Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat to AvoidWhat to EatOther Home RemediesWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What to Avoid
What to Eat
Other Home Remedies
When to Seek Care
Foods and beverages to avoid with a sore throat include crunchy or hard foods, acidic foods and drinks, spicy foods, alcohol, and more.
Viruses, bacteria, allergies, and environmental irritants can cause asore throat, making it difficult to eat.Swallowing foods can aggravate symptoms and make a tender throat feel worse. However, foods and liquids like warm soups and broths, frozen treats, yogurt, smoothies, and tea may offer relief.
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Foods and Drinks to Avoid
Certain foods tend to aggravate sore throat symptoms. These foods are generally the kind that might scratch on the way down, are spicy, acidic, or contain too much dairy.
Foods and Drinks to Choose
Just as there are foods that can aggravate a sore throat, certain foods maysoothe a sore throator, at the very least, be less aggravating. These generally include foods that are soft, warm, or cool.
Other Home Remedies for Sore Throats
There are many ways totreat sore throats at home. Try the following to soothe a sore throat:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
A sore throat usually improves within a few days.However, sometimes, it’s important to see a healthcare provider if you’re unable to drink fluids or your sore throat is:
These symptoms could indicate a bacterial infection, such asstrep throat, which may require antibiotics.
Summary
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sore throat.Mehta LK, Hegde A, Thomas A, Virdi MS.Acidogenic potential of packaged fruit juices and its effect on plaque and salivary pH.Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2019;12(4):312-317. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1644Frosh A, Cruz C, Wellsted D, Stephens J.Effect of a dairy diet on nasopharyngeal mucus secretion.Laryngoscope. 2019;129(1):13-17. doi:10.1002/lary.27287Penn Medicine News.Why do we eat soup when we have a cold?Hadjimbei E, Botsaris G, Chrysostomou S.Beneficial effects of yoghurts and probiotic fermented milks and their functional food potential.Foods. 2022;11(17):2691. doi:10.3390/foods11172691National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Pharyngitis—sore throat.Semwal RB, Semwal DK, Combrinck S, Viljoen AM.Gingerols and shogaols: important nutraceutical principles from ginger.Phytochemistry. 2015;117:554-568. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2015.07.012National Institutes of Health.Soothing a sore throat.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sore throat.Mehta LK, Hegde A, Thomas A, Virdi MS.Acidogenic potential of packaged fruit juices and its effect on plaque and salivary pH.Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2019;12(4):312-317. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1644Frosh A, Cruz C, Wellsted D, Stephens J.Effect of a dairy diet on nasopharyngeal mucus secretion.Laryngoscope. 2019;129(1):13-17. doi:10.1002/lary.27287Penn Medicine News.Why do we eat soup when we have a cold?Hadjimbei E, Botsaris G, Chrysostomou S.Beneficial effects of yoghurts and probiotic fermented milks and their functional food potential.Foods. 2022;11(17):2691. doi:10.3390/foods11172691National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Pharyngitis—sore throat.Semwal RB, Semwal DK, Combrinck S, Viljoen AM.Gingerols and shogaols: important nutraceutical principles from ginger.Phytochemistry. 2015;117:554-568. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2015.07.012National Institutes of Health.Soothing a sore throat.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sore throat.Mehta LK, Hegde A, Thomas A, Virdi MS.Acidogenic potential of packaged fruit juices and its effect on plaque and salivary pH.Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2019;12(4):312-317. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1644Frosh A, Cruz C, Wellsted D, Stephens J.Effect of a dairy diet on nasopharyngeal mucus secretion.Laryngoscope. 2019;129(1):13-17. doi:10.1002/lary.27287Penn Medicine News.Why do we eat soup when we have a cold?Hadjimbei E, Botsaris G, Chrysostomou S.Beneficial effects of yoghurts and probiotic fermented milks and their functional food potential.Foods. 2022;11(17):2691. doi:10.3390/foods11172691National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Pharyngitis—sore throat.Semwal RB, Semwal DK, Combrinck S, Viljoen AM.Gingerols and shogaols: important nutraceutical principles from ginger.Phytochemistry. 2015;117:554-568. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2015.07.012National Institutes of Health.Soothing a sore throat.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sore throat.
Mehta LK, Hegde A, Thomas A, Virdi MS.Acidogenic potential of packaged fruit juices and its effect on plaque and salivary pH.Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2019;12(4):312-317. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1644
Frosh A, Cruz C, Wellsted D, Stephens J.Effect of a dairy diet on nasopharyngeal mucus secretion.Laryngoscope. 2019;129(1):13-17. doi:10.1002/lary.27287
Penn Medicine News.Why do we eat soup when we have a cold?
Hadjimbei E, Botsaris G, Chrysostomou S.Beneficial effects of yoghurts and probiotic fermented milks and their functional food potential.Foods. 2022;11(17):2691. doi:10.3390/foods11172691
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Pharyngitis—sore throat.
Semwal RB, Semwal DK, Combrinck S, Viljoen AM.Gingerols and shogaols: important nutraceutical principles from ginger.Phytochemistry. 2015;117:554-568. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2015.07.012
National Institutes of Health.Soothing a sore throat.
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