Tips to Remember
Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs that inflames and narrows the airways in the lungs and leading to difficulty in breathing. Asthma is widely prevalent in all age groups including school going children to geriatrics.  It is therefore important for the asthma patients to take proper care and precautions regularly. Diet is one of the factor and very important in controlling and even correcting certain symptoms. Thus it is very important to have proper diet regulations when dealing with asthma.

Taking Care of Diet in Asthma

• Asthma patients should also concentrate more on eating vegetarian diets rather than non vegetarian ones because of the same reason of avoidance of pressure exertion on the system.
• The asthmatic patient should be encouraged to eat lighter and more frequent meals than heavier and standard meals as it bears down upon the chest, resulting in a feeling of over-fullness and discomfort. Dinner should be light because it may cause discomfort in breathing and may even lead to an attack. They should pay attention to eat slowly chewing their food properly.
• Sour food items like chutneys and pickles should also not be consumed as they may cause coughing and lead to undue pressure on the chest region.
• Asthmatic patient should supplement diet with heavy intake of fluids to facilitate easy digestion. Therefore, they should drink at least eight to ten glass of water daily and should avoid taking water with meals.
• Dietary intake of fruits and vegetables should be enhanced as are the rich array of anti-inflammatory compounds and rich in vitamins and minerals helpful in treating asthma.
  • Vitamin A plays a vital role in curing asthma. Beta-carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A is found abundantly in carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, apricots, broccoli, and spinach.
  • Vitamin B-6 enhances the autoimmune function and formation of hemoglobin. It is amply found in beans, nuts, legumes, eggs, meats, fish, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals.
  • Vitamin C is another highly beneficial ingredient. Apples, apricots, avocadoes, breadfruit, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, kiwifruits, jujubes, melons, cantaloupes, peaches and pears are rich in Vitamin C.
  • Vitamin E is an antioxidant that increases the blood capacity to carry oxygen. It is found in wheat germ, corn, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach, asparagus, and other green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils.
  • Zinc is an immune-enhancer that supports the adrenal glands. It is found in profusion in the following: baked beans, raisin bran, dried, peas, oatmeal and mixed nuts, particularly unsalted, roasted peanuts, almonds and walnuts.
  • Selenium is an antioxidant that protects the immune system from hypersensitivity. Brazil nuts, dried, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, black, dried, walnuts are all selenium rich foods.
• Dried fruits, like prunes, oranges or berries or a few black raisins with honey should be consumed as it leads to improvement in asthma.
• A diet high in sodium may aggravate the immune system and make it more likely that a person will have an asthma attack. Replacing salt in meals with more flavorful spices, such as garlic, rosemary, dill, cumin, and basil may eventually lead to improvements in asthma symptoms as well as more interesting tasting food.
• Tulsi or Holy Basil is one of the most beloved Ayurvedic herbs that helps reduce mucus.
• Some foods can help to control the severity of an attack. One of the best-known foods for doing this is coffee, due to the caffeine.

Thus, for asthmatic patients, the diet regulations have to be followed for life so it is better to induce variety in the diet so as to overcome the general feeling of monotony and boredom.

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