Chicken noodle soup provides a nutritious mix of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, many of which can support your immune system while you’re sick. While homemade soup is the best bet to limit your sodium intake, experts say you can still choose a healthy store-bought version. Chicken noodle soup can be made with a variety of ingredients, but the healthiest pots contain lots of vegetables and whole grains.. The chicken itself provides protein, which is an important nutrient for satisfaction, immunity and your muscles.
Chicken also supplies zinc, an important nutrient for immunity. Most chicken soup recipes start with onions, carrots and celery. Every vegetable you add provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals. After all, the noodles you choose are important.. Whole grain pasta contains more fiber and protein than white pasta, but most noodles provide some protein, fiber, and iron.
It was touted by advocates as a “cure for the common cold,” a claim that was pushed aside by skeptics as a story of old women.. However, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Chicken noodle soup is healthy for you, especially if you make it yourself with fresh vegetables and save the salt. Although it’s not a cure for a cold, a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup can make a big contribution to relieving cold symptoms, at least temporarily.
Eating chicken noodle soup also increases micronutrient intake and significantly increases vitamin A and selenium consumption.. Both nutrients support proper thyroid function. Selenium also activates cancer-fighting enzymes, while vitamin A promotes the growth of new red blood cells. One serving of chicken noodle soup contains 498 international units of vitamin A, which is 21 percent of the recommended daily intake for women and 17 percent for men.
It also contains 11.9 micrograms of selenium, which is 22 percent of your daily selenium needs. And certainly better than most canned soup options available on most grocery store shelves that can be loaded with sodium but add very little veggies (or flavor).. The Classic Chicken Noodle version of this soup isn’t much better in terms of sodium either, as a can packs 1,700 milligrams. If you’re short on time, buying a quality stock and adding noodles, pre-cooked chicken, and a few vegetables is a good shortcut.
Every childhood memory of being under the weather probably includes a steaming hot bowl of chicken noodle soup.. The chicken noodle soup is a great fallback for the cold winter days due to its wonderful nutrients. If you’re particularly hungry, a pack of Lipton’s Extra Noodle seems like the ideal option. There are some recent studies that also support this theory. One in 2000 in the same magazine, Chest, suggested a mild anti-inflammatory benefit of chicken soup, which could also come from the addition of numerous high-quality ingredients that can certainly increase nutritional value as well.
Chicken noodle soup is typically low in calories — a cup of canned chicken noodle soup contains only 63 calories, or 3 percent of the daily allowance, based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The researchers then measured the speed of nasal mucus (um, yuck) and found that the soup was superior to either hot or cold water to increase nasal mucus movement. Keep it classic with a mix of sliced carrots, celery, and onions, or try an Asian-inspired chicken noodle soup with sliced bok choy and shiitake mushrooms. Before adding vegetables such as celery, onions, and carrots to soup stock, they are often fried in butter.
But was Grandma right, is it really good for you? Here, we’ve taken a closer look at why a bowl of chicken soup is soothing and healthy.. If you’re weight-conscious, it can help to start a meal with a bowl of soup, so you’ll burn fewer calories overall.. Reduce your fat intake by making your soup with boneless, skinless minced chicken breast instead of greasy chicken thighs, and increase the fiber content of your soup by using whole grain noodles instead of white noodles.
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