What are the best drinks for your singing voice? The best drinks for your singing voice are water (especially room-temperature water, perhaps with a squeeze or two of lemon) and tea, but be careful about consuming too much caffeine, which can dehydrate you. You can find wonderful herbal teas designed for singers.
The best drinks before singing are warm drinks without caffeine or milk, warm water and herbal teas containing manuka honey, lemon and ginger are ideal. Warm or room-temperature water will hydrate your vocal cords, making them more supple and less liable to injury.
Some foods and beverages to avoid prior to singing are mucous producing foods such as dairy, stimulants such as caffeine and spicy foods, soft drinks, refined sugars, chocolate, iced drinks and alcohol (including wine and beer).
Milk is bad for singers because it stresses your vocal cords. However, there are many health benefits to drinking milk, so we don't suggest cutting it out from your diet altogether. Instead, avoid drinking milk on rehearsal and performance days.
Milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy
It's a big no-no before your show. In many cases, it causes acid reflux that can creep up your esophagus and burn your vocal cords. In all cases, it tends to cling to everything in your throat, thickening the mucus that's already present.
Is lemon good for your voice? Yes, as lemon has a high source of vitamin C to help fight infection and, like honey, contains calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. Lemons contain citric acid which helps to break down the mucus in your throat and also helps to relieve you of throat inflammations.
Although bananas are good for nerves, mood, and sustaining energy levels, they're not so kind on your vocals. Bananas can produce extra phlegm or mucus which sits on your vocal cords and leads to an unclear tone. The actual texture of a banana is thick, which can sit on your vocal cords.
But Coke is a bad choice of refreshment for a singer. An average can of Coca-Cola contains 32mg of caffeine, while Coca-Cola Energy has a shocking 80mg inside the bottle. It's wise to avoid caffeine before a show because it can dry out your vocal cords, restricting their contractions and limiting your vocal range.
Fruits containing large amounts of water are excellent hydration-conscious snacks, including apples, pears, watermelon, peaches, melons, grapes, blueberries, oranges, pineapples, plums and raspberries. These fruits are a good source of water that helps to keep lubricated the vocal cords.
You can also try using drinks with electrolytes like Gatorade, although you should pour two-thirds out and mix in water. Two types of drinks you should avoid are caffeinated drinks and alcoholic beverages, as those normally dehydrate more than they hydrate (despite being liquid, those deceptive monsters).
Honey can help singers recover quicker from strained, sore, and lost voices. But honey isn't just effective when you're ill; it can be used to prevent vocal problems too. Its thick, smooth consistency coats and lubricates the throat, providing relief to your vocal cords and voice after a strenuous performance.
For most people, eating dairy products like milk, yogurt, ice cream or cottage cheese will create mucus, and should be avoided within a couple of hours before singing. For most, hard cheeses don't do that. Mucus coats your throat and makes it harder to sing.
Some of the most popular “remedies” singers employ include honey, slippery elm, and oral and pharyngeal moisturizers (such as sprays and teas). Honey relieves irritation of the mucus membranes in the mouth by forming a protective film.
A healthy voice requires a strong body with generally good muscle tone and endurance. So plan to eat a balance of protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, and moderate amounts of healthy fats and oils. The current typical American diet of highly processed, packaged food lacks many essential nutrients.
Cold water can actually shock your vocal cords and create tension in your throat. This can reduce your vocal range and ability. While it is important to stay hydrated and water is an obvious source of hydration, room temperature water is best.
Food You Should Eat
In all seriousness, while it's important to still eat in moderation and to not eat within two hours of a performance, keep an eye out for these voice-friendly foods: Hard- and soft-boiled eggs. Plain baked fish, such as salmon or tilapia, but stay away from the tartar sauce.
Caffeine can have a negative effect on your performance – such as stimulating anxiety. Avoid green and black tea as these contain the highest levels of caffeine. However, you could avoid this by switching to decaffeinated tea if you typically get nervous on stage.
Unfortunately for chocolate lovers, it's actually one of the worst foods to snack on before you sing. It's high in both sugar and caffeine – two products that can affect the performance of your vocal cords before a show.
Just as it sounds, vocal fatigue results when you've overused your voice without proper recovery time. The vocal folds are muscles and just like any other muscle or muscle group, they get tired, sore, and don't work as well after a strenuous workout.
Tuning (Pitch)
If you don't sing in-tune correctly, people will say you sound “off-key,” and some will assume you're tone-deaf. Make sure you learn every single note you need to sing in a song. Also, practice the notes slowly and accurately. Finally, sing in a key that isn't too high or too low for your voice.
When you're properly hydrated, your vocal cords will work more efficiently, which will improve the quality of your voice. “Avoid consuming excessive amounts of caffeine and carbonated drinks,” says Harlor. “These can result in reflux, which irritates the fine tissue in your throat and around your vocal box.”
Drink water, inhale steam or nebulized saline, or start your routine with a hot shower. This will thin the mucus, making it less adherent and easier to dislodge. Try to move the folds by inhaling, as part of a snort- this can also be somewhat effective.