Remember those times when you were down with the flu and your mother served you a hot bowl of chicken soup! It is because nothing else seemed to appeal to your taste buds.
What’s in it that makes you feel better?
Having chicken soup, like ciorba radauteana, when you are down with the flu helps reduce upper respiratory infection symptoms because the movement of neutrophils is slowed down by it. While neutrophils are infection preventing white blood cells, they also bring about inflammation and increase mucus production. Slowing down neutrophil movement will cut down on your flu symptoms. Studies have shown that eating chicken soup helps improve the cilia in your nose. Cilia is the stuff that prevents allergens and contagions from entering your body. The steam from chicken soup can also help ease the congestion in your nose, making it easier for you to breathe.
Things you can have with your soup
You may often feel the need of having something along with your chicken soup to make it a full meal. Chicken soup tastes good with a lot of stuff like artisan bread, crackers, chocolate chips, snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin, sugar cookies and so on. You can also pair your soup with certain teas that further help in soothing your sore throat. You can also find different recipe that are tasty and nutritional as well.
Nutrition value
The ingredients in chicken soup bring with them nutrients, such as vitamins A and C, selenium and multiple antioxidants which increase your immunity. Chicken being a rich source of protein aids tissue building and recovery as well. It also brings with it carbohydrates that give your body energy as you recover. The heat from chicken soup gives a boost to the functioning of your mucociliary transport system. This system helps your body fight infections and cleanses the respiratory tract. Tests have shown that though warm water may aid the functioning of the mucociliary transport system, chicken soup works much well.