Sore throats are, quite literally, a huge pain to deal with. It changes the way one’s day works. A half-hour of exercise might be too painful to endure, and a simple sneeze might call for 5 or 10 seconds to recover from the ensuing pain. Here are a few temporary changes one can make to their diet in order ease the pain and be on the way to a healthy throat as soon as possible:
Drink plenty of fluids, mainly water. Your body is better at becoming healthy when it is properly hydrated. Even if you already follow the recommended “8 by 8” rule (8 ounces of water, 8 times per day), you may want to increase your consumption.
Make sure to get plenty of Vitamin C. Drink fruit juice or simply eat more fruit.
Have warm soup for dinner and tea with honey for dessert. Okay, maybe that would be an extremely limiting diet, especially just to ease a sore throat, but they would certainly be your most soothing options. Chicken noodle soup is a classic, but other soups, especially those with lots of vegetables (and therefore higher in vitamins), will temporarily soothe your throat. Warm tea with honey is another old-age remedy that will help minimize throat irritation.
Avoid milk. Though there are no studies that back this up with scientific evidence, it has been said that milk increases mucus production or thickens saliva. Many people find that, while sick, eliminating milk from the diet can keep the mucus build up in the throat to a minimum, thus preventing unnecessary, painful coughing.
Other things you can do outside of your diet:
Gargle with warm salt water. No one seems to agree on why this actually works, but everyone agrees that it does in fact help. Even doctors will recommend that a person with a sore throat gargle 4 to 6 times daily. Use about one teaspoon of salt for every cup of water.
Stay of out the cold, dry air. Consider using a humidifier if you find that the air in your own home is making it painful to breathe. Adding moisture to the air will ease your breathing.
Sleep. Your body fights sickness best when it is well-rested. If you take the extra time to catch a few extra Zs, you will save time in the long run by recovering faster and returning to your regular schedule sooner.
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