Homemade vs. Canned Soup
It’s not often that scientific studies include a recipe for chicken soup. But a report published in Chest nearly two decades ago has a step-by-step guide on how to make “Grandma’s soup,” as part of an experiment to determine if homemade and canned soups could have a healing impact on humans at a cellular level.
In order to determine whether giving soup to white blood cells in a lab would prevent neutrophil migration, or slow the cells’ movement, researchers at the University of Nebraska The soup did, in fact, slow down the cells, indicating to researchers that a similar effect in people might help lessen inflammatory symptoms associated with colds and flu, such as sore throats.
They even did a comparative analysis of a number of different canned soup brands, and almost all of them (apart from Ramen with chicken flavor) could slow down the cells to some extent. Therefore, the researchers came to the conclusion that soup’s anti-inflammatory properties are probably the result of a combination of ingredients working together.
That being said, store-bought soup does typically contain preservatives and high levels of sodium, and the longer ingredients sit, the more nutritional value they will lose. For those reasons, homemade chicken noodle soup is best, says Brad Bolling, an assistant professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Chicken and the vegetables in the soup have beneficial properties, depending on how you prepare them,” he says. The key to proper preparation depends on the vegetable. Many vegetables can lose their nutrients when boiled for too long. When adding onions to chicken noodle soup, for example, add them toward the end to maintain as many nutrients as possible. For vegetables like carrots, however, nutrients become easier to absorb when they are cooked. You want your cold-fighting soup to have as many nutrients as possible.
In addition, chicken, when added to soup, releases an amino acid called cysteine. Cysteine thins out mucus in the nose and lungs and can help the body heal. This works in combination with soups other benefits as well, such as helping hydrate the body.
It’s not just a myth. Slurping soup or sipping tea may have actual health benefits that help us heal.
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Other theories claim that chicken soup helps keep you hydrated and soothes a sore throat. But a recent study from the University of Nebraska found that chicken soup may contain anti-inflammatory substances that could help alleviate a cold.
Another comfort food that’s frequently given to sick children is chicken soup. Both adults and children may benefit emotionally and psychologically from a steaming bowl of soup.
According to a few scientific studies, zinc can help shorten the length of a cold. Nevertheless, you must begin taking more zinc within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. It’s difficult to determine whether chicken soup contains enough zinc to be beneficial because many of these studies were conducted with lozenges or supplements.
Various vegetables and stock or broth are used to make chicken soup. The chicken bones are cooked for several hours in a stock. This allows minerals like magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and seepage into the liquid stock. Since a broth is usually made solely of meat, these same minerals won’t be present in it. However, don’t undervalue broth’s nutritional value; it’s still packed with minerals like phosphorus and selenium. Naturally, a range of vegetables are used to make stocks and soups, including celery, onions, carrots, leeks, parsnips, and turnips; all of these vegetables’ minerals seep into the liquid.
Jewish scholars have praised chicken soup’s healing properties for a range of illnesses, including the common cold, since the 12th century. Even now, when you’re sick in bed, someone has brought you a steaming hot bowl of soup or reminded you of its benefits. Do folktales about the health benefits of chicken soup truly exist, or is there a more plausible way to treat a cold?
