This 82-Year-Old Grandma Swears By Her ‘Longevity Soup’

Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD

Key Points

• A viral minestrone soup recipe, shared by an 82-year-old grandmother, is packed with veggies.

• Beans, a key ingredient in the soup, are a plant-based protein source linked to longevity.

• An expert supports her claims, highlighting minestrone soup as a gut-healthy, budget-friendly staple.

With the weather seemingly getting colder by the day, chances are you’re hankering for a bowl of soup. Why not kill two birds with one stone by preparing a pot that will leave you comforted and nutritionally satisfied?

In a recent viral Instagram post, the 82-year-old grandmother to food creator Lainie Kates shared her go-to soup that she swears by to help her thrive. For “optimal wellbeing,” Kates’s grandma meal-preps this soup on the regular for lunches and dinners.

The recipe is the family’s version of minestrone, a classic Italian soup with a tomatoey broth and loaded with vegetables, beans and pasta. The soup that Kates shares includes an array of veggies: onion, celery, carrots, zucchini and green beans. Her grandmother adds elbow pasta (they recommend a small pasta shape, including shells or orecchiette) and a can of cannellini white beans to her soup.

“Beans are the key to longevity, they really are,” the 82-year-old says. And there’s some validity to her statement. As a plant-based source of protein and fiber, beans and legumes are a satiating, nutrient-dense powerhouse that can help reduce heart disease risk when eaten regularly.

Longevity expert Dan Buettner shared with EatingWell that he eats minestrone soup every day because it’s packed with gut-healthy fiber and budget-friendly pantry and refrigerator staples, from canned beans to frozen vegetables. In fact, he even starts his day with a bowl—minestrone soup for breakfast? Hey, we’re definitely not judging! And starting the day with a warm, hydrating breakfast can actually help keep things moving, if you know what we mean.

Labeled “comforting, filling and delicious” by Kates and her grandma, try out the soup for a healthy day (which if enjoyed more regularly, may lead to a healthy life!). And similar recipes like our Rainbow Minestrone or our highly-rated Veggistrone offer the same comfort with simple swaps to spruce up the ritual each week.

Read the original article on EatingWell