Is an Asthma Diet Important?
The word ‘asthma’ means ‘panting’ in Greek. This refers to its main symptom -breathlessness. This is an ailment, which attacks the respiratory system whereby the airways constrict as a result of inflammation, causing the patient to gasp for air. Asthma is the result of an allergic reaction of the airway in two stages. The initial stage is when the airways constrict in response to certain allergens or triggers blocking the airways. And the second stage is when the reaction worsens causing inflammation, fluid retention and mucus formation.
Does an Asthma Diet Play Any Role?
Food has always been a very important factor in the overall health of a being. People say that the way you feel depends on what you eat. The asthmatic patient does not have too many restrictions in food. However, it has been observed that there are some foods that may cause as asthma attack, and/or aggravate it. An asthma diet would exclude such foods.
Some examples of food not part of an asthma diet would include curd, cucumber, vinegar, tomato sauce and foods which contain preservatives sometimes, trigger asthma. Often this is because the person is prone to a cold, and these foods enhance the effect. The good part is that once the trigger is removed, the asthma will subside to normal, unless the exposure is for a long and consistent period.
Be aware that asthma starts many times as an allergy. Hence, if you feel uncomfortable after eating anything, you should immediately make a note of it and avoid it in the future. It would be excellent if you have a small dairy where you can jot down all such things that irritate your asthma, whether this is food, smells, places and so on. In this way, sooner or later you will know exactly what is likely to bother you and you can avoid that.
The asthma diet has another advantage – once you have identified all the triggers, it makes it easier to keep your asthma under control. You would also be able to identify the exact allergy factors and possibly be treated to become immune to them. Without the triggers, any person suffering from asthma can behave as a completely normal person.
Hence, it is worth identifying and putting together your list for a complete asthma diet so you could enjoy as close to a normal life as possible.