12 Soothing Soups to Eat When You Feel Sick

March 17, 2021 Get WellSick

Image of two gloved hands holding a bowl of soup on a thick knit blanket.

Nobody likes battling the winter cold that's going around the office or neighborhood, but it happens to all of us. Even if you're diligent about being healthy, sometimes you find yourself sick, with nothing but Netflix and sweatpants for comfort. Well, Netflix, sweatpants, and soup, of course! So what is the best soup to eat when sick?

We're big believers in the power of warm soup on sick days, so whether you're feeling just a little under the weather or battling an extra nasty cold, take a look at the best soups to eat when you or a loved one is feeling unwell.

Why Is Soup Good for Colds?

Why is it that when we get a cold, the only thing that sounds good is a warm bowl of soup? There's actually a scientific reason behind this. A study conducted by Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha found that individuals who ate chicken noodle soup when sick had a higher count of the white blood cells needed to fight infections. Rennard theorized that increasing these infection-fighting cells helps to reduce upper respiratory symptoms that are common with colds.

Another study found that those who drank hot liquids when sick had a higher movement of nasal mucus. And that soup also improves the function of cilia, the tiny hairlike projections within the nose that prevent contagions from entering the body.

A huge reason that soup is good for colds is that most contain hot broth rich in vitamins, nutrient-rich veggies, and provides a light meal without taxing the body.

Image of Spoonful of Comfort Soup Package with text "Soup Says Get Well".

Here's our list of soups that put their feel-good magic to work!

1. Chicken Noodle Soup

Let's start with a classic comfort food! Not only does homemade chicken noodle soup taste great, but chicken broth is known to help any cold. Hot chicken soup can relieve a sore throat and stimulate nasal clearance. Load it up with whatever vitamin-rich veggie medley strikes your fancy. The vegetables and noodles will boost your immune system and help you feel full and satisfied. Check out our chicken noodle soup video recipe!

2. Asian-Inspired Zoodle Flu Buster Soup

Flavorful and full of texture, this zoodle flu buster soup gets its unique taste from the anise seed, cumin, and five-spice powder added to the base. Each of these spices is high in antioxidants that help strengthen the immune system. This soup also contains zucchini and yellow squash, and each nutritious ingredient contain B-vitamins that boost energy and provide anti inflammatory properties.

Image of Spoonful of Comfort Harvest Vegetable Soup with a cup of tea and rolls.

3. Harvest Vegetable Soup

Hearty vegetable soups are made with a variety of heart-healthy veggies and a whole garden's worth of herbs. This is a great healthy soup for colds, and healthy food is the best fighter against the fatigue that accompanies illness.

4. Butternut Squash Soup

Creamy and delicious, this is the perfect soup to eat while curled up in bed and recuperating with plenty of fluids, Netflix, and a cozy blanket. But butternut squash also has a secret identity as a superfood-it contains cucurbitacins, an anti-inflammatory compound that helps viruses and bacteria. Plus, butternut squash contains a high amount of vitamin C to give your immune system an extra boost.

Hands holding a bowl of Spoonful of Comfort Tomato Basil Soup with rolls.

5. Tomato Basil Soup

Another good sick day soup is creamy tomato basil. In addition to being a great comfort food on a rainy day, this tomato soup recipe is packed with numerous antioxidants, plant compounds, vitamins, and minerals that, in addition to boosting immunity, promote healthy skin and vision, improve bone health, and may even reduce the risk of heart disease.

6. Coconut Curry Soup

This soup recipe from Damn Delicious takes less than half an hour to make and has just enough spice to help clear the sinuses. Plus, it's full of garlic and ginger, two ingredients known to help with just about everything-from upset stomachs to lingering coughs.

7. Creamy Corn and Potato Chowder

Next on our list of soups for colds is creamy corn and potato chowder. Potatoes contain several proteins and vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K, all of which are great for boosting your immune system. And chowder is just cozy: how you ought to feel during recovery.

Bowl of Spoonful of Comfort Poblano Chicken Chowder soup with rolls and cookies.

8. Poblano Chicken Chowder

Poblano peppers are loaded with vitamin C which is vital to immune function. A hearty poblano chicken chowder is the perfect chicken soup for colds as it provides just enough kick to help clear your sinuses.

9. Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken and wild rice may be the best soup for a cold as each ingredient provides a number of health benefits. Chicken and rice are a great source of protein, onions are known to have antiviral properties, carrots support antibody production, and research has shown that garlic may reduce the severity of cold symptoms. More rice soup, please!

10. Healing Green Tea and Chickpea Soup

We love this recipe from Top with Cinnamon. It's filled with carbs, so you'll get an energy boost, and it's full of immune-boosting veggie ingredients such as carrots, kale, and celery. For some extra cold-fighting, garlic tortilla triangles are perfect for dipping.

11. Golden Turmeric Noodle Miso Soup

When you're under the weather, there's a lot of toxins floating around your body, and a turmeric miso soup is a great way to flush them out. This soup from Love and Lemons is packed with a ton of vegetables, including scallions, celery, carrots, and bok choy, giving your body the extra vitamins and minerals needed to get rid of toxins. It also contains rice and zucchini noodles to help you feel more full and tofu for protein.

12. Cleansing Detox Soup

This cleansing detox soup is filled with all the good stuff you need to overcome a cold. It features immune-boosting ingredients like turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, kale, and fresh lemon juice. The detoxifying vegetable broth helps to cleanse your body so you feel more whole.

Enjoy some Healing Sick Day Soup From Spoonful of Comfort

Whether you're worried about your college student far from home or a friend trying to survive the flu season with a house full of sick kids, Spoonful of Comfort provides a variety of delicious and nutritious handcrafted soups for colds that promote healing.

Shop our Get Well gift baskets and Care Package Gift Baskets that contain hearty soups, warm rolls, and cookies, and personalized note cards to let the recipient know that you're thinking about them.

We might not make it through the winter without taking a sick day (or two), but we can battle the sore throat and runny nose with a warm bowl of soup, our favorite Netflix show, and a comfy, cozy blanket.

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