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Is Chicken Noodle soup really good to eat when you have a cold? If so why?

Is chicken noodle soup really good to eat when you have a cold? If so, why?

Public Comments

1. The salt (sodium) in it will 'dry' you out.
2. Well, they just say that b/c it's hot and things that are hot make colds go away.
3. Well, depends on how hungry you are of coarse...but if i was hungry i'd prefer it hot, soothing to the soul haha
4. it helps keep you hydrated, plus it gives you something to eat
5. I always thought it was because the steam clears your nasal passages. Hot liquids will also soothe your throat, and will keep you hydrated.
6. Yes, it really does seem to be effective. They used to say it was just because hot liquids help alleviate cold symptoms but now it seems that there's something in chicken soup that works better than other liquids. There's even been research: http://www.unmc.edu/publicaffairs/chickensoup/newsrelease.htm
7. its a myth
8. Any hot soup releases warm vapors that can help loosen phlegm. The chicken part comes from fact that the mom on the farm (anywhere in the world) would sacrifice a laying hen to comfort her sick child. Hence, the curative nature of chicken soup.
9. http://www.healthbulletin.org/colds_flu/colds2.htm According to the article, anti-inflammatory properties in chicken soup and the vegetables. I'm sure the hot liquids help, too. My children's pediatrician advised making Chinese Chicken Rice Gruel (jook) when my sons had colds.
10. Colds make us not hungry. Chicken noodle soup smells good and causes us to eat. It is soothing to our bodies. I put a little garlic powder in mine and sometimes a little cracked pepper. I also buy just the broth. I like Swanson's but the others are good too. Instead of having a cup of coffee or tea, I have half a cup of chicken broth with just a little garlic powder in it. Garlic powder opens up the air passages in our noses.
11. Soups just good to eat in general it soothes the thorat having something warm just like hot tea does. When you have a sore when you drink or eat something hot it just feels good in your thorat.
12. Yes. Harvard Medical School ( or Yale, I forget which ) did a study on this and found that an element in the chicken broth could actually break up mucus.
13. Yes, because it's soothing on the stomach, contains carbohydrates for quick energy, protein for healing and stamina, and replaces lost electrolytes and fluids from being sick.
14. Chicken soup is one of those almost universal comfort food & folk remedy for colds in many different cultures. People used to smile indulgingly when Grandma insisted chicken soup was good for your cold, but in more recent times a more scientific approach to testing this theory seems to give more weight to Grandma's wisdom. However, they have been unable to pin down exactly what component in chicken soup gives the benefit. It could be the synergy of the melting pot of different ingredients, it could be the steam, it could be the warm fuzzy feeling of mother's love. Don't expect any more studies though, since research costs big bucks and there is no patent on chicken soup, unless they invent the Mother of all Chicken Soups with top-secret Vitamin Z that not only cures colds, but also fights cancer, improves complexion & burns fat like a hot knife through butter. http://www.unmc.edu/publicaffairs/chickensoup/newsrelease.htm http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/food/chickensoup/ http://chetday.com/coldfluremedy.htm Although it's more convenient, there's no point in using canned soup with all the sodium, preservatives and artificial seasonings. Chicken soup is pretty idiot-proof, whether Chinese or Western: just dump all the ingredients in a pot & simmer for 1-2 hours at low-med heat (slow cookers or crockpots are the best). Add salt to taste at the end and you have a piping hot bowl of nourishing chicken soup good to the last drop.