Ochsner Baptist Sends Patients Home with Comfort Food Care Packages
NEW ORLEANS, LA -Ochsner Baptist Medical Center recently launched a 1,000 cup, "Chicken Noodle Soup Care Package" for its surgery patients, sending patients home with a cup of Ochsner's homemade chicken noodle soup. The time-honored remedy is the perfect accompaniment to the recommended, bland diet immediately following anesthesia and a way for Ochsner Baptist to continue palliative care in patient's homes.
Chicken noodle soup is the ultimate, traditional, over-the-counter medical advice and comfort food, and Ochsner's 1,000 cup campaign encourages a speedy recovery. In fact, several medical experts have proven that old-fashioned chicken noodle soup has healing properties by displaying drug-like agents similar to those in modern cold medicines.
Another theory, put forth by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is that chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory keeping a check on inflammatory white blood cells, helping patients heal faster. More ancient testaments to chicken noodle soup include:
 Chicken soup was prescribed as a cure for the common cold in ancient Egypt.
 10th century Persian physician Avicenna referred to the curative powers of chicken soup in his writings.
Upon returning home following surgery, patients can range from feeling woozy to nauseous, typically a result of anesthesia. "We always recommend that a patient start with a liquid or bland diet upon returning home after surgery, until their stomach can handle more substantial foods," says Joan Condon, RN, Unit Director. She goes on to explain, "We're taking that recommendation a step further and quite literally by actually providing patients with a cup of soup and a bottle of water for their first meal at home."
Ochsner's Chicken Noodle soup, which is prepared in-house by Ochsner Baptist Chef Mike Shain, is a heart healthy version of the classic cure, featuring reduced sodium and fat content. The soup follows traditional recipes containing the prerequisite celery, onions, chicken stock, carrots, egg noodles, and boneless, skinless, chicken breast.
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