8 Foods You Need to Avoid When You’ve a Sore Throat

Seasonal cold and flu comes with several infections including cold effects, fever, cough, sore throat which takes almost a week to recover for both adults and children. There are medications that usually we get prescribed to alleviate the cold effects and vital infections. But sore throat is a very irritating cold effect, although it’s quite common in flu and viral seasons. Sore throat not only gives you the pain and itching effect in your throat but also you get bronchitis, which is the mucus and infection getting accumulated in the main airway of the lungs which is bronchi.

Sore throat infection sometimes leads to tonsilitis which is a prolonged infection of throat when treated at the right time. As whatever we eat gets in through our throat, it becomes painful while dealing with tonsilitis and sore throat. You may experience ache while gulping food, water or even saliva. Thus, apart from medications, you can treat and alleviate the symptoms and effects of soar throat by having specific foods and water such as whatever you eat, it should be warm, warm milk, warm water, honey, ginger, herbal tea, herbal concoction etc. Plus, there are some foods that you also need to avoid to soothe your sore throat and reduce the pain and effects of it.

Let’s have a brief look on the foods that you need to avoid when you’ve a sore throat:

1. Citric food

Many people prefer orange juice when they have a cold or flu symptoms as citric foods are a good source of vitamin C. But doctors say, citrus juices can worsen sore throats due to their acidic nature. This means acidic nature of citric foods can irritate the affected tender surface of the throat.

2. Cold or chilled foods

It is obvious that sore throat and tonsils are cold symptoms which is why you get soothing effect for your throat when you consume something warm or hot. Thus, having any kind of cold or chilled food or even cold water can worsen your sore throat.

3. Fatty foods

Fatty foods such as meat, full dairy products, baked food, cakes and cream, are harder for your digestive system that can suppress your immune system, causing worse cold symptoms such as a sore throat, according to according to dietitian Ilyse Schapiro. 

4. Yogurt

Yogurt or curd is known for its cold effect, plus some dairy products cause irritation in the throat and cause the formation of mucus as well which is one of the foods that you need to avoid when you’ve a sore throat. And during cold and cough, accumulation of phlegm happens in the chest and yogurt can worsen the cough or sore throat by thickening the phlegm.

5. Spicy foods

Food that contains hot sauce or chillies, or chilli powder, pepper or curry powder can worsen a sore throat or tonsilitis by affecting the inflammation even worse. This is because spices trigger the salivary glands and cause high amounts of mucus to be created in the throat.

6. Coarse foods

When you have sore throat or tonsilitis it is obvious you have tender throat which causes pain even by gulping saliva or water. Thus, having coarse food such as crunchy hard textured foods, dry toasts, cereals, anything that is dry and needs a chew should be avoided when you’ve a sore throat.

7. Fried foods

Deep-fried foods often have breading that is dry and rough, which can further irritate your throat. Instead of full-fat foods, choose lean meats like turkey, fish and chicken. Eat low-fat dairy products, and choose foods that are moist and soft such as soup or applesauce. You can even puree or grind your food if you have trouble swallowing or chewing it

8. Packaged foods

Packaged foods are usually loaded with preservatives and added chemical preservatives which can cause irritation for your sore throat, plus, they seek huge work by your digestive system which can affect your immunity negatively, thus, are one of the foods that you need to avoid when you’ve a sore throat.