what is about chicken soup that helps us get over a cold or a flu in record time?
Is it simply the warmth of the chicken broth running down a parched and scratchy throat?
Or is it the small chunks of meat and slippery noodles that nourishes the ailing soul?
Surprisingly, there is actually a science behind what makes chicken soup so good for any soul suffering from a cold and flu.
In the book, Food - Your Miracle Medicine, the now retired lung specialist Dr. Irwin Ziment, explained how this comfort food works: "Chicken, like most protein foods, contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which is released when you make the soup. Cysteine bears a remarkable chemical similarity to a drug called acetylcysteine, which doctors prescribe for their patients with bronchitis and respiratory infections."
This drug is originally derived from the feathers and skin of chickens and is a mucolytic - meaning it thins down and promotes the flow of mucus from the nose, throat, and lungs.
Simply put, chicken soup acts in much the same way.
Dr. Ziment even suggested a better way to make the soup much more effective at fighting congestion. He suggested adding onions, garlic, and hot spices like chili peppers to 'kick it up a notch.'
So this cold and flu season, get yourself - or better yet - get someone to make you some good old fashioned chicken soup, wrap yourself up in a cozy blanket, and get well soon!
參考譯文:
雞湯為什么能治感冒呢?
是暖暖的雞湯滋潤了干渴沙啞的喉嚨?
還是美味的雞肉撫慰了傷痛脆弱的心靈?
事實是:雞湯抗感冒的奇效有明確的科學道理。
雞肉和其他肉類一樣,含有一種天然氨基酸 - 半胱氨酸。而且雞肉中這種氨基酸的含量很高,熬湯時就從雞肉中釋放到雞湯里。半胱氨酸和一種叫做乙酰半胱氨酸的藥物化學結構及其接近。而乙酰半胱氨酸是一種粘液溶解藥,常用于支氣管炎和呼吸道感染的病人,能夠降低呼吸道分泌物的粘稠度,促進呼吸道粘液排出。
有趣的是:乙酰半胱氨酸這種藥物最初是從雞毛和雞皮中提取出來的。那么雞湯為什么能讓你呼吸更通暢的原因就不言而喻了。
煲湯時加點蔥、蒜、辣椒,抗感冒的效果更好,因為這些香料里面也有抗感冒的成分。
乍暖還寒時候,最難將息。煲一鍋濃濃的雞湯,讓感冒快點好起來。也許,愛人煲的湯療效會更好呢。