Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is an obstructive lung disease characterized by symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing, chest tightness and a chronic cough that may or may not produce colored (white, yellow, or green) mucus, particularly first thing in the morning. While doctors will often prescribe medications and therapies (oxygen therapy) to treat COPD, there are certain foods that you should avoid when you have COPD in order to reduce your symptoms:
1. Dairy
The food you should avoid includes dairy as it produces more phlegm and could cause breathing issues. Dairy can also cause the existing mucous to be much thicker. When the mucus is thicker it is more difficult to cough up and get rid of. When the mucus is thinner it is easier to cough up.
2. Chocolate
Another food to avoid is chocolate. Chocolate contains caffeine and could interfere with any medication that you are taking.
3. Fried foods
You should also stay away from fried foods. Fried foods have a lot of greases and could cause gas and indigestion. It is a well-known fact that friend foods cause gas and bloating. Fried food can cause increased bloating which puts pressure on the diaphragm. When this happens you will feel short of breath and it will be harder to breathe.
4. Spicy foods
Spicy foods are something else you should stay away from if you have COPD. Spicy foods could cause discomfort and that could affect your breathing.
4. Salt
When you have COPD you should limit your salt intake. If you consume a lot of salt, this will cause water retention in your body. When you retain water, you may find it more difficult to breathe. Salt also raises blood pressure, which will give you shortness of breath.
5. Avoid nitrates
Avoid nitrates at all costs. When you consume nitrates it can aggravate the symptoms of COPD. This can be severe enough to require hospitalization. Some have also said that nitrates will also cause the disease to progress. Nitrates are found in cured meats and should be avoided. Nitrates have also been associated with cancer. When you do have COPD you are at a higher risk of lung cancer. It is important to avoid nitrates to prevent lung cancer as well as the symptoms that you are dealing with now.
6. Food allergies
It is important to avoid any food allergies that you have. If you do eat something and you have a reaction to it or your COPD gets worse it is very possible that you have an allergy to that specific food. This food should be avoided in the future.
7. Avoid soda
Soda is filled with carbon dioxide. When you consume soda this will lead to gas and bloating which will make it difficult for you to breathe. Soda even diet soda contains sugar or a sugar substitute. These have been known to cause inflammation which can impact your breathing.
