Things That Can Be Added To Delicious And Healthy Fall Soups
Soups are fantastic meals for seniors. Soups are easy for seniors to eat even if they have dentures or no natural teeth. They are hydrating and soups are usually easy on the stomach so that seniors who have digestive issues won’t get nausea from them. Soups are also packed with great nutrients that can help seniors say healthy. Many seniors have trouble making soups from scratch because of the difficulties of lifting heavy pots, slicing, chopping, or washing vegetables. Elder care services for seniors can make it easier for seniors to make their own healthy soups or add healthy ingredients to soup bases. An elder care provider can also sneak some extra nutrients into soups if your senior parent isn’t getting enough of the nutrients they need.
Some great ways you or an elder care aide can add extra nutrients into delicious fall soups are:
Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin puree can be added to the base of cream-based soups. Adding pumpkin puree will give the soup some body and also deliver a nice punch of much needed fiber. Pumpkin puree is low in calories but has a great slightly nutty taste and lots of vitamins and minerals. Seniors need fiber, beta carotene, and vitamin A, and pumpkin has all three in abundance. Adding pumpkin puree to a hearty cream-based soup will enhance both the flavor of the soup and the nutritional benefits of the soup.
Bone Broth Base
One of the best swaps to make in a fall soup is to swap water for bone broth. Bone broth is packed with gut-healing gelatin. It also has a surprising amount of protein which is fantastic for seniors who don’t get enough protein. There are a lot of health benefits that come from eating bone broth, but bone broth by itself can be a little too meaty tasting. Most people don’t enjoy drinking it by the cup. So using spicy bone broth as a base for soups is the perfect way for seniors to get the benefits of bone broth.
Chickpeas
Adding chickpeas to soup instead of pasta will replace the empty carbs from pasta with complex carbs. Chickpeas have protein which seniors don’t get enough of and they also have a lot of other nutrients. Just make sure they are drained and rinsed well before adding them to the soup for a senior loved one. If you can find the chickpeas with the skins removed use those. If not, you can remove the skins before putting them in the soup. Or go ahead and put them in the soup and skim out the skins after they fall out in the hot water.
Riced Vegetables
You can replace the rice in some soups with riced vegetables as a way to get your senior loved one to eat more healthy vegetables. For example, replacing the rice in a chicken and rice soup with riced cauliflower will lower the carb content of the soup while also giving your senior parent a nice nutritional boost.
If you or a senior family member are considering hiring Elder Care in Paramus NJ, please contact the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC. In-home senior care servicing Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.
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