What Are the Best Foods to Eat before Singing?

We all know that there are a bunch of foods that stop you being able to sing well. However, are there foods to eat before singing that will help you? The answer is a resounding yes which is great news. It doesn’t have to do with warming up or extending your range. Consuming foods to improve your singing voice is a quickfire way to get better quickly.

Ready for the list? Let’s go!

Why Do Some Foods Improve Your Singing Voice?

Although you may prefer a list, just indulge me here for a minute. I think it’s important to know why some foods improve your singing voice whilst others do the opposite.

As you are for sure aware, there are many parts of your body that make up your singing voice. These include the lungs, larynx, tongue, and many other bits and pieces besides. When you eat something, it will have an effect on your body, sometimes good and sometimes bad.

And that is what is going on with your voice as well. Just like if you eat too much chocolate you feel a bit sick, if you eat too much of anything then you won’t be able to sing as well. And the reverse is true as well. Eating good stuff makes you feel good, gives you energy and makes you feel light.

It’s the same with food. Although you may not feel it in the beginning, you will become more in tune with your body if you eat stuff and focus on what it does for your voice.

The main message here is though is that you have to listen to your body. Some of these foods will for sure help. However, if, after trying them, you feel that it hasn’t done anything to your voice, then fine. Move on and don’t worry about it. We are unique and each body reacts slightly differently to another.

Anyway, enough of that, let’s get down to the good foods to eat before singing:

Fresh Fruit

Of course, the first thing on the list is going to be fresh fruit. Not all fruits are created equal though so what you should be aiming for is the fruit with the highest water content. Making sure you are fully hydrated before a performance is very important, perhaps the most important thing you can do.

Therefore, it’s important to try and get some in all forms you can. A word of warning though. There are many fruits that you can buy in the stores that aren’t quite ripe yet. If you are eating a fruit that isn’t ripe, it will leave a dry taste in your mouth and this isn’t the greatest thing for your voice obviously. Therefore, just make sure that the fruit you want to eat is actually ready for eating.

Watermelon

This is a wonderful snack, and, in the summer, I absolutely devour it. The trick to choosing a good watermelon is to give it a good tap with your hand. The hollower it sounds, the better it will taste. In fact, it’s a bit like singing. The more resonant it is the better!

Apple

Try to make sure they are juicy. This being the case, it’s better to go for a slightly sweeter apple such as a pink lady rather than something overly sour such as a granny smith.

Berries

Berries are high in loads of good things and are good for your health, especially when you are tackling a cold. They are also great helping you before you sing. Again, though here, make sure you go for sweet ones such as strawberries and not something too sour.

Pineapple

Not only is eating pineapple great when you have a cold as it contains bromelain, it’s also got a high-water content so can therefore really give your vocal cords a nice lining to help you sing.

Coconut

This is also a great source for hydration before you sing. It’s important to get a good one though. You don’t want to get any coconut stuck in your teeth though so be careful when you eat it.

Other great fruits to eat before singing include:

• Apricots
• Grapes
• Mango
• Peaches
• Plums

It’s also important to experiment with the fruits as some on this list will definitely help and others will do nothing. Just listen to your body and get in tune with it!

What Vegetables Are Good for Singing 

When talking about fruit, that’s pretty easy as they kind of fit into two distinct categories. The ones with acid which are bad and the one with high water content but not acidy which are good.

When it comes to vegetables pretty much everything is great. Most vegetables are filled with water and they are easy to digest as well. This being the case, many singers opt for a light salad before performing.

One word of caution though, go easy on the leafy vegetables if you are not used to them. They can cause bloating if you are not used to them. Therefore, try it out well before you need to perform. The last thing you want is to be burping and passing gas on stage.

So, What Are the Best Vegetables to Eat before Singing?

The truth is that pretty much every single vegetable is good to eat before singing as long as they don’t give you acid reflux . These aren’t bad per se but before singing it’s worthwhile to stay away from them. These include raw onions and tomatoes. However, almost everything else is not just fine, but it’s good.

Personally, I like to have a tuna salad with peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, some lightly fried (in olive oil) aubergine, and a nice garlic dressing. Although perhaps garlic isn’t’ the best for you just before you perform, I don’t find that it has a negative affect on me so I’m happy with it.

A Quick-Fire List of Good Vegetables

• Leafy stuff such as Bok Choy etc.
• Avocado
• Cucumbers
• Peppers
• Lightly fried aubergine
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Superfoods are normally very good

What Proteins and Meats Are Good to Eat before Singing? 

I’m sure that many of you love a good steak. However, is it a great to eat before singing? I’m afraid that the answer is no. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the meat itself is pretty fatty and that can clog up your vocal cords instead of lining them. As well as this, you often find that eating red meat makes you feel heavy and lethargic. You need to have energy before singing and being filled to the brim just isn’t going to help you jump around on stage.

With that in mind though, eating other proteins that are lighter such as tuna, salmon, chicken, and the like are great options.

Now, I’m not a food specialist so if your doctor or dietitian disagrees with me that’s fine, I won’t take it personally. However, what I do know is what works for singers and knowing the best foods to eat before singing. Listen to your body, experiment before practicing seeing what works well and what doesn’t, and you’ll learn a whole lot about yourself.

Is Sugar Bad for Singing? 

There is one thing that I do know for sure about sugar. It’s yummy!

However, what it does is gives you almost a false sense of security. You get a sugar high and that gives you energy. But it will inevitably cause a sugar crash as well and you will be left with no energy and that’s obviously not cool.

That’s why you should stay away from anything with added sugar. This includes:

• Ketchup
• Candy
• Non diet Soda
• A sugary coffee or tea
• Beer and other alcoholic beverages that you drink a lot of (not whiskey)
• Too much citrus fruit

Anything Else to Eat before Singing

Some people have a habit of chewing gum or sucking some other sugar free sweets to keep the saliva flowing nicely. Personally, I haven’t found that this really works for me. However, give it a go, you may find the chewing helps.

In Summary –What Are the Best Foods to Eat before Singing

As we have seen, there are some pretty basic ideas about the best foods to eat before singing. It’s also completely fair to state that there are some extraordinarily good singers who are not in the best physical condition. There are also some of the fittest people on stage but yet don’t sound very good. The reason why this is so is because singing starts with a base.

Some peoples’ base level is just better than others. That’s just something we have to accept. It’s our job to be the best we can be and the way to do that is to try and work out what works best for our body.

There are some important takeaways though:

• Eat foods that will give you energy on stage
• Don’t overeat
• Don’t eat foods that give you phlegm or acid reflux
• Eat about 2-3 hours before you have to go on stage and make sure you aren’t stuffed full

I hope you have enjoyed this post. If you have any questions or comments make sure to leave them below. Till next time!