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What Is Best to Eat and Drink When You've Had Your Tonsils Out?

Your tonsils are lumps of lymphoid tissue that are found on the sides of the mouth roof toward the back of the tongue. Tonsils can get too large or become infected; this causes breathing problems and sore throats, which often requires their surgical removal. Many patients have this done as children, when tonsil infections are common. Although the surgery is minor, you need to be careful what you eat until your throat heals.

  1. Common Post-Operative Symptoms

    • You can expect to be under anaesthetic for between 20 and 60 minutes. After waking up, you may be disoriented or irritable. Sleepiness also is common if a sedative was used. Nausea and vomiting may affect your ability to eat and drink immediately after surgery, but this should be gone within a day. You can expect significant throat pain for 5 to 12 days afterthe surgery, which may affect your ability and desire to eat. This effect is worse for adults than children.

    Foods to Seek Out

    • Soft and liquid foods will feel best, especially right after the surgery. From a health perspective, the temperature of the food doesn't matter, and dairy is acceptable. That said, cold foods are pleasantly soothing on the throat and are something of a treat. Pleasant options include ice cream, "slushees," popsicles and sports drinks. These won't provide full nutrition, so foods such as soup or meal-replacement milkshakes are a good idea. More solid foods are usually fine, though anything sharp or brittle should be avoided until your throat has healed.

    Foods to Avoid

    • Don't eat anything particularly acidic or based on citrus fruit. These will cause pain as the acid hits your healing tonsils. Similarly, pretzels, chips or anything else crispy will scratch your sensitive throat and should be avoided while healing.

    Additional Tips

    • Chewing gum is a good idea as it will increase your mouth's saliva production. This will alleviate some discomfort and may actually help you heal faster. Similarly, drinking adequate amounts of of fluids will aid in your recovery. Although dairy products aren't by definition a problem, they can cause mucus buildup in some people. Don't eat or drink too much milk if you feel it will make you need to clear your throat regularly.

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