Food for Your Throat!

Don’t you wish you had a way to scratch that itch in your throat? A sore throat is an annoying and sometimes painful condition that arises when the throat becomes inflamed and irritated. Whether it is due to a cold, an infection, overuse of voice, or is a result of some medical condition that weakens the immune system, a sore throat can affect anyone of any age and at any time. 

Since food passes through your throat on the way down, it makes sense to watch out for the types of food you eat when you have a sore throat. 

Let’s take a look at certain foods that you should and shouldn’t eat while nursing your inflamed throat back to good health. Such foods won’t further irritate your already sore throat. Choose lean meats such as turkey, fish and chicken. Enjoy low-fat dairy products such as yoghurt for its probiotics benefits, or foods that are “easy to go down”  such as soup. If you have real trouble swallowing, you can puree your food.

Dip it in some milk

If foods such as rice, pasta and toast are hard on your throat, soak them in milk first.

Load up on nutrients

Look for nutrient-rich foods that can give your health a boost and help fight those pesky germs that cause your sore throat. Try oatmeal: it is easy to swallow and rich in fibre, folate, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids to keep you healthy and contented for a longer period of time. Just soak it in hot water or milk! Or, you can have soft fruits (such as bananas) or boiled vegetables (such as carrots).

Slurp on something warm

Have a warm cup of ginger or honey tea – this can make your throat feel better. You can also mix lemon juice and honey to soothe your throat. Inhaling steam from drinking a hot cuppa can also help with loosening congestion and tightness of the chest.

If you need more relief for your sore throat, get an antiseptic solution from your neighbourhood pharmacy. It will help kill most bacteria and germs responsible for sore or itchy throat with each gargle.

Food to avoid

Rough or fatty foods.  Avoid rough and dry foods. This means putting a stop to deep fried foods, nuts, pretzels, dry toast and such. Such foods can potentially irritate your throat further making it harder for you to swallow.

Acidic, salty or spicy foods. Temporarily put a hold on acidic fruits (oranges, tomatoes, etc) – they may be good for you but their acidic content will only irritate your throat. Cut down on salty foods (go salt-free!) as well as spicy foods such as curry.

References:

ENT Specialists. Available at www.entspecialistspc.com

Med Guidance. Available at www.medguidance.com

Live Strong. Available at www.livestrong.com

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