Well, I also sing…the best things you can do:

–Use it!!
Like someone said above…"the throat is a muscle"…and it is. How do you strengthen muscles? You work them out. You want to be sure not to strain muscles so you don't lift more than you can, etc, so as not to strain or tear the muscle. With singing, you want to gradually build your voice up. You do warmups and try to breath and use your diaphragm and try to smooth your voice out. When singing, open up your entire body, breath into your feet, and try to bring out your tone through the mask of your face. Don't strain, train. If you cannot hit a note, or if your voice cracks…do not force it. Gently warm your voice up and smooth it out. Gently push it, but do not force it. In time, like learning to do splits, you will develop a smoother richer tone, with more flexibility and more range. Keep at it! 🙂

Here we are with the food/drink debate again. Here's the truth on tea.

Hot tea is not the devil, neither is caffiene. However TOO MUCH caffiene will dry you out. In other words, drink tea in moderation, and some teas are better than others. If your throat is sore, throat coat tea is the best. Mix it with honey and it is the best coating for the throat. This is the tea many singers use especially if they are ill. You can find it in the herbal section of the store.

Also green tea is good for you and has less caffiene. I can't drink green tea that often because it bothers my tummy, but some singers swear by it. Honey is a good addition to it as well.

Will tea train your voice? No. It will however get you through the bumps and humps during vocalization if you are having problems. The warmth of the tea and loosen phlegm on your vocal folds.

I would suggest water to be your best friend. A HYDRATED singer is a safe singer. Drink it the way you like. If its right before a performance, get room temperature water.

Be careful with the milk advice. Some singers develop more phlegm with fatty milk. Some don't just depend on the singer. I always say low fat milk products are ok, but it definitely will NOT help you sing better. Some singers have to resist milk all together, but don't play russian roulette. See what works for you, not just what works for one individual. I never saw milk as a great advocate vocally the way warm tea with honey is when you are in a vocal bind.

Stick with water, find a professionally trained singer to help you train, and just sing. There's no quick fix food advice that will help you sing better. It is the technique and your health that will help you in the long run. Since well in your talent quest, and forget about that enemy. You are more important and so is your craft. Always think about it that way.

Yeah, find a voice teacher in your area. They'll be able to listen to your voice and help you sound better. Keep in mind, it won't be an instantaneous change, but over time, you will learn to develop your voice.