DHAKA: A sore throat is no doubt painful and annoying because it interferes with your ability to eat or swallow. While you may seek relief with medications, here are some food items that you can have to soothe your itchy throat, reports the health site.com.

1. Soup: Nothing can taste better than hot soup when you’re down with a cold. It’s like the staple food for sore throat that not only activates taste buds, but is also extremely comforting. Moreover, it helps hasten your recovery by spreading warmth, relieving congestion, stimulating mucus production and clearing the nasal passage. You can make your soup highly nutritious by adding different vegetables and other healthy ingredients to it.

2. Garlic: With powerful, antibacterial activity, garlic can provide immediate relief from strep throat or any throat infection. You can either chew a few cloves of raw garlic or simply add it to your soup to make it healthy. Alternatively, you can use garlic in various dishes you cook.

3. Banana: Bananas have gained a negative reputation in Indian homes when it comes to cold and cough. Many Indians avoid eating bananas based on the assumption that they can trigger a common cold or make the cough worse. The fact is, banana is rich in vitamin C that is thought to prevent cold by boosting immunity. It is also rich in vitamin B6 and minerals like potassium and calcium. Being soft in nature, it is quite easy to swallow when you have a sore throat, so it’s definitely a good option when you’re sick.

4. Honey: When mixed with warm water and lemon juice, honey can effectively relieve a sore throat and help facilitate a faster recovery from a viral infection. It moistens the throat lining and has amazing antibacterial properties that fight infection. Being sticky in nature, it covers the throat and soothes the cough by getting rid of possible allergens that may be aggravating the problem.

5. Yoghurt or dahi: Yoghurt does not directly help in relieving a sore throat. It’s soft and easy to gulp if you’re suffering from a painful throat. It is full of natural, useful bacteria that help in the digestion of food, improving your appetite when you’re sick. To maximize the benefits for sore throat relief you can even add honey or fresh fruits to it. Just make sure that you don’t have it chilled though, as this could severely aggravate your already inflamed throat.

BDST: 1830 HRS, NOV 11, 2014