Sue Bedford (MSc Nutritional Therapy)

It’s that time of year – why not nourish your body and help support your immune system too with this nutritious and delicious homemade chicken soup?

Chicken soup has been known for centuries as an effective ‘feel better’ food. The vegetables in this soup provide numerous vitamins, minerals and health-enhancing plant phytonutrients (onions and leeks are also prebiotic foods so feed the ‘good’ bacteria in the gut), and a substance called carnosine is provided by chicken which helps to support the immune system.

Chicken is a healthy lean meat that, in addition to being an excellent source of protein (important for a healthy immune system), contains a special amino acid, L-carnitine, which is required for sperm cells to function normally. In studies, L-carnitine was found to help normalize sperm motility, which is an important component of male fertility. Chicken contains all of the B vitamins, which aid in the formation of red blood cells as well as the production of energy and a healthy nervous system. Folate (vitamin B9) is essential in preventing neural tube defects in the developing foetus. Chicken is also high in zinc, iron, potassium, and phosphorus, all of which are essential for good health and fertility.

Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
• 1 large onion
• 1 leek
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large carrots
• 750ml homemade chicken stock (use bones with chicken on it)
• 120g savoy cabbage
• 300g leftover cooked chicken

Method:
Chop the carrots, onion and leek into slices and cook in olive oil for 6 minutes or so.
Add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes.
Put the pieces of the left-over chicken into the soup along with the cabbage (shredded). Simmer for 5 minutes until the chicken is piping hot and then enjoy! 

Interesting reading:

Jukić I et al (2021) Carnosine, Small but Mighty-Prospect of Use as Functional Ingredient for Functional Food Formulation. Antioxidants (Basel) 28;10(7):1037