Chicken Soup for the Flu is good. when you’re feeling under the weather and fighting an infection, nothing beats comforting chicken soup as an antidote. Long considered the go-to remedy for flu and cold symptoms, many have touted its healing powers, but can it really speed up recovery? In this article we explore why and how chicken soup may be effective against flu symptoms; research backs this claim, as well as ways you can create the optimal chicken soup to speed your recovery timeframe.
Chicken Soup for Health Benefits
While its flavors might tempt us, research indicates that it may actually help ease flu symptoms while aiding our bodies’ natural ability to heal themselves.
Soup made from chicken can help speed your recovery from flu season.
1. Hydration Is Key
To get through a flu infection, drinking plenty of fluids is absolutely crucial. Chicken soup provides an excellent source of fluids, helping replenish your body’s water stores, reduce mucus production, and soothe your throat. Plus, herbs, vegetables, and spices add flavor while contributing vital nutrition that strengthens your immune system!
2. Reduce Congestion
A warm soup combined with the aroma of steam is an effective way of relieving nasal congestion. Steam opens your nasal passages, making breathing easier while relieving the pain associated with nasal congestion. Ingredients such as garlic, onions, rosemary, and thyme have antimicrobial properties that help combat the influenza virus.
3. Soothe a Sore Throat
A sore throat is one of the more unpleasant flu symptoms, but chicken soup is an effective remedy to soothe its discomfort. The warm liquid offers instantaneous comfort while its amino acids and proteins support immunity and help your body to heal more rapidly.
4. can provide nutrients that support immunity.
Chicken is an excellent source of the essential proteins needed for tissue formation and repair, including immunity system cells that fight infections. While vegetables such as celery, carrots, and onions contain vitamin A and C as well as antioxidants, which have long been recognized to enhance immune health and reduce inflammation.
5. Promotes Rest and Comfort
Chicken soup is often thought of as comforting food, providing psychological as well as physical comfort. Eating something warm and filling will make you feel cared for by others, which is crucial in healing. Furthermore, its digestible composition makes it particularly helpful when dealing with flu-related appetite loss.
Chicken Soup’s Healing Properties Are Deliberately Backed Up By Science
Numerous studies have explored the therapeutic value of chicken soup as a remedy for colds and flu. According to researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, chicken soup could offer mild anti-inflammatory benefits that help with respiratory system inflammation as well as airflow improvement during illness such as colds or flus. The benefits may lie within its ingredients—chicken and vegetables can help in this regard, giving essential relief during an illness like this one.
Chest Journal published another study showing how warm liquid contained within soup helps alleviate nasal congestion. Furthermore, its combination of ingredients could enhance mucociliary clearance—the body’s natural way of clearing mucus from the respiratory tract.
Chicken soup contains several amino acids that resemble those found in medication commonly prescribed to reduce mucus production in the lung, possibly accounting for why it can provide such relief from respiratory symptoms.
How to Prepare the Ideal Chicken Soup for Flu Symptoms
If you want the maximum enjoyment from chicken soup when sick, it is best to make it yourself using healthy, fresh ingredients. While canned versions can be convenient, making homemade chicken soup has many other advantages, including added nutrients and the ability to customize according to personal taste. Here is how you can prepare one at home to fight flu:
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (or 4–6 bone-in chicken thighs)8 cups of water3 carrots, peeled and sliced3 celery stalks, sliced1 onion, quartered4 garlic cloves, smashed1-inch piece of ginger, sliced1 teaspoon of turmeric (optional, for its anti-inflammatory properties)1–2 bay leaves1 teaspoon black peppercornsFresh parsley for garnishSalt to tasteLemon juice, to taste (optional)
Instructions:
Prepare the Chicken: For optimal results, combine 8 cups of water with an entire chicken (or chicken thighs), bring to a boil, remove foam as necessary, and reduce to a simmer, cooking for approximately 1.5 hours until your chicken has reached maximum doneness and your broth becomes smoky.
Add spices and vegetables: When simmering the soup for another 30 minutes, add carrots, onions, celery, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, turmeric, and peppercorns, as this will allow the vegetables to soften while providing nutrition-rich benefits to the soup.
Remove the Chicken: Once your chicken has been fully cooked, take great care in extracting it from its pan and allowing it to cool before shredding it into pieces—bones and skin should always be removed first!
Strain the broth: Straining will allow you to remove vegetables and spices that could spoil the broth, then return it to the pot with your chicken pieces that have been shredded for optimal flavoring. After testing for taste, adjust seasoning as necessary with additional spices such as salt or pepper for the best results.
Garnish and Serve: Once completed, serve the soup hot. Garnish it with freshly chopped greens and an optional splash of lemon juice for an added boost of vitamin C that may help strengthen immunity.
Chicken Soup for the Flu: FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1. Can chicken soup help relieve influenza symptoms?
Yes, chicken soup has been shown to help alleviate symptoms associated with influenza. Furthermore, soup provides water essential for healing processes.
Q2. Does store-bought chicken soup help treat influenza?
Many store-bought varieties contain significant sodium levels as well as preservatives that may not offer equal health advantages.
Q3: When is it appropriate for me to consume chicken soup if I am suffering from influenza?
Chicken soup can be consumed anytime when suffering from the flu. I
Q4: What ingredients can help combat influenza more effectively with chicken soup?
Yes! Incorporating ingredients such as garlic, turmeric, ginger, and leafy greens may increase the effectiveness of chicken-based soup against flu. Garlic has antibacterial properties, while turmeric and ginger have powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
Q5: How often should I consume chicken soup when sick?
Chicken soup can be eaten anytime during a bout with the flu. Its soothing properties, hydrating qualities, and rich nutrition will help speed your recovery faster. Try drinking at least one bowl daily of warm liquid like chicken broth to speed the healing process.
Q6: Does chicken soup aid in fighting off colds and influenza?
Chicken soup is an effective remedy to help treat colds and flu.
Conclusion
Chicken soup is more than just an indulgence; it’s a proven remedy that can speed recovery from flu. When feeling under the weather, make yourself some homemade chicken soup to quickly ease symptoms and speed your recovery time!