If you have trouble breathing, daily activities—even eating a meal—can
be a challenge.
Healthy eating is particularly important if you
have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a common lung
condition that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. About 24
million people in the U.S. have COPD.
People with COPD often lose
weight and become malnourished because "they burn a lot of calories,"
says Norman H. Edelman, MD, the chief medical officer for the
American Lung Association.
"[COPD] is a hypermetabolic state."
Follow these 15 healthy
eating tips for people with COPD.
Relax
Find the right atmosphere so you feel relaxed during
meals. Whether this means eating with friends or family or eating alone,
find out what works best for you.
Take pleasure in the
environment and the experience, and try to include a favorite food in
each meal.
Make it simple
If you find eating meals fatiguing, focus on
easy-to-prepare meals.
In general, the simpler the meal prep, the
better. Pick foods that don’t take a lot of work and that can be used
in numerous recipes.
Store some leftovers to cut down on prep
time, too.
Take your meds
If you use medication to improve your breathing, try to
take them before eating; if you use oxygen, continue to use it during a
meal.
Eating can increase the body's demand for oxygen, so you'll
need it.
Sit up
Whenever possible, don't recline when eating a meal.
"Lying
down just compromises breathing more," says Dr. Edelman, because it
places extra pressure on the lungs.
Eat smaller meals, more often
"People who have emphysema do best if they eat several
small meals a day, because the diaphragm is pressing on their stomach
and they really can’t fill up their stomach," says Dr. Edelman.
Plus,
a full belly can press back against the diaphragm, making breathing
harder.
Get the nutrients and fuel you need in smaller doses by
spreading your day's eating out over six small meals.
Eat your biggest meal early
If you like to have a main meal during the day, eat it
earlier in the day.
The food will give you energy for the rest of
the day, and you won't have to expend extra energy to eat a larger meal
at the end of the day when you are already tired.
Don't skip breakfast
COPD can make breathing in the morning particularly
difficult. But that's no excuse to skip breakfast.
Breakfast is
considered the most important meal of the day for a reason—you need that
early meal to fuel the rest of your day.
Rest up
If you usually have trouble breathing during a meal, plan
ahead.
Take a short nap or rest before eating; it may help.
Don't drink while eating
Try to hold off on drinking until the end of the meal, so
you won't get full too fast. A beverage before or during a meal can fill
you up more quickly.
"We want to get food in; we don't want
[patients] to fill up their stomach—which has a limited capacity—with
liquid," says Dr. Edelman.
It's not a bad idea to get your
liquids from nutritional supplement shakes consumed between meals, he
adds.
Ban the bloat
Foods like broccoli, cabbage, and beans can cause gas, and
fried and greasy foods can lead to bloating.
The pressure on
your lower belly from both will make breathing more difficult, so eat
only small amounts of these and other gas-forming foods.
Slow down
Take your time while eating; it'll prevent you from
becoming short of breath.
The best trick? Put your spoon or fork
down between each bite.
"It's a matter of being slow and
deliberate," says Dr. Edelman. "Take some food, chew it, swallow it,
then rest, then breathe, then take some food again."
Get some variety
To get all the nutrients and vitamins you need, make sure
to eat a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, dairy products,
grains, and meats.
Foods high in antioxidants—like berries and
nuts—may be especially helpful, says Dr. Edelman; a limited amount of
research suggests these foods may be beneficial to lung health.
Cut down on salt
Salty foods are also guilty of causing bloat; too much
salt can cause you to retain fluids and hamper your breathing.
Plenty
of natural herbs and spices add flavor to your food without upping the
sodium content.
If you are buying packaged or pre-made foods,
look for low-sodium options.
Consume calories wisely
Don't exhaust yourself eating foods with little
nutritional value.
Junk food isn't giving you the nutrients you
need, so stay away from salty and fatty snacks, candy, and sugary soft
drinks.
Also, pick foods that are relatively easy to chew, and
avoid anything too difficult to digest, says Dr. Edelman.
Stop smoking
The most obvious way to avoid shortness of breath, during
meals or any other time, is to kick the habit.
Smoking is the
most common cause of COPD. If you smoke, it's not too late to give it
up, even if you've already done damage to your lungs.
Quitting
now will still slow the progress of COPD and possibly prevent other lung
diseases.
