Here's why soup really helps when you're sick (2024)

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Here's why soup really helps when you're sick? ›

When sick, it's easy to get dehydrated, Pike said, so consuming something water-based can be helpful. Plus, if you're losing electrolytes from gastrointestinal illness, chicken broth can replace them—it's rich in sodium at 924 milligrams per cup.

Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus. The herbs and spices sometimes used in chicken soup, such as pepper and garlic, also loosen mucus. The broth, which contains water and electrolytes, helps with rehydration.

Although it could seem like chicken soup's curative powers are purely a placebo effect, for years there's been actual science backing up what many of us have known all along: chicken soup really does lessen the symptoms of cold and flu, and can even help speed along recovery time (via ScienceDaily).

If you're looking for a nutritious, comforting meal after a long winter day, a warm bowl of soup might be the perfect option. Since it is very easy for the body to digest, soup can help your body feel relaxed and potentially relieve digestive issues like bloating or gas.

You eat soup from a bowl with a spoon, you can drink soup from a mug, hence "cuppa soup".

Bone broth serves as a great way to replenish the fluids that you're losing, while also providing your body with valuable electrolytes from the sodium in the broth. These electrolytes will also help you absorb the water more easily.

What Experts Say. "The concept of eating soup to lose weight has spanned decades, but experts say an all-soup diet lacks nutrients and is not sustainable. They do agree it can be smart to eat vegetable-packed soups for some meals, though, as these are filling, nutrient-dense, and low in calories."

Hot soups, in general, help keep nasal passages moist, thin out mucus, prevent dehydration, and soothe a sore throat. Any kind of vegetable-dense soup is going to achieve similar effects to chicken soup, though you may miss some of its more unique qualities. Some other healing soups to try are: Carrot ginger soup.

Also, a healthy soup provides an easy way to digest the nutrients we need, especially when we're sick. Soup is the perfect “comfort food” not just because it's so easily digested but also, according to some food scientists, soup's close appearance to baby food is a big (subconscious) reason we eat it when ill.

Here are some health benefits of drinking soup before your meal, as shared by the expert. *It is a high source of fluids. *Soups are healthy and nutritious. *Soup preserves its nutritional value.

Do you eat a soup or sip it? ›

Instead of slurping, the correct way to eat soup is to sip it from the side of your spoon like a drink.

Not only can the hot base be soothing to the throat and sinuses when sick, but a lot of the ingredients typically used in soup have immune-boosting effects, according to Toby Amidor, a registered dietician and author of The Family Immunity Cookbook.

Consuming soup not only hydrates you, but the sodium can also help ease the pain from a sore throat. Plus, the heat of the broth will work to relieve a stuffy nose and sinus pressure.

The main reason why people eat soup in winter is because it's warm! A nice hot bowl of hot soup warms the body and brings a smile to everyone's face. But there are many other reasons to eat soup in winter. In addition to making you feel better, soups are very flavorful.

Chicken noodle soup ends up providing a considerable amount of the materials one's body needs keep functioning. The rich and salty broth can also help one stay healthy during an illness since it provides another critical nutrient for the body.

The BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) Diet is a top choice of doctors for improving digestive function during a stomach illness. Eating certain bland foods can help alleviate symptoms. In addition to serving small portions of applesauce, bananas, rice and toast, you can also try foods such as: Clear broth.