Many people benefit by cutting out dairy produce.
I found I have an intolerance to potatoes, which choke me up more. The trick is to have a good strategy for expelling the phlegm. There are good breathing exercises, and some good respiratory devices which can help.
Exercises to keep the diaphragm strong, and the rib cage flexible are definitely a must.... ☺ 🍀

The use of azithromycin three times a week to reduce exacerbations is a clinically proven method of helping people stay out of the hospital. That and daliresp, which does much the same thing in a different way, are considered best practice for some patients. They both work by reducing the inflammation which produces the phlegm the earlier poster complained of. I was simply making a suggestion of something he could discuss with his doc. It may be that he's not a good candidate for this treatment, but he'll never know unless he asks. Thus far, the research among people who've taken azithromycin over 10 years demonstrates that most people do not develop any resistance to the med nor does it cause difficult to deal with side effects. The research is available.

Hello Richard Schellhase
My doc at one time had me taking 1200 mg of mucinex in the morning and the same in the evening. I had a stent in my bronchial tubes and mucus would gather there, making it very hard to breathe. The mucinex really helped. The stent has been removed and I no longer need the mucinex.

my point was if it takes time to get rid of phlegm then it may be worth the time to get rid of it rather than have it thicken and puddle. When it puddles it becomes a breeding ground. Drinking more fluids may help keep the phlegm liquid and easier to get rid of and steam can help also. Predisnone works to shut down the immune system and make one more susceptible to infection.
It also interesting to note if I sleep on my left side I have less phlegm in the morning.
I am not an advocate of getting on the steroid and antibiotic merry go round. I do get phlegm in my throat and deal with it daily but I have't had an infection in my lungs or throat for over 8 months. I try to keep the phlegm loose so I can get rid of it rather than running for a prescription to turn off my immune system and also do not risk using antibiotics that my contribute to a mutation of a bacteria that learns how to be resistant to a specific antibiotic.
Sometimes if phlegm is stuck in my throat my son has patted me on my back to help loosen it.
I've also patted myself on the chest to loosen it.
Slept on left side.
Drank more liquids.
I've used menthol cough drops.
jumped up and down a few times
I taken fast deep breathes to loose it and get it out
used steam to loosen it
I don't run for steroids and antibiotics just because there is phlegm.

azithromycin is an antibiotic isn't it and used to treat infection caused by some bacterias?
People cough up phlegm whether they have COPD or don't have it. Coughing it up is the bodies attempt to get rid of things like dust, irritants etc. You don't run to a doctor asking for an antibiotic because you have excessive phlegm being produced in damaged lungs. It's when the phlegm builds up and it can't be gotten rid of is when an infection can happen. When there is a build up of phlegm it can become a breeding ground for bacteria and result in an infection. An infection can develop and result in an inflammation which is an infection.
If you run to a doctor to get an antibiotic you're treating a bacterial infection and you are doing nothing to deal with the quantity of phlegm unless the quantity of phlegm has been increased by a bacterial infection. You only use an antibiotic if there is a bacterial infection. If by chance the cause of a lung infection is caused by a fungus and if the fungus count is low it may clear itself up.
An antibiotic will not reduce the amount of phlegm if there is no bacterial infection.