Nutrition: Food for a sore throat

Sore throat produces various uncomfortable symptoms such as pain while swallowing foods and liquids. Certain foods eaten during an episode of sore throat will help relieve the symptoms to some extent.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Sore throat produces various uncomfortable symptoms such as pain while swallowing foods and liquids. Certain foods eaten during an episode of sore throat will help relieve the symptoms to some extent.

Warm soup

Enjoying a bowl of warm soup such as chicken noodle soup, black bean soup, lentil soup etc. is an excellent way to soothe the discomfort caused by your sore throat. According to Mayo Clinic, the salt present in most of the warm soups is responsible for soothing the irritation and pain and also helps in reducing the mucus in the throat. The irritation and pain of a sore throat is also relieved by the warmth of the soup.

Oatmeal

One of the most common symptoms of sore throat is difficulty in swallowing, which makes eating anything very difficult. This is when soft, cooked oatmeal comes handy. Oatmeal is also full of nutrients such as fiber, folate, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids. You can also add banana or honey to oatmeal.

Carrots

I use carrots to sooth my sore throats a lot, says Anne Mulenga, a dietician and nutritionist.

"Raw carrots greatly take away the irritation and pain; hence, they should be first boiled to make them soft and then eaten. This way you can enjoy the benefits of all the various nutrients present in carrots including fiber, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin K,” she notes.

Bananas

Banana is one such fruit that is non-acidic and soft and can be easily swallowed. Banana will also provide you the benefits of various nutrients including potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6.