Are Certain Foods Good for Your Sinuses?

If you are what you eat — and if you are prone to sinus infections — then you might want to do a quick check of the grocery list. Not all foods are created equal when it comes to recuperating from a nasty sinus attack. When the body’s fighting off a sinus infection, these foods may help offer a boost. Discover the best foods for sinus health.

Soup

It might sound cliché, but warm bowls of chicken soup and other non-spicy soups can help clear nasal clogs. When warm soup hits the back of your throat, it also can help loosen mucus buildup. Just don’t go for the three-alarm chili: spicy foods that can trigger heart burn can actually stunt the healing process.

Citrus fruits

Foods with lots of Vitamin C have been shown to help clear congestion. Bring on the oranges (in fruit or juice form!), tangerines and grapefruit.

Pineapple

This tropical treat contains a mixture of enzymes called bromelain, which can help reduce nasal inflammation, according to research.

Ginger

Soothing for the stomach. Soothing when you have stubborn congestion. Adding ginger to foods or tea can help clear out mucus in the nasal passages. Ginger also has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This can prevent cell damage and help ward off chronic disease, such a chronic sinus infections.

Garlic

Sinus infections can cause bad breath, and garlic won’t be kind on that front. But it does contain a compound (and a natural antibiotic) known as allicin, which might help fend off sinus and respiratory ailments.

It helps to eat the best foods for sinus health when you’re facing a sinus infection, but it’s also important to talk with your doctor. If sinus infections aren’t treated properly — and early on — they can grow into other, bigger problems.

We’re here if you need to talk. Until then, bon appétit!