“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ― Hippocrates
Sore throats are common for both adults and children. In a tropical country like Indonesia, it usually occurs during rainy season or during the transition from dry to rainy season. It also can occur anytime around the year, whenever when you are sick or have overused your voice.
If your OTC medicines still aren’t doing it right to cure your sore throat, there are some foods that help with sore throat.
Honey
Honey helps to soothe throats by coating the throat and easing pain. Simply add the honey to your favorite tea or oatmeal to help you soothe your throat. You can also make the magic honey and lemon water to help you soothe your throat.
Smoothies
With its soft, creamy texture, smoothie will cool your throat’s soreness. Banana and berry smoothie is recommended, as blueberries contain astringent that can soothe sore throats, while bananas are soft and easy to swallow.
Here’s how to make it:
- You will need 500ml of orange juice, 2 bananas, 500ml frozen blueberries, 250ml frozen strawberries, and 30ml honey
- In a blender, puree all ingredients until smooth. Your smoothie is ready.
Cabbage
Did you know that back in the day, a folk remedy for a sore throat involved wrapping a cabbage leaf around one’s neck? Today, we don’t need to do that. Simply eating cabbage will provide the same health benefits, since cabbage is loaded with anti-oxidants, vitamin C, sulfur, and other essential nutrients that can help reduce the inflammation of a sore throat.
Hot Soup
People who have a cold or the flu often choose chicken soup to make them feel better. Any other healthy soups like lentil soup and red bean soup can help to cure a sore throat. The salt in soup can actually reduce the amount of mucus on your throat, and thus soothe the soreness.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the most powerful weapons to cure sore throat. It opens up sinuses and helps to clear mucus from the nose and throat. The anti-inflammatory properties in ginger also will help you to recover quickly.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great thing to eat when you’re feeling sick, as it’s full of nutrients and fiber that will help your body fight off illness. The omega-3 fatty acids, folic, and potassium properties in oatmeal also will further speed up the healing process.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile is another herb that has a history of a sore-throat folk remedy, primarily due to its abilities as a natural painkiller. The anti-spasdomic properties in chamomile also help to reduce coughing problems.
Ice cream
Who says you can eat something cold, dairy product while having throat problem? The American Cancer Society recommends eating ice cream to help manage a sore throat because it’s soft, creamy and cold. Plain ice cream flavors like chocolate or vanilla are probably a good choice because it’s free from other additional ingredients like nuts or biscuits. Sharp pieces of nuts or biscuits may irritate your throat, so it’s better to choose the plain flavor.
