Foods to Avoid and Foods to Eat As An Asthma Patient

Asthma is a respiratory health condition that leaves you with so many changes to your lifestyle and even diets. Asthma dictates to you where you should be and where you should not. It tells you what to eat and what not to and compels you to do a thing and not do others. Failure to comply will land you in severe asthma episodes that will humble you and teach you to comply by its rules.

Although research has shown that none of these lifestyle and diet changes can completely cure asthma, they can help manage symptoms and reduce the rate at which you experience asthma episodes. Eating foods rich in healthy vegetables and diets will not only help nourish your whole body but will also improve your symptoms and make you feel relief.

On the other hand, asthma patients who consume more processed foods than organic and natural foods experience more asthma attacks than those who consume 100% natural foods. Studies have shown that no food nutrient can single-handedly improve asthma symptoms. Rather, all the nutrients work hand in hand to improve the symptoms. Thus, it is best to normalize following a diet rich in all nutrients instead of singling out some for asthma improvement.

In addition, since obesity affects asthma, you may also need to fine-tune your diet to fit into a weight loss one to help you manage your weight and also manage your asthma symptoms. So, as much as you are preventing asthma, you are also managing your obesity if you are suffering from both health conditions.

Facts About Asthma Diet

If you are looking for things that can help beat down your asthma symptoms, start by adding vitamin C and E-rich foods to your diet. Apples, oranges, and green leafy vegetables have been discovered to be rich in these nutrients and, thus, effective for asthma improvement.

This article is packed with foods that can improve and those that can worsen your symptoms if you have asthma. Avoiding those that need to be avoided is important, as it could prevent you from experiencing asthma attacks. Also, consuming recommended asthma foods may not cure your asthma but will manage it such that you will experience lesser asthma attacks than you used to.

Asthma Diet 101

Bananas

Bananas are packed with antioxidants that may help improve asthma symptoms. According to a survey, children with asthma who consumed more bananas experienced lesser wheezing than children who did not consume as many bananas. Coupled with the antioxidant contents in bananas, the potassium content in bananas has also been discovered to help improve asthma symptoms.

Now that you know this, you should be thinking of how to stock up your house with enough bananas to improve your asthma. In addition, as much as they help improve your symptoms, they can also add other enriching health benefits to other parts of your body.

Eat to Manage Your Weight

Obesity has been linked to one of the factors that worsen asthma. Thus, if you are obese and you also want to improve your asthma experience, you should be thinking of how to adapt or follow a healthy weight loss diet to help you manage your weight. Weight management is an essential part of asthma improvement.

According to experts, losing little weight can have so many positive impacts on your asthma. Asides from following a weight loss diet, also try engaging in mild physical exercises that can help you shed more weight and maintain a healthy weight for a long time. This will not only help reduce your weight but will also help improve your asthma symptoms.

Eat Enough Vegetables

Cruciferous and green leafy vegetables are healthy and can help improve your condition. This is because they are packed with healthy nutrients that can beat down asthma attacks. Some of these nutrients include magnesium, potassium, vitamins C and E, among others.

Even though research is still ongoing as to how else vegetables can help improve asthma symptoms. Until research has confirmed more reasons why you should eat vegetables for your asthma, continue eating them with other healthy fruits and foods that can help improve your condition.

Whole-grain Foods

Adding whole-grain foods to your diet also plays an important role in the improvement of your asthma symptoms. Studies have shown that people living with asthma who consume 100% whole grain meals experience fewer cases of asthma attacks compared to those whose meals contain a lesser amount of whole grains.

The following are whole-grain foods; buckwheat, whole oats, bulgur wheat, whole-wheat pasta. These foods, when included in your diet, on the one hand, can help manage and improve your symptoms and also supply your body with enough fiber content to help you lose weight and also improve the movement of your bowel.

Ginger

Ginger, according to research, may also help quell asthma symptoms. This is because ginger is packed with some compounds that are effective at clearing the airways and improving the lungs’ health. Nutrition experts have suggested that ginger roots should be added to stews, sauces, and stir fry vegetables that can be used to eat rice.

According to them, not only will you get asthma benefiting nutrients from the ginger, but you will also get enough fiber from the rice. Now that you know this, why not make rice and ginger-rich sauce or stew your favorite food as an asthma patient?

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Sources of omega 3 fatty acids like flaxseeds, tuna, salmon, and sardines are packed with numerous health-benefiting properties. Although more examinations need to be carried out to confirm their effectiveness in the improvement of asthma, until then, it is best to consume them to enjoy their other health benefits. Omega 3 fatty acids are present in both animal and plant food sources. However, only a few plant sources have omega 3 fatty acids content.

Foods Rich in Vitamins and Magnesium

Vitamins and magnesium work hand in hand in boosting health. As regards asthma, magnesium and vitamins are effective in the management of this health condition. When foods that are rich in these nutrients are added to your diet, you may begin to detect an advancement in your asthma symptoms, ranging from reduced wheezing to reduced asthma attacks. Some of the food sources of these nutrients include fruits like watermelon, citrus, bananas, among others.

Foods to Avoid

While following diets containing foods that can help you manage your asthma symptoms, it is best to also know which ones to avoid, as they can trigger asthma attacks. Some of these foods include;

• Omega 6 fatty acids foods; are unhealthy for you if you have asthma. As much as omega 6 fatty acids are healthy and add healthy benefiting properties to the body, you should avoid it if you have asthma.
• Transfat is an unhealthy kind of fat and should be avoided, be it that you have asthma or not. Asides from exposing you to severe health conditions associated with high cholesterol levels, they can also worsen your asthma.
• Processed foods are packed with lots of additives and preservatives that are not only unhealthy for your general health but also your lungs if you have asthma.
• High-calorie diets can expose you to obesity, which is a condition that worsens asthma. Thus, as much as attainable, try to avoid foods that have high-calorie contents, as they can make you gain disproportionate weight and make you experience more asthma attacks than normal.
• Spicy foods, flavored drinks, fast foods, coffee, and teas have one common compound known as salicylate, a compound that is known to trigger asthma attacks in people who already have asthma.

Thus, if you have asthma, it is best to avoid these foods or any other foods that contain the salicylate compound. This is because most asthma patients are sensitive to these foods. Rather than trying them out to see if you are sensitive to them too as an asthma patient, it is best to avoid them completely to avoid asthma attacks.

Conclusion

As much as you try to avoid simple environmental factors that can trigger asthma attacks, try to avoid some foods that have the same effect on you. Also, add nutrient-rich and natural foods to your diets to help improve your condition and manage your asthma. However, when the attacks increase, you should see a doctor for medications that can further improve your symptoms.