Nursing a sore throat? Here’s what you should and shouldn’t eat

When you have a sore throat, the burning and uncomfortable feeling it causes can make it hard to drink or eat. Find out the best foods to consume when you have a sore throat and the foods you might want to avoid. Eating and drinking the right food can help reduce the pain of a sore throat and may even speed up the recovery process. A sore throat, also known as pharyngitis, is inflammation of the pharynx (the back of the throat between your tonsils and voice box) and it can be caused by many things, including viruses, yeast and bacteria. “Drinking plenty of fluids is a wise strategy when dealing with sore throats as keeping your throat moist may help from a comfort perspective,” says dietitian Andy De Santis.

Here are 7 tricks that can help cure your sore throat:

1. Keep foods soft and make sure they have an easy-to-swallow texture. The soft texture will help limit the amount of irritation to your throat. Warm foods and beverages can also help soothe your throat (like, pasta, oatmeal, cereal, yogurts, milk-based products, broth and cream-based soups, etc.)

2. Avoid foods that might irritate your throat more or that are difficult to swallow. Examples include alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods. They are all potential irritants that should temporarily be avoided when dealing with a sore throat.

3. Honey + Garlic + Ginger + Lemon

Mixing ground garlic and ginger with honey and lemon all in warm water can be of great help to relieve your sore throat. Garlic, lemon and ginger will help destroy the sore throat -causing- bacteria while honey being a universal healing agent will rebuild the layer of your throat which was damaged.

4. Salt + Water

Gargling salt and water is a great sore throat remedy which has been used for decades and remains effective.

5. Banana

Bananas are a non-acidic and soft fruit which can travel through your throat without causing any pain. Bananas can also provide some necessary nutrients such as Vitamin B6, Potassium, and most importantly Vitamin C which helps in growth and repair of tissues in your throat.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

Here is another great concoction you will love. Mixing a Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar and a Tbsp of honey in a warm cup of water will warm up and lubricate your throat. Taking less than five of these a day should be enough to mitigate the swelling and heal the infection.

7. Wheat germ and pumpkin seeds may also help with relief as they are high in zinc, which helps with cell growth and immunity.

Also, skip crackers, crusty bread and other dry snacks until your throat feels better.