The nutritional value, efficacy and functions of chicken soup (the advantages and disadvantages of drinking chicken soup regularly)
Recently, there has been a "Chicken soup craze" abroad.
Not "Chicken Soup for the Soul" chicken soup, but real chicken soup that you can drink!
A nutrition professor announced in the media that chicken soup is helpful in treating flu and colds.
If you are suffering from a cold or flu illness, you can try chicken soup; if you want to prevent the flu, you can also try chicken soup.
In this sensitive period of high incidence of colds and flu, this professor's speech can be said to have set off a "chicken soup" craze.
But it has also pushed "chicken soup metaphysics" to the forefront, and people in both camps have their own opinions.
Those who support it say that they grew up drinking chicken soup and feel that the diet spread a few years ago must be helpful to the human body ;
Those who did not support it retorted:
" Didn't some experts come out to refute the rumors, saying that chicken soup is high in fat and purine and has very low nutritional value, so it is better to eat meat? How come it can suddenly cure colds? "
Some people even directly define chicken soup as a "placebo" food, which has no actual effect in itself, but has a positive effect on the body .
So from a scientific perspective, is "chicken soup for colds" a rumor or true? What is the principle behind it?
The rise and fall of chicken soup
Speaking of chicken soup, it reminds me of when I was a kid, anything that happened or any physical discomfort would end with the death of a chicken. Chicken soup has always been regarded by the older generation as the best food to nourish the body (my mother is reluctant to throw away the leftover chicken soup now). After the autumn harvest, kill a chicken to "replenish strength" for those who work in the fields. When a child enters puberty, he or she will kill a chicken to make up for it. At that time, it was generally believed that chicken soup had higher nutritional value than meat. When I was a kid, I used to drink that thick yellow and shiny chicken soup. Although I don't like the greasy taste, under the pressure of adults, I have to finish the chicken soup bibimbap. At that time, chicken soup was like a metaphysics. It seemed that any physical headache or brain fever could be solved with a bowl of chicken soup .
This kind of obsession exists not only in China, but also all over the world. China was the first to drink chicken soup, and according to records, it existed thousands of years ago. In foreign countries, the use of chicken soup as a therapy can be traced back to around 60 AD. A Roman royal doctor mentioned chicken soup therapy in his books. With the development of mankind, chicken soup culture has spread all over the world. The United States, France, Germany, Colombia and other countries have their own unique methods of cooking chicken soup. In our home (Zhejiang), the best local chicken is definitely steamed without adding water. We think the chicken soup steamed in this way is thick and nutritious, and it will be delicious with a little salt. However, foreign methods are different. For example, in the United States, water and noodles are added to the chicken soup, and a lot of onions and potatoes are added. In the Philippines, some cream is added to the chicken soup. There are various methods, but all of them recognized the efficacy of chicken soup. At that time, the world generally believed that chicken soup was a folk remedy for treating common colds and related diseases.
Until a few years ago, popular science articles became more and more popular, and the bad side of chicken soup was also exposed. Studies have shown that the nutritional content of chicken and chicken soup per 100g is very different: the protein content of chicken is 20 times that of chicken soup, and the calcium content is 4.5 times that of chicken soup . It can be inferred from this that the old saying that chicken soup is nutritious is not accurate. To supplement protein, you still have to eat meat . For some special groups, drinking too much soup is harmful to the body. The soup contains a lot of fat and purine. Patients with high blood pressure and gout should drink less. That being the case, why do some people still say that chicken soup is good for colds?
Is there any scientific basis for chicken soup metaphysics?
These are actually two concepts. The nutritional value of chicken soup itself is indeed not as high as that of chicken, and it cannot cure diseases, but it can alleviate the symptoms of colds, and this is based on science .
Chicken soup has always been known as " Jewish penicillin ". As early as the 12th century, the Jewish doctor Moses Maimonides recommended chicken soup to people to treat respiratory-related diseases. At that time, scientists believed that chicken soup had certain anti-inflammatory effects. In 2000, medical experts from the University of Nebraska in the United States conducted an experiment in which they studied the effect of chicken soup on inflammation in vitro. It was found that some substances in chicken soup can inhibit the migration of neutrophils. Reducing the number of neutrophils and inhibiting their activity can effectively reduce inflammation, and chicken soup can reduce inflammation in this way. Other studies have shown that drinking chicken soup can help break up mucus in your nose compared to drinking plain water.
Secondly, chicken soup is still nutritious, and liquid food is more suitable for patients.Although soup is not as nutritious as meat, it contains some soluble vitamins, amino acids and some minerals, which are easier for patients to digest and absorb. As a warm soup, chicken soup will stimulate the stomach of weak people after drinking it. Many people said that they originally had a poor appetite and did not want to eat, but drinking chicken soup actually stimulated their appetite. After all, based purely on taste, chicken soup is much more delicious than chicken, and the hot soup itself can relieve nasal congestion. Of course, there is another effect that cannot be ignored, and that is the placebo effect. This is also the main reason why many people think that chicken soup has therapeutic effects.Imagine if you often drank the chicken soup cooked by your mother when you were a child. When you grow up, if you can drink the same chicken soup that tastes like your childhood when you have a cold, you will instantly feel much better. When your mood is good, you will naturally feel better faster. Moreover, having chicken soup to drink means that the patient is being cared for. The emotional comfort brought by being cared for can be said to be more effective than those "chicken soup for the soul".
Finally , in general, when it comes to drinking chicken soup, people all over the world have almost the same attitude. They believe that preparing a bowl of chicken soup for family members when they are sick has a positive effect. But one thing to note is that chicken soup is not the key to curing the disease, it just helps the body . As a food ingredient, it can provide the human body with energy and nutrients to defeat diseases, and it also has some anti-inflammatory effects, but that's it. Chinese medicinal food culture is extensive and profound, and chicken soup is only a very small dish among them. In addition to chicken soup, we also have many delicious medicinal foods to replenish the body, but for foreigners who don’t know much about food, chicken soup may be the only food they can choose. Source: WeChat public account “Kailuo”’s past highlights | What changes will happen to your body if you eat a bowl of millet porridge every day? Is millet porridge oil really comparable to "ginseng soup"? |New Issue|"Culture and Technology": It's time to build scientific culture | Does red meat cause cancer? Where did this statement come from! ? |Can breast nodules and breast hyperplasia become cancerous? 8 high-risk factors to pay attention to. Behind the development of science and technology is inseparable from the dedication of science and technology workers. Read "Technology Workers"