Why You Should Steer Clear Of Canned Soup When You're Sick

It might come as second nature to resort to a nice warm bowl of chicken noodle soup when we're feeling under the weather and are looking to quickly feel better. But next time you're feeling a cold coming on you might want to avoid heating up your favorite canned soup. It turns out your go-to sick day food has the potential to do more harm than good if it's coming from a can. Yes, turns out Campbell's canned soup, or any canned soup, for that matter, isn't all that healthy for your sick day. Although the glass ceiling has shattered and you rethink your entire sick day habits, this is one we assure you should completely ditch when you're sick and instead opt for a homemade option. 

Granted, a can of soup is absolutely handy when you're feeling sick or ill and have no energy to whip something up from scratch in your kitchen. But although a chicken soup does have immune-boosting ingredients like carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, according to Cedars Sinai, a canned soup, on the other hand, is typically high in sodium.

Why the big fuss over sodium? According to HealthCentral, when you're sick it is not uncommon to see a spike in your blood pressure as a stressor like a cold or the flu can elevate your blood pressure temporarily, which is why avoiding high levels of sodium is recommended to avoid further health issues (via Harvard). Overall, it's best to stick to a homemade option where sodium levels will be significantly lower when compared to a canned option like Campbell's Chicken Soup which has 890 mg of sodium! That's 39 percent of your recommended daily allowance. Yikes!

Not sure if you should eat other soups? The golden rule here is to keep things light and healthy. Avoid creamy or cheesy soups as they can thicken mucus and have high amounts of fat which can be heavy on your stomach to digest. So ditch the can, grab a pot, and rest assured knowing a good homemade soup won't break your budget and will get you back on your feet in no time!