Feed a cold and starve a fever? Or is it the other way around? This old adage dates back to the 1500s, based on the belief that eating warmed the body to fight a cold, while fasting helped cool it down to reduce a fever. But that’s a myth. In reality, your body needs fuel to fight both. Whether you have a cold or a fever, nourishment is essential. So eat.
Simply taking in calories is important, but choosing your food carefully can help you mitigate the symptoms and reduce the duration of the common cold.
Poultry Power
Research from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, conducted back in 1993—before vitamin-packed powdered drink mixes and echinacea pills lined grocery store shelves—suggested that the combination of chicken, vegetables, and hot fluids works together to provide measurable relief.
Chicken, like other white meats, is an excellent source of protein. Lower in fat than its red meat counterpart, it provides quality calories and helps keep you full without unnecessarily expanding your waistline. It also contains tryptophan and vitamin B5, both known to relieve stress and promote positive feelings. And as a bonus, it even supports healthy hair, so you can still look great, even when you’re feeling lousy.
Vegetarians can swap in textured vegetable protein to get many of the same benefits.
The Secret is Reduced Inflammation
That University of Nebraska research showed that chicken soup works to limit the production of neutrophils, the white blood cells that eat bacteria and ultimately cause inflammation and mucus production. It’s this anti-inflammation power that seems to be the most important. Sure, we need white blood cells to fight off infection. But it’s too much inflammation, rather than the actual virus, that causes the sniffling, sneezing, and congestion that makes us feel so miserable.
Add the nutritional value of carrots, parsley, and celery, along with the superfood power of sweet potato, and you get an impressive immune system boost and a feel-good meal all in one. As a bonus, the steam helps relieve congestion, and the broth coats a sore throat. And the sodium (salt) works to help remove bacteria.
Great for the Whole Family
Parents of young children hate to see them suffering from cold symptoms. But many medications, even over-the-counter options, can be risky for little ones. A warm bowl of soup, with a side of crackers and water or diluted juice, may give them the desired relief without the dangers associated with some medications. It’ll make them much more pleasant to be around, especially important if you’ve taken a day off work to stay home and watch cartoons with them bundled up on the couch.
So Does Chicken Soup Cure the Cold?
No research to date has been able to prove conclusively that chicken soup cures anything. But whether the ingredients have medicinal value or are just a placebo effect, studies continue to report people feeling better after a big ol’ bowl of grandma’s homemade miracle meal. And if you lost Grandma’s recipe, don’t worry; store-bought versions have shown the same results (although they often come with more sodium than you need).
Here’s the recipe from that 1993 research study. We won’t tell if you decide to pass it off as your own.
