Dietary management of Asthma patients

3-E Formula for Managing Asthma

When dealing with asthma, it’s important to follow the 3-E formula: Educate, Environment, and Exercise.

1. Educate: Understanding asthma triggers, medications, and management techniques is crucial. Educating yourself about the condition can help you take control of your symptoms and lead a healthier life.

2. Environment: Creating a comfortable and asthma-friendly environment is key. This includes minimizing exposure to allergens, such as dust mites, mold, and pet dander, and maintaining good indoor air quality.

3. Exercise: Regular physical activity is beneficial for individuals with asthma. Engaging in exercise can help improve lung function and overall well-being. It’s important to find suitable activities and monitor asthma symptoms during exercise.

By following the 3-E formula, individuals can better manage their asthma and lead a fulfilling life.

Herein we will talk more about the dietary management of asthma. But before we do that, let’s begin a bit ahead.

The human body is built primarily around the food we eat. Most of the developing and underdeveloped nations can work around food alone as not every such country is blessed with proper healthcare facilities.

But, things change when we have an issue to handle, a disease of any sort.

Diseases can either be acute or chronic and their classification is also based on the nature in which they grow and spread. Fast growing ones need a certain kind of medication while the slow acting ones need another kind of care.

Most chronic or slow-growing diseases need proper diet care and management as do the fast-acting ones.

But the point is, most of the fast acting ones resolve with short modifications of diets alongwith appropriate medications whether naturopathy or allopathic treatments whereas the chronic ones do not go with short-term diet management plans.

The article does not cover every disease but the prime focus of it will be to know what to eat for managing asthma. Through this article, we will share the dietary management of asthma. Once diets are managed they cannot bring down the asthmatic issues but it is a way to support the undergoing treatment.

Tips for the dietary management of asthma

Nutritional management of asthma requires one to take the following actions when it comes to dietary management of asthma. What is good for asthma and what diet can help you better your life even when you have a pump to manage? Even when you have a nine-to-five job and when you have a hectic daily schedule.

Here’s more about the asthma food chart and also know more about the dietary management of asthma through the data presented below.

When you need to care for your health so that you can care for others, what can you do?

Here in asthma what you need to eat to maintain a nutritional balance apart from the inhaler you use.

• Eat what can help you maintain a healthy weight
• Plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet can help maximum
• Omega 3 fatty acids in plenty are a must.

Which food is not good for asthma?

What must you not eat if you have been diagnosed with asthma is the next question that pops up and knowing which food is not suitable for asthma patients is a must.

• Do not be obese at any rate to counter asthma.
• Sulfites found in wine and dried fruits are a must to avoid.
• Avoid having gas or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) as it can exacerbate asthmatic conditions.
• Chemical preservatives and flavoring agents are a must-no-no.
• Avoid Trans and omega-6 fatty acid containing foods.

Let’s dig a bit deeper to find out the food sources you can go to and the ones that you can’t intake.

Asthmatic patients will need vitamins that include;

Vitamin D

1. Skimmed or fortified milk if not lactose intolerant
2. Fortified orange juice or even plain orange juice
3. Eggs
4. Plenty of salmon

Vitamin A

Asthmatic children have typically lower levels of Vitamin A and to replenish, you must have the following foods.

The same was observed in a 2018 study. Common food sources are;

• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Broccoli
• Leafy veggies like kale, spinach, romaine lettuce
• Cantaloupe

Which fruits are best for those suffering from asthma?

Fruits that can help primarily will include:

• Apples can help almost anything and the same was proven through a study shown in a nutrition journal in 2004.
• Bananas can bring down wheezing as seen in a study put forth in the European Respiratory Journal as found primarily in children.

Whole grains incorporates

• Whole oats
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur wheat
• Whole wheat pasta

Essential minerals one needs to consume must include the following:

• More magnesium as per the American Epidemiological Journal is essential to keep asthmatic symptoms at bay (found in pumpkin seeds, ginger, spinach, dark chocolate, Swiss chard, and Salmon).
• A high amount of zinc led to the rapid decline of the severity of the asthmatic exacerbations as seen in studies (red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, whole grains, breakfast cereals, avocados, blackberries, pomegranates, raspberries, guavas, cantaloupes, apricots, peaches, kiwifruit, and blueberries and dairy products).
• A lesser amount of copper is recommended in the blood as high copper plays a role in the exacerbation of asthma and also reduces the zinc content in individuals.

Sulfite sources are nutrient sources to avoid.

• Dried fruits and wine as previously treated
• Picked food even if the pickle is homemade.
• Shrimp and prawns, octopuses, and other sea foods.
• Bottled lime juice and even fresh lemonades in particular
• Ice-creams and other aerated/carbonated drinks

Gas causing agents are

• Beans and cabbage
• Onions and garlic
• Other fried foods
• Salicylate containing foods (only if you are allergic to it but if you aren’t you can always have your share of tea and coffee and other salicylate foods). Aspirin containing salicylate can aggravate symptoms.

Avoid dairy products (those allergic to lactose/ lactose intolerant), gluten (wheat), shellfish, and even tree nuts.

Follow the 3-Es if you are right now struggling with asthma and want to know more about the dietary management of asthma– Exercise, Eat and Energize.