NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For many
Americans, soup is the ultimate comfort food when the sniffles take
hold. A new data analysis from digital health marketplace ZocDoc
and the nation's leading online and mobile food ordering company
Grubhub suggests the home remedy is still tried and true. The
annual wintertime uptick of cold and flu-related doctor
appointments has a strong correlation with increased soup delivery
orders nationwide.
In fact, when ZocDoc saw its largest spikes in cold and flu
appointment bookings in 2014 and 2015 (+15 percent on average
compared to the weekly average of appointments for the year),
Grubhub experienced an average uptick of 22 percent in soup orders
as well. During those same time periods, mentions of having a sore
throat, being sick or having the flu were also 283 percent more
likely to appear in delivery instructions of orders containing
soups than orders without.
With experts cautioning that peak cold and flu season is still
ahead this year, restaurateurs may want to stock their soup
selections while those facing seasonal sickness consider their best
remedy options.
Based on the data, certain soups seem to offer more comfort for
cold and flu sufferers. Chicken noodle and chicken rice soup, for
example, were among the top 10 soup types ordered during the past
two years' cold and flu appointment spikes. Grubhub saw orders of
the two soups increase by an average of 30.6 percent and 41.8
percent, respectively.
The benefits of soup, and particularly chicken soup, go beyond
evoking memories of comfort, according to Dr. Keri Peterson, an internist affiliated with
ZocDoc:
"Scientists have put the age-old remedy of chicken soup to the
test in the past and discovered that it does seem to relieve cold
and flu symptoms. Chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties and
temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose,
helping alleviate congestion. Clear-broth soups also hydrate
your body, which is of utmost importance when illness sets in."
Here are five other tips from Dr. Peterson for surviving the
remainder of the season:
- Wash your hands well. The most important measure for
preventing colds and flu is frequent hand washing. Be sure to
lather your hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds to
help rid your skin of germs.
- Avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose. These are
direct entry points for germs. Most adults touch their face about
16 times a day, and children do so a lot more often, which
increases the spread of germs, as we then touch surfaces throughout
our homes, schools and workplaces.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Daily activities that keep
your immune system strong help prevent illness. Resist the urge to
swap a workout for cozy couch time as temperatures drop. And up
your intake of cold-fighting anti-oxidants like Zinc, Vitamin C and
Echinacea.
- Hydrate to help flush your system. Drinking water and
keeping nasal passages moist with a saline spray can reduce your
risk of infection. Water, juice, clear-broth soup or warm lemon
water are all good choices.
- If you start to feel symptoms, see a doctor. It's easy
to snag a same-day appointment with ZocDoc when you start feeling
sick. The platform allows patients to find in-network, neighborhood
doctors and instantly book appointments online or in through the
free app.
View and download an interactive version of ZocDoc's cold and
flu appointment data and Grubhub's soup order data from 2014
and 2015 here.
About ZocDoc
ZocDoc is the tech company at the
beginning of a better healthcare experience. Each month, millions
of patients use ZocDoc to find in-network neighborhood doctors,
instantly book appointments online, see what other real patients
have to say, get reminders for upcoming appointments and preventive
check-ups, fill out their paperwork online, and more. With a
mission to give power to the patient, ZocDoc's online marketplace
delivers the accessible, seamless, and simple experience patients
expect and deserve. ZocDoc is free for patients and available
across the United States via
ZocDoc.com or the ZocDoc app for iPhone and Android.
About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is the nation's
leading online and mobile food-ordering company. Dedicated to
moving eating forward and connecting diners with the food they love
from their favorite local restaurants, the company's platforms and
services strive to elevate food ordering through innovative
restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved
delivery experience. Grubhub is proud to work with more than 40,000
restaurant partners in over 1,000 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands
includes Grubhub, Seamless, AllMenus, MenuPages, Restaurants on the
Run, DiningIn and Delivered Dish.
Media Contact
Jaime
Askew l jaime.askew@zocdoc.com l 646.783.3908
Photo
- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160210/332157
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zocdoc-and-grubhub-find-a-soup-er-correlation-for-cold-and-flu-season-300218811.html
SOURCE ZocDoc