18 Tips To Prevent A Throat Infection And Boost Your Immunity

The novel coronavirus infection has wreaked havoc throughout the world in recent years. The rapidly mutating and fast-spreading virus affects the respiratory system of millions of individuals on the globe. A sore throat is one of the prominent early symptoms of the COVID-19. Besides coronavirus, other conditions, such as the common cold and flu, can make you suffer from a sore throat and affect your quality of life. With a new wave of coronavirus hitting the global every other year, it becomes crucial to boost our immunity and follow preventive measures to stay safe and beat the pandemic era. Immune factors play an active role in identifying and fighting various infections and helping you enjoy good health. Poor diet, lack of sleep, obesity, chronic stress, and underlying health conditions have a direct impact on your immune system. Dietary modifications help nourish you, treat other health conditions, promote proper weight loss to beat obesity, and boost your immunity. Following certain preventive measures reduces your chances of getting infected. So, you might be wondering which helpful tips can safeguard you from throat infection and enhance your immunity, aren’t you? Scroll down to find immune-boosting and preventive tips for throat infection.

18 Effective Tips To Prevent A Throat Infections And Improve Your Immunity:

1. Savour Nutritious, Balanced Diet:

Having a healthy diet is the key to having a strong immune system. So, make sure that your daily diet consists of fresh vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and whole foods. Consulting a certified dietician can help you have a diet rich in all nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, antioxidants, and more, that affect your immune factors positively. Also, include garlic in your cooking preparations as it fights bacteria and viruses effectively. Having a good immunity can help fight throat infection, prevent and treat a sore throat, and relieve throat tightness naturally. Thus, a regular nutritious diet can be an easy yet effective throat infection treatment at home that not just promotes healing but also improves your immunity.

2. Have Lemon Water:

Abundant in vitamin C and powerful antioxidants, lemon is one of the best natural immune system boosters. With its high antioxidant content, lemon water minimizes oxidative stress and fights inflammation. Drinking this refreshing fluid serves as one of the effective home remedies for throat pain when down with a sore throat. Lemon also helps boost saliva production which helps maintain mucous membranes moist. For maximum benefits, mix a freshly squeezed lemon with warm water, add a dash of honey, and drink it. It also helps boost metabolism and aids your weight loss efforts. So, you may include it in the weight loss diet plan for women and men.

3. Avoid Excess Intake of Sugar

Another simple throat infection tip that can help relieve your symptoms of sore throat effortlessly is restricting your sugar consumption. Enjoying a lot of sweets or drinking sugary drinks can hamper your immune system cells that combat bacteria. The adverse effect of sugar lasts for a few hours after you have a sugary beverage. So, limit your intake of sugar, and avoid processed sugar. Prefer eating berries, apples, carrots, onions, citrus fruits, kale, and spinach.

4. Go for Honey:

Honey is a natural sweetener that is also known for its medicinal effects. The anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant effects of honey soothe sore throat. It helps combat infection and offers you relief from pain.  So, it is a natural throat infection remedy that you can count on. Honey is more effective if providing you relief when you combine it with warm water and apple cider vinegar. On top of that, having honey mixed in a glass of warm water with a freshly squeezed half lemon helps accelerate metabolism and improves your body’s capacity to burn fat. Thus, it can also be an ideal ingredient of the weight loss diet chart for males and females.

5. Sip Warm Liquids:

Drinking warm liquids can soothe your throat and relieve throat tightness resulting due to an infection. So, have warm teas, such as lemon honey tea, cinnamon tea, and ginger Tulsi tea. These herbal teas serve as an easy throat infection treatment at home.

6. Relish Yoghurt:

Yoghurt is very soft, cool, and easy to swallow which makes it an ideal food for a sore throat. Rich in probiotics, healthy fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, yoghurt is one of the best immune system boosters. It comforts your irritated or sore throat. Being rich in various nutrients, it helps in promoting your recovery from a throat infection. Besides this, eating yoghurt increases your fat-burning ability, boosts your metabolism, and promotes weight loss. So, it also fits as an ideal ingredient in your weight loss diet plan.

7. Stay Away from Stimulants:

Avoiding stimulants can help improve your immunity and protect you from a throat infection. So, refrain from having energy drinks, nicotine, and excess caffeinated sodas. Also, quit smoking as it hampers your immune system and suppresses the antibodies that you need to combat infections. It is also wise to limit or curb your intake of alcohol, as it can cause weight gain and affect your immunity. Alcohol consumption can also dehydrate your body and develop a favourable environment for harmful viruses. So, stay away from it.

8. Drink a Lot of Water:

Drinking an adequate quantity of water daily helps in maintaining mucus in your respiratory tract thin and flushing toxins out of your body. If you develop a cold or sore throat, mucus plays an active role in defending your body against the bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections. So, an easy yet effective throat infection tip for relief is staying hydrated.

9. Eat Mashed Potatoes:

Eating soft foods, such as mashed potatoes, is a healthy practice when battling a sore throat. Mashed potatoes are ideal to relish as they are soft and easy to swallow. Besides this, their skin contains vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants. Unpeeled potatoes also provide you with calcium, vitamin B6, iron, and folate. So, they also serve as one of the best foods to the boost immune system when you are down with a sore throat. Steam unpeeled potatoes, let them cool off, and savour them to mitigate throat irritation naturally.

10. Practice Good Hygiene:

Throat infections can result due to bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These harmful microbes are present everywhere in the environment, including the fluids you drink, the food you eat, and the air you breathe. Good hygiene practices help prevent you from catching an infection. So, make it a habit to wash your hands using a good soap or handwash for a minimum of 20 seconds before you eat anything. Also, after visiting the toilet, you should thoroughly wash your hands. Cover your mouth with a tissue or handkerchief while you sneeze or cough. These simple throat infection tips can keep you safe and prevent the risk of developing a sore throat.

11. Count on Coconut Oil:

Another natural medicine for sore throat is coconut oil. It helps alleviate inflammation and combats infection with its anti-inflammatory effects. Coconut oil aids in lubricating the mucous membranes in your throat, thereby offering a soothing effect. As a part of viral infection treatment, you may put a spoonful of coconut oil in your mouth, let it melt and coat the throat; or, you may add a spoonful of coconut oil to your soup or hot tea.

12. Gargle Salt Water:

Another simple throat infection treatment at home is gargling with saltwater. It helps combat the infection in your throat, increases the blood supply to the pharyngeal region, and relieves throat tightness. All you need to do is add a pinch of salt to a glass full of lukewarm water, mix it well, and gargle. Do this when you feel a little scratching in your throat to keep off the aggravation of a throat infection.

13. Opt for Cinnamon Tea and Cinnamon Almond Milk:

Cinnamon is a delicious, aromatic spice, which is high in antioxidants. The aromatic condiment is also known for its antibacterial benefits. Traditionally, cinnamon is used as a natural solution for flu, cold, and sore throats. Its high antioxidant content helps you combat infection and inflammation. So, it’s one of the effective sore throat home remedies. Besides this, cinnamon is known for its metabolism-enhancing qualities that help you in shedding those extra kilos. So, you can also add this easily available condiment to your diet plan for weight loss.

You can drink cinnamon tea or add cinnamon to your black or herbal tea. Besides this, you can also prepare and drink cinnamon almond milk, as it is an effective sore throat treatment. All you need to do is place a half tsp of ground cinnamon and 1/8 tsp of baking soda in a saucepan and mix them. Add a cup of almond milk to it and mix them till they are well combined. Later, heat the mixture till it begins to simmer, and, after removing it from the heat, stir in a tbsp of honey. Drinking cinnamon tea or cinnamon almond milk can help alleviate your symptoms of throat infection, such as throat pain and soreness, and soothes your throat.

14. Have Enough Sound Sleep:

Sleep deprivation or poor quality of sleep impacts your immune system negatively. Proteins called cytokines are released while you are asleep, and they play a vital role in fighting off infections. So, have seven to eight hours of continuous sleep at night daily to have good immunity, which can help beat throat infections, and prevent you from developing a sore throat.

15. Include Eggs in Breakfast:

Another nutritious food to count on when dealing with a sore throat is eggs. Minerals, such as selenium, zinc, and iron, and vitamins, such as vitamin B12 and vitamin D, in eggs, help you combat throat infection. So, eggs are one of the effective throat infection medicine foods to opt for healing your throat. Go for scrambled eggs as they are easier to savour.

16. Regular Exercise:

Practising gentle exercises regularly helps boost your immunity. Exercises increase the flow of blood throughout your body. Blood comprises white blood cells which are a prominent part of your immunity and the first line of defence of your body. An increased flow of blood throughout your body helps combat foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, that are responsible for a sore throat. So, engage in some mild to moderate exercises, such as a brisk walk, aerobic exercises, and yoga, daily.

17. Soak Up Some Sun:

Staying indoors in heated buildings for a prolonged period makes you breathe in the recirculated air, which is responsible for the spread of viruses. This may make you suffer from a sore throat. So, take some time to go out in the sun. Spending some time outdoors in the morning exposes you to healthy sunlight, which helps replenish your store of a crucial nutrient – Vitamin D. Soaking up fresh sunlight is one of the helpful throat infection tips that helps improve your immunity to keep off various respiratory infections.

18. Enjoy Peppermint Tea:

Another effective throat infection home remedies include peppermint tea. It has anti-inflammatory compounds in abundance. Drinking this pleasant tea soothes your throat. Moreover, peppermint tea does not contain caffeine and is naturally sweet without any additional sweetener. So, adding it to your diet chart for weight loss can help you achieve your fitness goals while healing your sore throat. Simply steep fresh peppermint leaves in boiling water for three to five minutes, strain off the mint leaves and sip the soothing tea.

What to Avoid to Keep Throat Infections at Bay

In addition to the above 10 helpful tips, you should refrain from certain things to prevent the risk of developing a sore throat. Here are some simple tips that help you avoid a throat infection.

1. Stay Away from Fried, Oily Foods and Processed Foods:

The intake of processed foods and liquids and oily, fried foods can harm your throat. You may end up experiencing irritation in the throat. Also, processed and fried foods are not healthy. They may dehydrate and dry up your throat. So, avoid processed items, fried foods, and cold drinks to prevent the symptoms of a sore throat.

2. Avoid Directed Contact with an Infected Person:

Several viral and bacterial infections are contagious. If you avoid coming in direct contact with an infected person, you can keep off the throat infection. Refrain from going out in crowded places. You may also use a handkerchief to cover your mouth.

3. Keep Potential Allergens Away:

Exposure to allergens, such as sprays, chemicals, air fresheners, and smoke, may irritate your throat lining. This may make you vulnerable to bacterial or viral infection. So, stay away from all potential environmental allergens.

If you are looking for natural ways to prevent the risk of developing a sore throat, follow all these preventive measures and dietary tips. Seeking the assistance of certified nutritionists, such as health experts at Health Total, can help you make appropriate dietary modifications that can not only prevent or treat a throat infection but also boost your immunity. You can have a customised diet plan to improve your respiratory health, manage weight, and prevent falling prey to infections. So, think no further, get in touch with us online or over a call on at   1-800-833-171-709 and enjoy good respiratory health with our personalized throat infection treatment at home.