Getting better at singing doesn’t only involve consistent practice. Giving your body the right foods to improve singing voice is an equally important factor. Like every athlete, you need to make sure that the foods you eat will contribute to improving your overall vocal performance.
It is true that there are professional karaoke machines that can help you sound good when singing. However, if you want to have a clear voice for singing, you’ll need to take these foods into consideration as well.
The best foods for singers are the same foods that we eat every day. They are readily available and does not require any non-standard preparation. In fact, you won’t find any exotic foods included in this list.
In a nutshell, what you’ll need to regularly eat are foods that:
- increase your protein level
- keep you hydrated
- are rich in Vitamin A
There are many protein-rich foods, but what you’ll need are those won’t overwhelm your vocal chords with fats and oil. Anything that is too much is not good, even if it is too much lubrication for your voice box.
Keeping ourselves hydrated is very important, but it becomes especially more critical when singing. Water is not the only source of hydration, there are also tasty fruits and veggies that can help you with this.
Although our body needs a combination of a lot of vitamins and minerals, vitamin A is especially important for those who want to continuously improve their voice. In particular, it helps to keep our mucous membranes in good condition, which contributes to better throat health.
8 Foods To Improve Singing Voice
- Chicken
- Fish
- Salads
- Fresh Fruits
- Green Juices
- Eggs
- Yellow and Orange Fruits and Veggies
- Dark Leafy Greens
A great lean source of protein. It doesn’t contain a lot of fats and oil and it tastes good as well. Just make sure not to season it with too many spices. Grilled chicken is what we recommend.
Another amazing lean source of protein, fish also helps you to have the energy to continuously sing without tiring easily. A very important factor to consider especially if you’ll be singing a lot of times in your karaoke party. Oven-baked recipes are the preferred way of cooking it so you can cut down on using oils for frying.
You can always add vegetable side dishes to your chicken or fish meal suggested above, but tossing yourself a salad is a lot better. The veggies that you add will definitely help in keeping you hydrated and in keeping you in good shape as well.
One of the best snacks for singers. Munching on chips and other salty or sugary snacks is a big no-no when you want to cultivate your singing voice. Instead, try having a couple of segments of fresh oranges or a slice of watermelon.
If you find munching on slices of fruits quite a chore, you can always have some green juices. You can use cucumbers, kale, spinach and combine them with ginger to make a healthy juice that will not only keep you hydrated but is good for your overall health as well.
Adding eggs to your salad or just eating it boiled can help boost your vitamin A intake. Additionally, eggs are also a good source of protein. It will also keep you full and energized through your performance.
There are a lot of fruits and vegetables that are good a good source of vitamin A. Instead of enumerating them one by one, it is easier to identify them by their color. Yellow fruits like apricots or orange veggies like carrots are great choices.
Dark, leafy greens such as kale and spinach are also excellent sources of vitamin A. If you’re the type of person who’s having a hard time munching on these veggies, why not turn them into a juice. You get to become well-hydrated too.
Foods That Are Bad For Your Voice
The group of foods below doesn’t necessarily destroy one’s voice. Their adverse effects range from not being able to sing well to becoming an impediment to increasing your vocal range. Of course, these negative effects do not happen immediately, but instead over time.
Even I, myself, am guilty of indulging with these foods every now and then. I just have to keep it balanced by regularly taking the recommended foods earlier. This is more so the night or days before the big karaoke night.
Alcoholic beverages – Some singers would take a sip or two of alcoholic drinks to soothe their nerves and get them ready for the performance. While this may be easily countered by drinking water temperature during the performance, making it a habit will negatively affect the throat over time.
Like caffeine, it dehydrates the throat the muscles, making it harder to reach those high notes. If you’ve already taken too much alcohol, don’t expect to hit those notes in the first place.
Soda and Ice Cold Drinks – While drinking soda may not seem to have any undesirable effects over time, but who drinks lukewarm soda in the first place. Soda is cold drinks, and most of the time drank ice cold. Ice cold drinks constrict the throat muscles too, which can negatively affect your singing voice.
Dairy Products – Keeping your throat clear is essential in making your voice clean and smooth. While most of us cannot entirely remove dairy products from our diet, it is best to avoid them as much as possible.
These milk products are the main source of phlegm. They increase its production in your throat which in turn produces raspy and clear voice. You’ll end up clearing your throat most of the time while you’re singing if you decide to consume dairy before singing.
Wrapping It Up
You don’t need to be a professional singer to have these foods. As a matter fact, they are already part of a generally healthy diet.
While there are some quick fixes like our list of easy songs for bad singers, going long term is still better when it comes to singing. Regularly taking on these foods to improve singing voice will help make your practice smoother and your performance more memorable.
Do you know what makes improving your voice more fun? It’s having your own karaoke system at home to practice on. Check our top recommendations here at karaokehq.com/best-karaoke-machines/ if you still haven’t got one.