Dairy is one of the most recognized “No-Nos” for singers. Consuming milk or cheese is known to cause the vocal folds to produce more mucus.
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.
Milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy
But dairy in general is difficult for the body to break down. 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.
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).
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.
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.
Foods to avoid include foods with high fat content, like fried or greasy foods, eggs, butter and other dairy products; and acidic meals like spicy foods, peppers, concentrated tomato dishes, vinegar, and citrus fruits.
Dairy. Dairy is one of the most recognized “No-Nos” for singers. Consuming milk or cheese is known to cause the vocal folds to produce more mucus.
Bananas moderate your blood sugar levels to reduce your appetite. This is ideal if you have little time to consume a rich meal before a performance. The glycemic index (the speed foods increase your blood sugar levels) of bananas is well-balanced.
The creamy texture of bananas can produce extra mucus and coat your throat, which leads to unclear vocals. The thickness of a banana will inhibit your singing ability and are best to be avoided right before your performance. Eating a banana is essentially the same as eating dairy before singing, both are bad news.
As a singer, you should avoid eating too spicy, fatty, and junk food items. There are several food & beverages that trigger mucous secretion and can affect your singing abilities badly. So before and after singing, avoid eating such edibles as spicy food, acidic meals, greasy food, fried items, caffeine, or alcohol.
Oily Food. Overdoing food that has a lot of oils, butter, or margarine can also cause phlegm to build up in your throat and irritate your singing voice. You may want to avoid fried foods and pizza for this reason, especially right before a performance.
Chewing gum could also help lubricate your vocal cords. Your mucous glands are active when you are chewing and in turn, your vocal cords get lubricated.
But singers should never clear their throats. It can do more harm than good and can strain your vocal cords even more. Clearing your throat dislodges mucus from your vocal cords and may provide temporary relief, but doing it too much and too roughly can dry out your mucus membranes.
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.
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.
Hot fluids increase mucus that lines the pharynx which can affect your tone. Also, if you swallow hot fluids, this is likely to cause inflammation which will increase sensitivity and make singing overall more difficult and uncomfortable.
A: The most important thing we can consume to improve vocal health is water. Staying hydrated helps your body produce thin, watery mucus. Your vocal cords vibrate more than 100 times a second when you speak, and they need that mucus to help them stay lubricated. We recommend drinking 64 ounces of water each day.