Nutrition - Eating and Singing - Musician Health and Wellness

Eating and Singing – Musician Health
and Wellness
Nutrition: Eating and Singing
The most important job that the voice box (larynx) performs in
the body is to keep food and liquid out of the lungs. Your mouth
and throat lead into the pathways for both breathing and
swallowing. At the larynx, those passages divide and remain
separate. Your voice box, by its position and action, serves as
the switching station between these pathways. This is central to
its biological job of protecting the airway.
Most of the time, your airway is open and your esophagus (the
tube from your throat to your stomach) is closed. At the
moment of swallowing, the voice box closes the airway
completely so that what you swallow doesn’t “go down the
wrong way.” Put simply, under normal circumstances, nothing
that you eat or drink directly touches the vocal folds. IF
something enters your airway by mistake, your body coughs it
out to prevent choking and to keep your lungs clean.
Food you eat doesn’t touch your vocal folds. So although it’s fine
to eat things that feel good – steamy soup in cold weather or
ice cream when your throat is hot and dry — the more important
principle is to choose foods based on overall health rather on
than what might feel good for an instant on your throat. Your
voice is kept more directly comfortable by how you use it and by
what’s in the air.
When choosing a way of eating that enhances your vocal health,

there are three main principles to follow; maximize general
wellness and stamina, guard against acid reflux irritation of the
vocal cords, and keep the digestive system comfortable rather
than overstuffed.
A healthy voice requires a strong body with generally good

muscle tone and endurance. So plan to eat a balance of protein,
fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, and moderate
amounts of healthy fats and oils. The current typical American
diet of highly processed, packaged food lacks many essential
nutrients. The average American eats only two serving of fruits
and vegetables and nearly 100 grams of fat per day with a goal
of no more than 30-40 grams per day. Americans may
accurately be described as the most overfed, yet under-
nourished population in the world. Singers who eat this way
should be advised that they may be trading their health for
convenience. There are plenty of books and beliefs about the
best way to select food. Consult with a dietician or nutritionist
for individualized help.
The larynx is very close to the esophagus. In fact, only a few

layers of tissue separate them. If a small amount of stomach
acid sneaks back up the esophagus (a process called reflux)
and gets all the way up to the throat, it is likely to “land” at the
back area of the vocal cords. This condition – called laryngo-
pharyngeal reflux (LPR) is not good for your voice!
The breathing and swallowing tubes have different jobs, so they

are lined with different kinds of cells. The inside of the digestive
system has special buffers against the strong acids and other
materials that do the work of digestion. The inside of the larynx
and lower airway don’t have this protection. Acid material
refluxing from the stomach and falling onto the vocal folds will
irritate or burn them. One such episode can have effects on the
voice that last for days, and repeated episodes over time can
cause vocal changes and discomfort that are generally called
reflux laryngitis.
This condition is diagnosed by a laryngologist based on your
symptoms, the appearance of your vocal folds on a visual exam,
and whether certain medication make things better. Some
patients with reflux irritation of the voice (LPR) report stomach
discomfort, burning sensations, acidic taste in the mouth, and
so on, but most do not. Thus acid-related vocal inflammation
often occurs without any familiar symptoms of heartburn. (This
is yet another area in which your common sense and your
internal sensations can be plain wrong. Remember that parts of
these body functions are designed to be unconscious, so you
just can’t feel everything accurately.) The digestive and
respiratory systems are close enough together in the laryngeal
region to influence each other, even though their functions are
different. With LPR, the source of the problem is in the digestive
system, but the symptoms are experienced in the voice and
upper throat.
Ironically, singers and vigorous talkers are believed to be a

higher risk for reflux because of the active pressure changes
inside the body from deeper breathing, singing, and forceful
speech. Common complaints with LPR include a gradual
roughening of the voice (hoarseness) that seems independent
of overuse or any lingering cold, and the sensation of a
thickening or lump in the throat. Many people who suffer from
LPR will try to clear their throat to eliminate the feeling, but you
can’t simply cough out a condition of being swollen or irritated.
The voice can sound low pitched and crackly, and it can get tired
more easily, as the condition of laryngeal reflux becomes more
serious or long-standing and untreated. Chronic couch and
other breathing problems can also develop. Most of the time,
laryngeal reflux is mild and easily managed, usually with a
combination of medication, diet, and lifestyle changes. If you
are given this diagnosis, your doctor or speech pathologist will
provide you with individualized information.

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Eating and Singing – Musician Health

Nutrition: Eating and Singing

When choosing a way of eating that enhances your vocal health,

A healthy voice requires a strong body with generally good

The larynx is very close to the esophagus. In fact, only a few

The breathing and swallowing tubes have different jobs, so they

Ironically, singers and vigorous talkers are believed to be a

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