The truth about which foods ruin your voice
Have you ever wondered why your voice might be more phlegmous on certain days or times of the day after eating certain foods? Why sometimes you feel like you can't sing properly or why your voice seems to be stuck and not as agile as you're used to?
Your diet might be the cause of that! You are what you eat - while this saying is true in general, it particularly applies to the Voice.
In this blog, we'll dive into the truth about which foods are more likely to cause issues for your voice and why you should avoid them, especially before vocal performances or recordings.
1. Dairy
You might love dairy for the creaminess it adds to dishes but your voice is likely to experience more phlegm after eating dairy. When you drink milk, it increases the mucus in the back of the nose and throat. This can make your voice unclear and cause you to cough and clear your throat more often, which can damage your vocal cords.
2. Spicy Foods
Spicy foods can inflame your vocal cords and create a hoarser voice along with additional pain. Along with irritating your throat, those who frequently have acid reflux (GERD) might not like the additional side effects that spicy foods bring.
3. Acidic Foods
Citrussy Foods contain acidity which throws the PH balance in your body. Even though food doesn't directly touch the vocal folds, the acidity can cause acid reflux which can irritate your throat just like with spicy food. Better to stay away from it when you know you have a performance/recording coming up and avoid acidic foods before bedtime in general.
4. Fatty Foods
Greasy foods will not only make you feel sleepy and heavy, they also grease up your throat and generate mucus. That doesn't mean you should perform on an empty stomach but pick foods that will provide nutrition without the heaviness. Small meals high in vitamins, and minerals and easy to digest (like salads with some protein / a light rice or pasta dish) are a good choice a few hours prior to singing.
5. Sugary Foods
Processed sugar: anything that contains processed sugar is no good for your voice. Just like dairy, sugar is quite hard to break down, and it has inflammation-enhancing properties. This means that it increases the level of mucus present in your instrument.
6. Alcohol & Caffeine
We get it, the image of the rockstar drinking alcohol on stage is compelling but alcohol dehydrates which results in dryness in your mouth and vocal folds. That in turn can mitigate your vocal chords from being lubricated and create a more raspy tone. The same goes for Caffeinated beverages. If you must have your morning coffee, make sure to drink double the amount in water.
Happy singing, The Vocals on Stage Team