Soup: The Original Superfood

When I was little, my grandmother always had a pot simmering on the stove. Sometimes it was a simple chicken broth, other times a hearty stew.

But the memory is the same: the scent of garlic and onions filling the air, and the comfort of knowing a bowl of something nourishing would soon be ladled out.

My grandmother, like yours, was part of a lineage that stretched back thousands of years. Across every culture, soup has been the foundation of health and healing—from the steaming bowls of Vietnamese pho eaten at dawn, to the French pot-au-feu simmered all day, to the medicinal broths brewed for centuries in Chinese kitchens.

Soup is universal because it transforms humble scraps—bones, roots, herbs—into liquid gold that soothes and nourishes.

Why Soup Is Comfort Food

Soup isn’t just warm liquid in a bowl—it’s a culinary symbol of care.

In fact, in nearly every survey on comfort foods, soup ranks near the top⁽¹⁾. It is one of the first “safety foods” most of us remember. When you had the flu, someone brought you chicken soup. When you came in from the cold, soup was waiting on the stove. It connects us to memory, safety, and home.

And science helps explain this comfort: warm liquids stimulate the vagus nerve, lowering cortisol and calming the nervous system⁽²⁾. The aromas of simmering onions, garlic, and herbs stimulate the limbic brain, where emotions and memory are housed⁽³⁾. And beyond comfort, chicken soup specifically has been shown to reduce symptoms of upper respiratory infections and dampen inflammation at the cellular level⁽⁴⁾.

Soup soothes because it engages both biology and memory. It nourishes body and spirit at once.

Soups Across Cultures: A Shared Ancestral Wisdom

Every culture has its own “mother soup”—a dish born of necessity, using local ingredients and shaped into culinary tradition over the decades:

• Vietnam – Pho: More than a dish, pho is a ritual. Traditionally eaten for breakfast, pho begins with marrow-rich beef bones simmered for hours, layered with spices like star anise, cloves, and cinnamon, then brightened with lime and herbs. It is grounding and restorative⁽⁵⁾.
• France – Pot-au-Feu: Literally “pot on the fire,” this rustic beef and marrow bone stew was once considered humble peasant fare. Families would gather around the pot that simmered all day, broth served first, then meat and vegetables after. Over time, it became a national treasure—proof that even thrifty times can create nourishment and culinary elegance⁽⁶⁾.
• China – Medicinal Broths: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, soups were tailored to the individual. Ginseng for vitality, ginger for circulation, goji berries for the eyes—each pot balanced yin and yang, supporting both energy and longevity⁽⁷⁾. These broths weren’t indulgence, they were medicine—centuries before science confirmed the benefits of collagen, glycine, and minerals.
• Mesoamerica – Pozole: Among the Aztecs, pozole was sacred. Made with pork, hominy, and chilies, it was eaten in ceremonies and reserved for special occasions. Today it remains a celebratory dish across Mexico, rich in protein, fiber, and the warmth of capsaicin that brings both heat and healing⁽⁸⁾.
• Jewish Tradition – Chicken Soup: Endearingly called “Jewish penicillin,” chicken soup has been prescribed for generations. It’s comfort in a bowl, but research shows it’s more than that: chicken soup improves mucociliary clearance, helping the body expel mucus, and reduces inflammation that worsens cold symptoms⁽⁹⁾.
• Mexico – Menudo: The legendary hangover cure. Menudo is a hearty, spicy broth made with beef tripe, pig’s foot, chilies, and hominy. Served steaming hot with lime, onion, and oregano, it is rich in electrolytes, collagen, and minerals—the very nutrients needed to rehydrate, restore, and recover after long nights of celebration or illness⁽¹⁰⁾.

Wherever you travel, you’ll discover a unique soup. Different ingredients, with the same wisdom: soup is survival, celebration, and sustenance.

Why Soup is a Superfood

1. Collagen & Gelatin – Slow simmering bones releases collagen, supporting gut integrity, joint health, and skin elasticity⁽²⁾.
2. Electrolytes & Minerals – Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus leach into broth, creating nature’s electrolyte solution⁽³⁾.
3. Amino Acids for Healing – Glycine calms the nervous system, aids detoxification, and enhances sleep; glutamine nourishes gut cells⁽⁴⁾.
4. Bioavailability – Gentle simmering breaks down proteins and minerals into highly absorbable forms. And if time is short, modern tools like the Instant Pot or pressure cooker can accomplish in just a few hours what once took a full day on the hearth—unlocking collagen, gelatin, and minerals with the same nourishing effect, but in a fraction of the time.
5. Satiety & Blood Sugar Control – Soup slows gastric emptying and stabilizes blood sugar, prolonging fullness⁽⁵⁾.

Recipes to Try: Superfood Soups Across Cultures

Classic Bone Broth

The foundation of nearly every healing soup in history. For centuries, families across Europe, Asia, and the Americas simmered bones not just for flavor, but for strength. A daily mug of broth was seen as medicine in a cup.

Ingredients

• 2–3 lbs grass-fed beef bones OR pastured chicken backs Add to Cart   
• 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• Filtered water to cover

Instructions

1. Roast bones at 400°F for 30 minutes (optional, adds depth).
2. Add bones and vegetables to stockpot or Instant Pot, cover with water, add vinegar, let sit 30 minutes.
3. Simmer 12–24 hours (stovetop/slow cooker) or 2–3 hours (Instant Pot).
4. Strain and store in glass jars.

French Pot-au-Feu

Rustic and deeply nourishing, pot-au-feu was a way for French families to stretch marrow bones and tough cuts into something that could feed all. Today, it remains both humble and grand: a pot of warmth that nourishes body and culture alike.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs grass-fed beef shanks with marrow bones Add to Cart
• 3 carrots, 2 leeks, 2 parsnips, chopped
• 1 onion, studded with cloves
• 2 bay leaves, fresh thyme
• Sea salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Place meat in a pot, cover with water, add onion, herbs, and salt. Simmer 3 hours, skimming foam.
2. Add vegetables; simmer 1 hour more.
3. Serve broth first in bowls, followed by meat and vegetables.

Pho-Inspired Keto Bowl

In Vietnam, pho isn’t just eaten—it’s experienced. It starts your day, warms your soul, and connects you to community. This keto version captures the essence without the rice noodles, keeping it low-carb while preserving the cultural magic.

Ingredients

• 6 cups grass-fed beef broth Add to Cart
• 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise pods, 2 cloves
• 1 lb thin-sliced grass-fed sirloin Add to Cart
• Shirataki noodles (or zucchini spirals)
• Fresh herbs: cilantro, Thai basil
• Lime wedges, chili slices, sprouts

Instructions

1. Simmer broth with spices 30 minutes; strain.
2. Add noodles to hot broth.
3. Place beef slices in bowls, ladle hot broth over to cook.
4. Garnish with herbs, lime, sprouts.

Creamy Cauliflower & Leek Soup

In northern kitchens, creamy soups carried families through long winters. This version captures that velvety comfort with cauliflower and leeks, pairing gut-healing broth with creaminess that feels indulgent yet light.

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 2 leeks, white parts only, sliced
• 3 Tbsp grass-fed butter Add to Cart
• 4 cups chicken bone broth
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Sea salt, pepper, nutmeg

Instructions

1. Sauté leeks in butter until soft.
2. Add cauliflower and broth. Simmer 20 minutes.
3. Purée until smooth; stir in cream and nutmeg.

Mexican Menudo

Menudo is more than a hangover cure—it’s cultural medicine. After weddings, fiestas, or long nights, families gather around steaming bowls of this collagen- and electrolyte-rich broth. Its chili heat revives, its minerals restore, and its richness replenishes what was lost.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs grass-fed beef tripe, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 pig’s foot (optional, for extra collagen)
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups hominy (optional for keto: omit or replace with turnip cubes or chopped cauliflower)
• 3 dried chilies (guajillo, ancho, or New Mexico), soaked, seeded, blended into paste

Instructions

1. Rinse tripe well. Add tripe, pig’s foot, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to large pot. Cover with water.
2. Simmer 2–3 hours until tripe is tender.
3. Stir in chili paste and hominy. Simmer 30 minutes more.
4. Serve hot with lime wedges, oregano, and chopped onion.

Closing Thought

Soup is more than a recipe—it is a cultural story shared through generations told in steam and simmer. It’s memory, medicine, and meaning – all in one. From pho on Hanoi’s streets to the humble bone broths of our grandparents, soup has always been there to heal and to comfort.

When you sip from a steaming bowl, you’re not just feeding your body—you’re joining a lineage as old as fire itself. Soup is, and always has been, the original superfood. 

We agree with Kelley, when you sip from a steaming bowl, you’re not just nourishing your body—you’re joining a lineage as old as fire itself. Soup is, and always has been, the original superfood.

A special thank you to the author for sharing this beautiful perspective. For more recipes, stories, and inspiration, we invite you to explore our Discover Blog.

References

1. Wansink, B., et al. “Exploring comfort foods: an international survey.” Appetite, 2003.
2. Bonaz, B., et al. “The Vagus Nerve at the Interface of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.” Front Neurosci, 2018.
3. Herz, R. “Aromas and the emotional brain.” Chem Senses, 2005.
4. Rennard, B.O., et al. “Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro.” Chest, 2000.
5. Tran, L. “Pho and Vietnamese identity.” Gastronomica, 2012.
6. Davidson, A. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press, 2014.
7. Kaptchuk, T. The Web That Has No Weaver. McGraw-Hill, 2000.
8. Pilcher, J. Que vivan los tamales! Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1998.
9. Shively, C.A., et al. “Chicken soup and the common cold: a controlled clinical trial.” Chest, 1998.
10. Foster, G. “Menudo and Mexican cultural healing traditions.” Food and Foodways, 2008.