Maintaining a healthy diet for COPD patients can help with disease management.
It often starts subtly: a little shortness of breath while walking to the mailbox, or a cough that won’t quit. For millions of adults, those early signs are easy to brush off. But they could point to something more serious: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, about 12 million people have been diagnosed with COPD—and another 12 million may have it without knowing.
If you or someone you love is living with COPD, daily choices can have a big impact. From what’s on the dinner plate to how active the day is, lifestyle habits play a powerful role in managing symptoms. In fact, eating the right foods for COPD doesn’t just provide energy; it can actually make breathing easier and help ward off infections that can lead to hospital stays. Not only that, but sticking to a healthier diet for COPD patients can help them feel better overall, enhancing the strength needed for breathing and providing a host of other benefits.
Follow the suggestions below from the expert care team at Advanced Home Health Care to better manage the symptoms of COPD:
- Always eat breakfast. For a person with COPD, breathing burns as many as ten times more calories than it does in those without COPD, so starting the day with a nutritious breakfast can supply the calories and nutrients needed for the day.
- Get plenty of potassium. COPD patients who take diuretics require extra potassium. Good choices include bananas, oranges, potatoes, and tomatoes.
- Drink plenty of liquids (non-caffeinated). Liquids help to thin mucus in the air passageways; but caffeinated beverages can conflict with some medications and lead to restlessness, so it’s best to skip caffeine.
- Stay away from gas-inducing foods. Foods such as beans, fried foods, and carbonated drinks that produce gas and bloating may make breathing more difficult for someone with COPD. Steer clear of these types of foods to prevent symptom flare-ups.
- Lower sodium intake. Sodium can result in water retention, making it more difficult to breathe, so limit foods that contain more than 300 milligrams of sodium per serving. Sodium-free spices like parsley, oregano, garlic, basil, curry, onion, rosemary and lemon juice are all flavorful alternatives.
We Provide Help at Home for the Challenges of COPD
Advanced Home Health Care, provider of top-rated home health care services, is experienced in working with COPD patients and their families, and can help manage COPD symptoms, as well as ensure the home is safe and free from irritants. Contact us today at 800.791.7785 to discover more ways we can help in Burlington, Keokuk, Fort Madison, and throughout Southeast Iowa.
