Chicken Noodle Soup Rx
With cold and flu season quickly approaching I wanted to breakdown one of the most commonly prescribed remedies to help get you back on your feet. No, I am not talking about antibiotics, cough syrups, decongestants, Tylenol or any type of prescription or over the counter drug. I am talking about chicken noodle soup. Moms and grand moms everywhere have long prescribed this hearty broth to help combat colds and flues. How is it though that a soup can make you feel better? Lets breakdown a typical recipe and discuss how each ingredient plays a key role in making you feel better.
Normally when we sit down to eat soup it is boiling hot. Not only do the ingredients of the soup help make you feel better but also the temperature. This burning hot soup actually causes a change in our body temperature. We feel warm inside, maybe even start to sweat a little. This increase in body temperature helps us to fight off the infection. It causes our blood vessels to dilate improving blood flow, which contains our natural defenders. Hot soup can actually help to clear that awful congestion you might be suffering from. A study looking at mucus velocity showed that hot chicken soup, either through aroma or taste was superior in increasing mucosal flow vs. hot or cold water. Besides the temperature the broth of this is also very hydrating for when you most need it.
Allium Sativum and Allium Cepa more commonly known as garlic and onion are two key ingredients found in almost every chicken noodle soup. Besides offering remarkable flavor profiles these vegetables actually have numerous health benefits. Both garlic and onion are anti-viral and anti-microbial, which means they help fight against unwanted pathogens. Onion is also considered a diaphoretic herb, which means it is causes the body to heat up and thus sweat. These are not the only ingredients in your soup that have health benefits though.
Herbs like Thymus vulgaris (Thyme) and Petroselinum crispumparsley are also common added ingredients in chicken noodle soup. Thyme is another one of those herbs that are antimicrobial. Another addedbenefit of adding thyme to your chicken noodle soup is that it is a relaxing expectorant. Relaxing expectorants are used to help break up mucus so you can get rid of the unwanted congestion. Parsley is rich in vitamins C & A which both play a key role in supporting your immune system. This cold and flu season don’t forget that food is medicine. Try out some different chicken noodle soup recipes using a combination of different ingredients.
