Extremities of Food Temperature should be avoided by Asthma Patient
By Nmami Agarwal 08-Feb 2021 Reading Time: 4 Mins
Asthma is a condition that is tough to completely cure, but a healthy diet can influence how it manifests and to what extent it affects your body. While there is no specific diet that an asthmatic person needs to follow, yet there are foods that are advised against, as these may lead to aggravation or lead to a resurfacing of symptoms like wheezing, coughing and difficulty in breathing.
Weather conditions can also bring asthmatic problems. Dry, cold air is a common asthma trigger and can cause bad flare-ups. This is especially true for people who play winter sports and have exercise-induced asthma. Similarly, hot, humid air also can be a problem. In some places, heat and sunlight combine with pollutants to create ground-level ozone. Such kind of ozone can be a strong asthma trigger.
Just as change of seasons affect the asthma patients in the same way extremities of food temperature should be avoided by people dealing with asthma. Keep in mind that individual reactions to food vary a great deal, but here are some guidelines on what to avoid that possibly help asthma, or at least not make it worse.
Avoid:
- Cold dairy products – Asthma patients should keep away from dairy products like milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese as much as they can, as they can easily trigger an attack, which may include wheezing and coughing.
- Cold cuts – Most cured meats such as bacon, cold cuts, ham, and hotdogs contain additives called nitrates. Companies often add nitrates for colour or to extend shelf life that triggers the condition.
- Sour and Refrigerated Foods – Avoid foods such as tamarind, pickles, chutneys, and lemonade and attempt to eat freshly cooked meals and avoid anything that has been refrigerated.
- Keep away from spices – Spices have a tendency to stimulate nerves in the mouth, throat and lungs and result in a release of saliva that is watery, therefore, thinning the mucus. So, spicy/hot foods along with garlic, onion and hot mustard must be avoided.
- Alcohol and Aerated drinks – These drinks can give off sulphur dioxide that irritate the lungs which aggravate wheezing and cause breathing difficulties. In addition, Histamine, found in especially high levels in red wine and some beers, is the same substance released in the body during an allergic reaction.
To avoid triggering the symptoms it is advised to eat lung-friendly foods such as apples, berries that are loaded with antioxidants, and even ginger, turmeric and tulsi that can help and manage the condition better.
Over to you:
Eating a nutritious and healthy diet will keep the asthma allergies down as the body will be equipped to fight off infections. Hence, keep this list of asthma foods handy!