What Foods to Avoid With a Sore Throat
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4 Types of Foods to Avoid With a Sore Throat

Some foods can worsen your sore throat, so here’s what you may consider limiting until you feel better.
4 Types of Foods to Avoid With a Sore Throat
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Updated on September 25, 2025
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We’ve all had a sore throat before, and we all know it’s not the most fun experience. That’s because a sore throat causes that itchy, scratchy, burning sensation that can make it difficult to swallow or even talk. You may have been told it’s a good idea to drink warm fluids or eat some honey to remedy your symptoms, but the food you eat — or don’t eat — can also make a difference. Here are some foods that can aggravate a sore throat, and it’s important to avoid them until your symptoms subside.

Fatty Foods

According to Ilyse Schapiro, a registered dietitian based in Greenwich, Connecticut, fatty foods are harder for your body to digest and can suppress your immune system, which can make it harder for your body to get over a sore throat. Fatty foods tend to be those that are high in saturated fat, which include red meat, baked goods, full-fat dairy products, and deep-fried or fast foods, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Instead of fatty foods, choose lean meats like fish or chicken and low-fat milk and cheese options while you’re healing a sore throat.

Citrus and Acidic Foods

Acidic and citrus foods like tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit, limes, and lemons can also worsen a sore throat, according to Emergency Hospital Systems. That’s because the acids in these foods can further irritate your throat, making symptoms like dryness and coughing worse. If you want to eat fruit while your throat is healing, consider more soothing options like bananas, melons, or peaches.

Spicy Foods

ENT and Allergy Associates explains that a common myth when you’re sick is to eat spicy foods, since people assume doing so can help clear out the sinuses when you have a cold. But when you have a sore throat, eating spicy foods can actually irritate your throat even more, which can trigger coughing, burning, or itchiness. So if you’re a fan of adding spice to your meals, it’s best to hold off until you’re all better.

Coarse and Crunchy Foods

Foods that are rough-textured, such as uncooked vegetables, granola, and dry toast, can scratch and worsen a sore throat. Instead of coarse foods, choose foods that are easy to swallow, soft, and semisolid, such as cheese, broth and cream-based soups, yogurt, eggs, mashed potatoes, ice cream, cooked cereals, smoothies, and casseroles, according to ENT and Allergy Specialists. You can also moisten dry foods with broth or gravy and boil or steam vegetables so that they are softer and easier to swallow.

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Allison Buttarazzi, MD

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Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Allison Buttarazzi, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine, and is a certified health and well-being coach. In her primary care practice, Dr. Buttarazzi focuses on lifestyle medicine to help her patients improve their health and longevity, and her passion is helping patients prevent and reverse chronic diseases (like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes) by improving their lifestyle habits.

She is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine and completed a residency at Maine Medical Center. Diagnosed with celiac disease during medical school, she realized the power of improving one's health through diet and lifestyle habits, which she later incorporated into her practice.

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