When someone’s sick, the first thing others often think to do is bring them sympathy gifts like cough drops, tissues, and over-the-counter cold medicines. While these are all nice gestures that can certainly help, many people overlook the crucial role of comfort and nutrition in the recovery process. The foods you eat while sick can have a huge impact on how quickly your body gets well. Eating well can facilitate your recovery journey, while consuming primarily junk food will do just the opposite.
It turns out that some foods have an impressive healing power. They provide the nutrients the body needs to ramp up immune function. Perhaps even more importantly, they lend emotional comfort and support to facilitate healing. Here’s what you should know about the healing power of sending soup and other comfort foods to a loved one during times of illness.
Physical Benefits of Soup
It’s no secret that the body needs food to survive. If you go too long without eating, you’ll become weak, your health will suffer, and you’ll eventually die. But food is so much more than just a necessity to maintain daily living. Here are some of the physical benefits your sympathy gifts of soup or other comfort foods can offer someone who’s sick.
Provides Nutrition
The body needs a continuous intake of nutrients to recover effectively from viruses and bacterial infections. Comforting soup varieties such as chicken noodle, vegetable, or baked potato contain vitamins and minerals that support immune function. Eating these types of foods while sick can give the body the tools it needs to recover more quickly.
Boosts Hydration
It’s crucial to stay hydrated while sick to prevent complications related to dehydration. When someone is ill, their body tends to lose fluids through symptoms like diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and sweating. This can dry out the body’s tissues and negatively impact immune function. That’s why it’s important to encourage your friend to drink plenty of fluids when they’re ill. You can help boost their fluid intake by sending a sympathy care package with soup and other foods with a high water content.
Delivers Energy
Your body needs energy in the form of calories to continue functioning and healing while sick. Unfortunately, many people lose their appetite for dense, substantial foods when they’re unwell. The good news is that soup is one of the few foods that still sounds good to most people when they’re ill. Sending the gift of soup is a great way to help a sick friend maintain their energy levels.
Aids Digestion
When the body is busy fighting off an illness, it has less energy to digest food. This may be one reason people tend to eat less when they’re unwell. If you have a friend who’s sick and not eating well, you may be able to help by sending sympathy gift baskets full of soup. Thanks to its liquid composition and softened ingredients, soup is generally easy to digest. Therefore, it helps restore health and energy without taking too much energy away from the body’s immune system.
Emotional Benefits of Soup
Sending soup to someone who’s sick isn’t just a thoughtful way to help them stay physically healthy. It’s also an emotional act of compassion and care. A person’s mood can have a profound impact on their ability to recover from sickness. Negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and stress can all exacerbate symptoms of illness. On the other hand, good mental health can contribute to improved physical well-being.
Provides a Sense of Comfort
Being sick can feel very lonely and isolating, especially if you’re contagious and have to keep to yourself. It’s not uncommon for people with prolonged illness to experience feelings of deep discouragement and even depression. Receiving a gift of ready-to-eat soup can provide a great sense of comfort while it warms the recipient’s heart and body. You can help a friend feel less alone by sending them their favorite soup or another form of comfort food.
Boosts the Mood
As mentioned, soup and other comfort foods make great sympathy gift ideas. They help boost the mood by stimulating the brain to release endorphins. These are chemicals that can lead to feelings of well-being, euphoria, and satisfaction. In short, indulging in a mouthwatering bowl of soup can help someone who’s sick feel a lot less miserable and more hopeful for recovery.
Builds a Connection Between Giver and Receiver
When you send someone a thoughtful gift while they’re sick, you demonstrate that you’re a true, caring friend. Acts of kindness during times of distress can help both giver and receiver feel a stronger bond with each other. Whether you’re reaching out to help a neighbor, friend, coworker, or family member, your efforts will pay off in the form of deeper, more meaningful connections.
Send the Healing Gift of Comfort Food
If you’re wondering how to show support and love to someone who’s sick, you can start by sending ready-to-eat, delicious soups and other comfort foods. Your gesture will help give them the physical and mental health boost to overcome their illness. It will also remove the stress of planning, shopping for, and preparing a meal.
