Nobody like fighting a winter cold that has spread around the office or neighborhood, yet it happens to everyone. Even if you try to eat sensibly, you may find yourself sick with nothing but Netflix and sweatpants to keep you company. Netflix, sweatpants, and, of course, soup!
We believe that warm soup can help you feel better on a cold day, so whether you’re feeling a little under the weather or fighting a particularly nasty cold, check out our list of the finest soups to eat when you or a loved one is sick.
Why is Soup Beneficial for Colds?
Why is it that the only thing that sounds delicious when we have a cold is a warm bowl of soup? There’s a scientific explanation for this. Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha discovered that those who ate chicken noodle soup when they were unwell had a greater level of white blood cells, which are essential to fight infections. Rennard hypothesized that boosting these infection-fighting cells aids in the reduction of upper respiratory symptoms associated with colds.
Another study discovered that people who drank hot liquids when sick had more nasal mucus flow. Cilia, the microscopic hairlike projections within the nose that prevent contagions from entering the body, are also improved by this soup.
The fact that most soups contain hot broth rich in vitamins and nutrient-rich vegetables and provide a light meal without taxing the body is one of the main reasons why soup is beneficial for colds.
Top Soup Recipes When you are Sick
Soup with Chicken Noodles
Let’s get this party started with a classic! Chicken noodle soup is delicious and one of the greatest soups for a cold. A painful throat can be relieved by drinking hot soup, which stimulates nasal drainage. It also includes vitamin-rich vegetables to help enhance your immune system and noodles to keep you full and content.
Asian-Inspired Soup with Zoodles to Fight Flu
This zoodle flu buster soup is flavorful and full of texture, thanks to adding anise seed, cumin, and five-spice powder to the soup’s base. Antioxidants are abundant in each of these spices, improving the immune system. This soup also contains zucchini and yellow squash, which are high in B vitamins and antioxidants, which help to alleviate inflammation.
Soup with Harvest Vegetables
Vegetable soups are created with various heart-healthy vegetables and herbs from the garden. This soup is beneficial for colds since it helps combat the weariness of illness.
Soup with Butternut Squash
This creamy and tasty soup is ideal for eating while recuperating in bed with plenty of fluids, Netflix, and a warm blanket. On the other hand, Butternut squash has a secret superfood identity: it contains cucurbitacins, an anti-inflammatory chemical that helps viruses and germs. Butternut squash also has a lot of vitamin C, which will help your immune system.
Soup with Tomatoes and Basil
Creamy tomato basil soup is another fantastic soup for a cold. This soup is filled with antioxidants, plant compounds, vitamins, and minerals that boost immunity, support healthy skin and vision, improve bone health, and may even lessen the risk of heart disease, in addition to being a terrific comfort food on a rainy day.
Soup with Coconut Curry
This Damn Delicious recipe takes less than half an hour to prepare and has just the right amount of spiciness to help clear your sinuses. It also contains garlic and ginger, two ingredients that aid with various ailments, from unsettled stomachs to lingering coughs.
What are Different Types of Soup?
Soup is divided into four categories: thin, thick, cold, and national. In today’s modern kitchen, these sorts of soups are well-known.
These categories encompass a wide range of soups, including clear soups like consommé, bouillon, and broth, as well as thick soups such as purees, velouté, and cream soups, such as the traditional Campbell’s line.
Thin Soups
Thin soups are delicate soups that do not contain any thickening agents.
Contrary to popular belief, thin soups may pack a punch of flavor, and thin soups never have a watery aftertaste.
Thin soups can be divided into the clear, broth, bouillon, and chunky categories.
Soup with a Thick Consistency
Soups thickened with flour, cornstarch, cream, vegetables, gelatines, and other ingredients are known as thick soups. Depending on how you thicken a soup, you can obtain varying textures and flavors.
A potage of boiling meat and vegetables, for example, produces a thick, mushy soup. On the other hand, a bisque is thickened with rice, resulting in a smoother soup.
Soups from Around the World
Because soup has long been a component of many cultures, several countries have evolved their soups, ranging from classic Hungarian Goulash to Scotland’s Cullen Skink.
There are hundreds of different soups from all across the world, and you could eat soup your way around the world!
Soups that are Served Cold
Cold soups are popular in several cultures, particularly near the equator, as a refreshing yet full meal or starter!
Gazpacho is undoubtedly the most famous cold soup, although cold soups from other cultures are equally famous.
While you can have cold tomato soup, other soups are made to be served cold.
Why should you Eat More Soup?
Steaming hot soups and stews can keep you and your family warm and comfortable as we make our way through another long, bitter winter. Soup not only warms you up on a cold night, but it’s also a quick and easy way to get supper on the table.
Soups provide these five benefits, whether you’re making a broth-based dish or eating a bowl of hearty stew:
- They’re beneficial to your health. While some soups might ruin your diet (cream-based types are especially heavy in fat and calories), most can help you achieve your daily vegetable intake. Soups are a great way to take advantage of nature’s bounty (winter crops like pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, and parsnips will not wilt or become limp when cooked). Putting vegetables into a soup recipe can help them liven up if you have vegetables ready to go bad. Even frozen vegetables can be dropped into a boiling broth without affecting the flavor or texture.
- They’re low-cost and simple to prepare. Soups and stews don’t require a lot of time in the kitchen. In reality, if you use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot, you can make a delicious soup in under five minutes and leave the rest in the cooker. If you increase the liquid and vegetable content, you can use less expensive items like chicken, fish, and meat. Then, if desired, serve with whole-grain bread and a small salad as a meal.
- They keep well in the freezer. Soups and stews are ideal if you want to meal prep lunches or dinners ahead of time. Make a large quantity over the weekend and keep half of it in the freezer for later. A bonus: when you’re busy, sick, or too exhausted to cook, you’ll have healthful, fresh soup on hand.
- They maintain your hydration. It’s usual to drink less than you need during winter, and you lose fluid through everyday activities even if you aren’t hot and sweaty. Soups are excellent for staying hydrated and satiated because they’re primarily liquid.
- They help to strengthen your immune system. Soups can help you avoid getting a cold or the flu and are also a terrific remedy for when you’re sick! The majority of soups are high in disease-fighting ingredients. Studies show that chicken soup, especially when loaded with fresh garlic, onions, celery, and carrots, can help avoid the common cold. (They’re all high in immune-boosting compounds.) The heated drink also helps to ease a sore throat.
When you Eat Soup Every Day, What Happens to your Body?
You become More Satiated More Rapidly.
You’re not alone if you’ve ever wondered why individuals often eat a soup or salad before the main course. Having a bowl or cup of soup before your main dish may help you feel more content, depending on the type of soup you’re eating.
According to Laura Burak MS, RD, CDN, foods with greater water content will fill you full faster. “Starting a meal with a soup or salad, both high in water volume and low in calories,” she notes, “will fill you up and prevent overeating during meals.”
This may mean that if you want a good side of soup with your supper, you’ll eat fewer calories overall yet feel completely pleased.
It’s Possible that your Hunger won’t Always be Fulfilled.
With that said, it’s worth noting that eating certain types of soup as the main dish might occasionally make you feel even famished afterward. This depends entirely on the ingredients you select and the number of nutrients you consume during the meal.
According to Lauren Hoover, RD, the secret to feeling full and satisfied is to consume soup with a range of balanced nutrients.
“If a primary macronutrient (e.g., protein, complex carbs, etc.) is missing, some soups aren’t very full,” she notes. “As a result, eating soup for a meal can lead to under-nutrition and over-snacking afterward.”
Add nutrient-dense items to your soups to avoid feeling hungry and overeating.
“Stick to lower sodium broth-based soups with nutritional components like vegetables, herbs, spices, and high fiber grains, beans, split peas, and lentils,” as advised.
Which Soup Must be Eaten if you are Suffering from Stomach Flu?
While some foods are unappealing to those suffering from gastroenteritis, others can aid your recovery. When transitioning back to eating after a spell of diarrhea or gastroenteritis, the American College of Gastroenterology suggests broth-based soups as one of the first soups for the upset stomach to consider.
Soups made with broth have a high water content, which aids in fluid replacement. Vegetables, chicken noodles, and chicken and rice are easy-to-digest broth-based soups. Miso soup with ginger may also be beneficial. According to Food and Function, ginger has been proven to have gastroprotective characteristics and can help relieve dyspepsia, nausea, indigestion, and vomiting symptoms.
Broth-based soups are also lower in fat than creamy soups like cream of tomato or cream of chicken. High-fat foods might be difficult to digest, especially if your stomach is inflamed.
Broth-based soups are particularly high in sodium and an electrolyte rapidly depleted during gastroenteritis due to vomiting and diarrhea. A cup of canned chicken noodle soup has 691 mg of sodium or about 30% of the daily recommended sodium intake.
When you’re recovering from gastroenteritis, avoid spicy soups. Leave the chili flakes or other hot components if it’s a homemade recipe. Bean soups, particularly those made with broth, should be avoided since the beans are difficult to digest.
What can be Eaten Instead of Soup if you are Sick?
Eggs
Eggs are high in protein and zinc, which can help boost your immune system and alleviate some symptoms. You can eat them any way you like, but we think putting them in an avocado is a fantastic idea.
Broccoli
Broccoli includes glutathione, a substance that aids your body’s ability to fight infections. Are you not a big admirer of vegetables? You won’t notice they’re there if you use them in these recipes.
Bananas
When you’re ill, you lose a lot of electrolytes and potassium, but with some bananas, you can start to replenish those levels. If you recently bought a bunch, but none are ripe yet, these simple techniques will help you speed up the process.
Conclusion
We’re in the thick of cold and flu season, so you’ll need to keep lots of soup recipes on hand. Sometimes, you need a bowl or two to feel like yourself again. Try one of these ten recipes when you, your significant other, or your children feel under the weather. It’s never tasted so delicious to be ill.
