- You're passionate about your singing!
You practice diligently,
you always prepare your voice
with a well-disciplined warm-up,
and you pace your vocals with good periods of rest.
But have you taken a moment to consider your diet?
How does your diet affect your voice?
We better find out.
- [Announcer] Sound check.
Check one, check two.
(mellow music)
G'day everyone.
Welcome to another Voice Essentials video.
My name is Dr Dan, and I'm an Australian based
singing voice specialist.
It's my lofty aim in life to help you realize
the full potential of your singing voice.
So, if you want to get the most out of your vocals,
then take a moment to subscribe to the channel.
As vocal athletes, we need to consider
every aspect of our existence and how our everyday habits
might be impacting the condition of our voice.
Our emotional state, the amount of sleep we do or don't get,
and the physical health of our body
all contribute to the
capacity and capability of our instrument.
The voice.
So, it stands to reason that our diet would have a
significant effect on how our voice behaves.
Garbage in, garbage out, right!
And the opposite is also true.
Goodness in, goodness out.
So, today we're going to look at those foods and fluids
that singers need to consider
limiting or avoiding altogether,
as well as some of the foods and fluids
that are beneficial to the instrument as a whole.
(wooshing)
Before proceeding, it's important for me to state
that I am not a nutritionist, nor am I a medical doctor,
so the advice I am about to offer, while well researched,
is general in nature and should be applied
to your specific person as such, general.
As always, your particular health concerns should always
be directed to your family physician.
With that all being said, let's firstly tackle the big one.
Dairy.
Singer's often ask me,
is it safe to drink milk before singing.
Well, there is little to no research evidence to suggest
that dairy products have a negative impact on the voice.
This being said, I know that personally,
a milk-based product like a smoothie or flavoured milkshake
will leave me with a sensation
of thickness through the throat,
so I join with Leda Scearce in advising,
What is certainly not advisable,
is to cut dairy out of your diet altogether.
The US Department of Agriculture recommends that
Personally, I get a good portion of my dairy intake
from my two-double shot flat white coffees every day.
But Dr Dan, isn't caffeine a big no-no?
Well yes, and no.
You see caffeine used to be on the list
as highly dehydrating.
Now, again due to recent research,
coffee lovers across the globe can rejoice because,
But before you go on a caffeine bender,
there is a caution that comes from our new-found freedom.
Caffeinated drinks such as coffee are highly acidic,
so they can heighten the risk and severity of reflux.
I've got another video dedicated to the discussion
of reflux and its impact on the voice,
which I'll leave a link to below, but suffice to say,
reflux, if left unmanaged can lead
to significant issues for the singer.
So that brings me to the word moderation.
(wooshing)
Much of what we have discussed thus far
and are yet to cover,
is governed by the age-old wisdom of moderation.
(wooshing)
Not too little and not too much.
Take for example the consumption of alcohol.
It's not for me to tell you to give up the booze.
But I do need to encourage you towards moderation.
Alcohol is the double whammy.
It is both highly acidic and classed as a diuretic.
And it's for both of these reasons that
I always advise singers to avoid alcohol consumption
twenty-four hours before any performance.
And Christina Shewell, in her book Voice Work,
heightens my instruction writing,
It may have become apparent to you by now that
one of our aims as singers is to keep the body hydrated.
I've said it many times on this channel.
Drink 6-8 glasses of water every day,
sipping your H2O quota over your waking hours.
Now, water not only helps to lubricate the vocal folds
and replenish the mucosal lining of the vocal tract
through the bloodstram.
It also helps to transport your
body's much-needed nutrients through the bloodstream.
And this brings us to the question of,
so what should I be eating to
get the most out of my voice?
Well, Nasser and Dardarian write that
You see, we all have diverse dietary needs
because our energy output levels,
combined with our individual metabolic rates, are different.
A person with a sedentary desk job that requires virtually
no movement during work hours, for example,
will need a vastly different daily nutrient menu
to someone working a trade
where physical movement is an ever constant.
So, in short, the application of our aforementioned
rule of moderation needs to be applied
to your personal circumstance.
(wooshing)
In general, we all need a combination
of carbohydrates, fats and protein.
These macronutrients, when balanced correctly
contribute to a healthy body.
Now before we close, I just want to draw your attention
to this fantastic list of Performance Day Meal Planning.
Adapted from the US Department of Agriculture
MyPlate Daily Checklist, Nasser and Dardarian
have put together a fabulous
meal guide for optimal performance output.
Notice how the meal plan doesn't
overindulge in any one food group.
I'll be keen to hear how you go
when applying this meal plan to
your next pre-performance disciplines.
Nasser and Dardarian qualify the performance meal plan
stating that,
They go on to instruct that any meal, main meal
consumed before a performance should be ingested
three to four hours before singing,
to allow time for the stomach to empty its contents
into the small intestines.
I hope that is all helpful as you seek to improve your diet
for the betterment of your voice.
As we close, I keenly invite your feedback about
today's topic in the comments section below,
but given the nature of the subject,
I would ask that all comments
refrain from offering dietary advice.
Any comments that I deem to be unhelpful will be deleted.
This is a tricky subject for many singers,
and I don't want to muddy the waters
with wacky conspiracy theories.
So please comment but do so wisely.
I look forward to seeing you all again
in the next Voice Essentials video. I'm Dr Dan, sing well.