Is it good to eat pho when you're sick? An in-depth guide

October 23, 2025 •

4 min read

According to traditional Chinese dietary therapy, warming aromatic spices like those found in pho can be used to treat early signs of a cold. So, is it good to eat pho when you're sick? The combination of a hot, savory broth, easily digestible noodles, and potent herbs makes it an excellent choice for soothing symptoms and nourishing your body back to health.

Quick Summary

This guide explains why pho is a beneficial meal when you are feeling under the weather. It details the nutritional advantages of its ingredients, such as bone broth and fresh herbs, and how they aid recovery by providing hydration and immune support.

Key Points

Hydration and Electrolytes: The savory, warm broth provides essential fluids and minerals to combat dehydration.
Soothes Symptoms: The hot steam and spicy additions can help clear nasal congestion, while the smooth noodles and broth ease a sore throat.
Immune-Boosting Ingredients: Spices like ginger, star anise, and cinnamon, along with fresh herbs, offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to support your immune system.
Easily Digestible: The simple ingredients and gentle broth make pho a light meal that is easy for a sensitive stomach to handle.
High in Nutrients: Lean protein and fresh vegetables provide essential vitamins and amino acids to help your body recover.
A Delicious Comfort Food: Beyond its physical benefits, the satisfying taste and warmth of pho provide psychological comfort when you're feeling down.

The Soothing Power of Pho for Colds and Flu

When you're feeling unwell, a bowl of hot soup can feel incredibly comforting. For many, Vietnamese pho serves as a flavorful and restorative alternative to traditional chicken soup. The dish combines hydrating bone broth, lean protein, and a medley of fresh herbs and spices, all of which offer unique benefits for a sick body.

Nutritional Breakdown: Why Pho is Soothing

The effectiveness of pho as a 'sick day soup' can be attributed to its key components. Each ingredient plays a specific role in helping your body fight off illness and recover more quickly. The steaming broth helps clear nasal passages, while the vitamins and minerals provide essential nourishment.

Key Ingredients and Their Benefits:

Broth: Often simmered for hours with beef or chicken bones, the broth is a powerhouse of nutrients. It contains collagen and gelatin, which support joint health and gut healing, and is rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium. The high fluid content also helps to replenish electrolytes and keep you hydrated.
Spices: The signature aromatic spices in pho broth, such as star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Ginger, for instance, is well-known for reducing nausea and inflammation.
Protein: Whether you choose beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà), the lean protein provides essential amino acids needed for muscle repair and a strong immune system. For vegetarians, tofu offers a plant-based protein alternative.
Herbs and Toppings: The vibrant garnishes of Thai basil, cilantro, and lime wedges are not just for flavor. They add a boost of vitamins (A, C, and K) and antioxidants that further strengthen your immune response. Spicy additions like chili and jalapeño can also help clear congestion.

Pho vs. Traditional Chicken Soup

While both soups are great for sickness, they have distinct profiles. Here’s a comparison to help you decide which is right for you:


Feature	Pho	Traditional Chicken Soup
Broth	Complex, slow-simmered bone broth with aromatics like star anise, cinnamon, and ginger.	Simpler broth, typically seasoned with onion, celery, and carrots.
Noodles	Flat, gluten-free rice noodles (bánh phở) that are easily digestible.	Egg noodles or other wheat-based noodles, which may be heavier.
Freshness	Relies on fresh herbs and lime for a vibrant, clean flavor.	Often uses dried herbs or simple seasonings.
Anti-inflammatory	High in anti-inflammatory spices like ginger and star anise.	Offers some anti-inflammatory benefits, mainly from the vegetables.
Sore Throat	The silky noodles and warm broth are easy on a sensitive throat.	Can be comforting, but noodles may have more texture.
Congestion	Hot steam and spicy condiments help to clear sinuses effectively.	The warm steam helps, but lacks the same level of spicy sinus-clearing power.

Potential Downsides and Modifications

Despite its many benefits, there are potential drawbacks to consider, especially with restaurant versions of pho. The primary concern is the high sodium content in some broths, which can be detrimental if you have high blood pressure. If possible, opt for a low-sodium version or make your own at home to control the salt.

Additionally, restaurant portion sizes are often very large and high in noodles, which can lead to excessive calorie intake if you are not careful. To make your pho healthier, you can request extra vegetables and a smaller portion of noodles.

Making Your Own Immune-Boosting Pho

Creating a healthy bowl of pho at home gives you complete control over the ingredients and quality. Start with a rich, slow-simmered bone broth as your base. You can find excellent recipes online or purchase high-quality pre-made bone broth. Simmering beef or chicken bones with charred onions, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon sticks will create an aromatic and healing broth. Add lean protein like thinly sliced chicken or beef, along with plenty of fresh vegetables such as bok choy, mushrooms, or carrots. A squeeze of fresh lime juice and a handful of cilantro, basil, and bean sprouts will finish it off perfectly, turning your meal into a nutrient-dense powerhouse. You can explore traditional recipes to get started.

Conclusion: A Nutritious and Healing Choice

So, is it good to eat pho when you're sick? Absolutely. The dish combines hydrating bone broth, nutrient-rich ingredients, and potent anti-inflammatory spices that can soothe a sore throat, clear congestion, and nourish your body. While it's not a magical cure, it's a far more flavorful and beneficial option than many other sick-day meals. Just be mindful of the sodium content when dining out and customize your bowl with plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables to maximize its healing potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, pho broth is excellent when you are sick. It is deeply hydrating, full of essential minerals extracted from slow-simmered bones, and contains anti-inflammatory spices like ginger and cinnamon that can aid in recovery.

Yes, pho can help with congestion. The heat from the steaming broth helps clear nasal passages, and adding spicy components like chili oil or fresh jalapeños can act as an expectorant to thin mucus.

Yes, pho is often gentle on the stomach. The ingredients are simple, and the bone broth supports digestive health. For those with sensitivities, chicken pho or a vegetarian option might be easier to digest than red meat.

Both soups are beneficial, but pho offers a more complex array of anti-inflammatory spices like star anise and ginger, along with a hydrating bone broth base. Some find the flavor and nutrient density of pho more effective for soothing cold symptoms.

To make pho healthier, especially when sick, focus on maximizing nutrients and minimizing sodium. Request extra fresh herbs and vegetables, use less of the high-sodium sauces like hoisin and fish sauce, and choose a leaner protein like chicken.

While restaurant pho can be high in sodium, you can mitigate this by drinking less of the broth or opting for a low-sodium version. When making it at home, you have complete control over the salt content.

If authentic pho isn't available, other brothy soups with lean protein, fresh vegetables, and anti-inflammatory spices like ginger and garlic can also be very beneficial when you are sick. Any hot, nourishing, and hydrating soup is a good choice.