from bones. As a result, the broth is thought to help preserve healthy knees and battle osteoarthritis, decrease pain, improve sleep, and aid in weight loss. 

Benefits

• The nutrients found in chicken, particularly in the dark meat, help to lower blood pressure.
• Calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and other essential minerals are present in animal bones, the same minerals used to create and reinforce your own bones.
• Chicken is a rich source of proteins and amino acids that are very good for muscles and other tissue development. Thus, a chicken soup bowl can be a wonderful complement to your daily meals.
• Other important elements in a chicken soup include flavor-adding onions, garlic, and extra vegetables, along with a substantial amount of essential vitamins required to improve immune system function.

Recipes

• Tuscan Style Chicken Soup from Kitchen Sanctuary
• Lemon Chicken Soup from Southern Living
• Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup from The Modern Proper
• Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from Averie Cooks

Tomato Soup

During the cold winter days, don’t we all just love the nice, satisfying and taste of fresh tomato soup? Tomato soup remains one of the most widely made soups around the world, so we can’t leave it out of our collection of nutritious soups for elderly men and women.

To produce a smooth and rich soup, the tomatoes are roasted first, then stewed and then pureed. You may serve it at a formal dinner, as a soothing lunch or as an elegant starter. The wide range of health benefits makes the soup particularly important for seniors.

Tomato soup, which includes antioxidants such as lycopene and carotenoids, is powerful because of its potential to decrease chronic inflammation. It may also have a knock-on effect that lowers the risk of some cancers such as cancers of the stomach, bladder, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.

The soup includes essential minerals, such as copper, selenium and potassium, as well as vitamins A and C. Tomatoes can ensure healthier blood pressure, enhance the function of the body, boost blood sugar, reduce digestive problems, and improve the general health of the eyes and skin.

The vitamin K and calcium found in tomato soup can even help improve your bone health, while lycopene increases bone density, which could help to prevent osteoporosis. There are other potential benefits too, like how the vitamin C in tomato soup might reduce the risk of clots and decreases the amount of bad cholesterol.

Benefits

• Selenium helps to promote blood supply.
• The nervous system is strengthened by high amounts of copper in tomato soup. Potassium helps to relay nerve impulses. Both of these areas can help promote positive mental health.
• When made with olive oil, tomato soup promotes weight loss. Plus, the soup is rich in fiber and water, features that help to keep you full for quite some time.
• Researchers have reported that in men, a bowl of tomato soup every day will increase fertility.

Recipes

• Easy Three-Ingredient Tomato Soup from Inspired Taste
• Roasted Tomato Soup from Tastes Better from Scratch
• Creamy Tomato Soup with Chicken and Vegetables from The Modern Proper
• Creamy Tomato Soup from Love & Lemons

Tuscan Bean Soup

Who would not want to improve the nutritional quality of meals by including ingredients that are rich in protein, low in glycemic index, and abundant in nutrient content with lots of fiber and even more health advantages?

A plain white bean is that amazing food. With folate, vitamin B1 (thiamin), potassium, magnesium, and iron, white beans are the complete package. The beans are a simple food which is pretty easy to cook. 

Get your inspiration from Mediterranean cuisine whenever you want to make a soup filled with balanced ingredients. The beans in this broth provide seniors with the fiber that they need for their digestive wellbeing. By adding fresh ingredients, such as spinach, broccoli, carrots or tomatoes, you can make this soup much better.

The beans also act as a decent source of protein. They can encourage good muscle strength when combined with a proper fitness program and balanced diet. In many biological functions, including muscle development, food transfer, and hormone development, amino acids, which are the building blocks of matter, play a significant role.  

The high nutritional density and low calorie content of white beans makes them ideal for encouraging a healthy body weight. It has been found that diets rich in fiber and protein encourage sense of fullness, making you less prone to overindulge.

Benefits

• A high supply of antioxidants, substances that combat diseases and help preserve maximal fitness, is provided by white beans. This stops degenerative disorders from arising, including some tumors, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, arthritis, heart disease, problems in the immune system, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.
• In addition to combating wrinkles by supplying antioxidants that protect the skin, white beans include zinc, copper, and protein that can also help prevent premature aging and wrinkles.
• A decent amount of magnesium is present in white beans. Magnesium is a major mineral agent that conducts a variety of main body functions.
• Magnesium, present in white beans, retains the electrical potential through the membranes of the nerves and muscles, and allows you to control stress. It is equally significant for bones. 

Recipes

• Tuscan White Bean Soup from Barefoot Contessa
• Easy Tuscan Bean Soup from The Wanderlust Kitchen
• Tuscan White Bean Soup from A Simple Palate
• Vegan Tuscan White Bean Soup from My Quiet Kitchen

How to Find Other Nutritious Soups for Elderly People

Of course, these are just a few examples of nutritious soups. There are plenty of others out there too. Some will be familiar while others might be completely new.

Ultimately, the ingredients in your soup matter more than anything else. Look for recipes that rely on fresh whole food ingredients. The best soups will use many vegetables, legumes, and perhaps some lean meat, while only using small amounts of high-calorie ingredients like cream.