People suffering from colds are generally advised to increase fluid intake in order to make up for what is lost by way of sneezing, a runny nose and fever. As a cold remedy soups are not only good for their liquid contents, but they are packed with nutrients that often help fight infection during a cold. And really, who can resist a steaming bowl of soup even when they're feeling crummy and ill?
The best sorts of cold remedy soups to have are clear soups with plenty of meat or vegetable stock (depending upon your preference). Certain ingredients like garlic, onions and pepper add to the cold curing value of these soups. To make garlic soup, simply boil four to five garlic cloves in a cup of water and drink piping hot. This can't be very tasty, but it's easy to make and effective. To prepare a basic vegetable stock, which is an excellent cold remedy soup, boil diced mixed veggies such as onion, celery, carrots, beans and peas with a bit of salt and pepper. The liquid from this soup can be strained and frozen for future use.
Now for the famous chicken cold remedy soup! Use good stewing parts like the neck, ribs and wings and boil them in a pot of water. Cover and simmer this for ninety minutes. Towards the end of cooking time (the last half hour), add celery, onions, salt and pepper. You can also, if you want to make the soup more nutritious, add chopped mixed vegetables like carrots, baby corn, mushrooms, beans etc. Another variation is a rich chicken broth, which is made in the same way, but with the addition of the liver, gizzards, heart and feet of the chicken. If you wish to include some carbohydrates in your soup try making chicken broth with rice: boil stewing pieces as above with celery, onions and garlic and add to this broth cooked rice and boil together for a few minutes.
Lamb broth can also be similarly prepared as a cold remedy soup by using a lamb shoulder and boiling it with a bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, celery, onions and garlic. Increase the cooking time to about two hours. Beef broth is prepared by using marrow bones and stewing beef pieces along with onions, celery and carrots. This requires to be simmered for three to four hours. You can subsequently, if you wish, cool and chill the soup so that the fat separates and rises and can be removed. This can then be re-heated and consumed for an excellent cold remedy soup.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.