Solution to a sniffly situation

After a long but relatively healthy winter, I thought I was pretty much off the hook from nasty, lingering colds. But, alas, I was wrong. What I thought were only seasonal allergy symptoms last week developed into a full-blown cold over the weekend – which I do believe both the weather and the Habs’ loss on Saturday were at least in part responsible for.

I don’t think I’d be stretching it if I said most people crave a hot bowl of chicken soup when they find themselves in this sniffly, sneezy, and sore situation. It might be the placebo effect we were taught to believe in from a young age, but there really isn’t much else that gets me on the road to recovery (or at least believing that’s where I am) than plenty of chicken soup.

Some historians say chicken soup was prescribed as a common cold cure in ancient Egypt, while Persian physician Avicenna and Jewish sage Maimonides were both said to have written about the curative properties of chicken soup.

A few years ago, Dr. Stephen Rennard and his colleagues at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre published research suggesting there might actually be some truth to the ‘chicken soup as medicine’ myth. They found that the different nutrients and vitamins in chicken soup can actually slow down certain white blood cells, which may have an anti-inflammatory effect that can help ease certain cold symptoms.

Now, I don’t know if I’m a total believer in all this, but looking at some of the other home remedies I’ve heard over the years, I think I’ll stick with my chicken soup.

I’m a big fan of garlic – especially in pasta sauces and on shish taouk – but I’ve never been able to swig back diluted garlic oil to relieve a cold. Breathing in turmeric or drinking the spice with warm milk doesn’t really sit well with me either.

Nope. Give me a hearty chicken soup with plenty of vegetables and noodles, and I’m set.

Now, I’d usually try to come up with a bit of a recipe to share with you here, but chances are you’re better off asking mom or grandma. To be totally honest, my recipe isn’t one for the books. Most of it comes out of a little paper pouch, and the rest is a matter of what’s in the fridge: usually carrots, broccoli, pieces of leftover roast chicken, and maybe an egg or two. No, not one for the books, but it does the trick.