Living with COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not easy. To continuously keep coughing or be breathless can be tiring and crippling. However, there are some dietary changes you could make to manage symptoms better and improve the functioning of the lung. Managing one’s weight is important for people suffering from COPD. It is essential for COPD patients, and a nutritious diet pattern is the first step in that direction. Here are eight diet tips for COPD.
Aim for balanced nutrition
Plan ahead and put in the effort to shop for and consume a variety of foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, dairy, and whole grains. COPD patients need more energy to breathe normally because an additional effort is required to bypass obstructed air passages.
Hydrating with clean drinking water keeps a person’s mucus thin and quicker to cough out of one’s system. It makes breathing easier. People with COPD are advised to drink between eight and twelve glasses of water every day. Those on oxygen therapy (as a treatment for COPD) can feel dryness in the nasal passage. Drinking enough water can help reduce this parchedness.
Get down to eating fresh foods frequently
Eat freshly prepared foods at frequent intervals. This way, one ditches processed foods and a feeling of heaviness that usually accompanies these foods. Also, eating a smaller portion of meals more often helps the body digest the food efficiently without straining one’s organs. Eating fresh foods spread through five or six times a day provides consistent energy throughout the day, and keeps one emotionally balanced.
Keep a watch on calorie intake
While losing weight is crucial if one is obese, they should ensure that the weight does not fall below the ideal number. Feeling tired and fatigued will worsen COPD symptoms. It might happen if a person is underweight and has a weak immune system. It can also make a person more prone to infections.
Consider having a protein, starch, and fiber-rich diet
Starting one’s day with wholesome breakfast like whole-grain bread, a bowl of oatmeal, fresh fruits like strawberries or blueberries, and a glass of milk are the most ideal if one has COPD. The fiber, calcium, protein, and vitamin D give an energy boost. Also, fiber-rich foods like lentils, vegetable soups, brown rice, and legumes, when had for lunch, provide the required nutrients essential for the entire day. They keep you feeling full without adding unnecessary calories. Besides these, protein is necessary for building muscle strength, producing antibodies to fight against infections, and for the body to heal by itself.
Include foods rich in potassium in the diet
COPD medications might be diuretics wherein one loses a lot of potassium. Hence, eating more foods containing potassium like apricots, bananas, cooked spinach, cucumbers, cantaloupes, dates, mushrooms, prunes, raisins, oranges, peas, and sweet potatoes is necessary.
Scale down on salt
If one has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, reducing salt intake would make sense. Sodium increases fluid retention and affects breathing. Because water retention increases swelling, it worsens already existing symptoms. One should not reach for chemical salt substitutes. Instead, use herbs and spices to seasons and add flavor to foods.
Wind down on gas-inducing foods
Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli, beans, aerated drinks, spicy and fried food, all of these produce excessive gas in the body. Too much gas obstructs normal breathing and makes it a strain. When one is suffering from COPD, it is best to identify the foods that cause gas and reduce the intake of such items.