Best Foods for Treating Asthma

Eating a healthy diet supplies asthma sufferers with antioxidants and nutrients to combat environmental toxins, control inflammatory responses and reduce dietary triggers. Eating a wide variety of foods can ensure that you or your child gets all the nutrients needed to support strong immunity. There have been numerous studies that show consuming the right foods can be the one of the best home remedies for asthma.

Some of the most beneficial foods to include in your asthma diet plan are:

• Brightly colored carotenoid foods: This compound gives fruit and vegetables their orange or red color and can help reduce asthma attacks. Carotenoids are the basis of vitamin A, which is involved in the maintenance of healthy mucous membranes that line the air passageways. Severity of asthma correlates with low vitamin A, so increase your intake of things like root veggies, sweet potatoes, carrots, leafy greens and berries.

• Foods with folate (vitamin B9): Folate reduces allergic reactions and inflammation. It might be capable of lowering wheezing by regulating inflammatory processes as well. This include green leafy vegetables, beans and nuts.

• Vitamin E and vitamin C foods: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and helps detoxify the body, which is why some research suggests that consuming more vitamin C reduces wheezing and inflammation. Vitamin C is found is leafy greens, citrus fruits, cruciferous veggies and berries. Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant found in nuts, seeds and healthy plant oils.

• Foods with magnesium: Low levels of magnesium are associated with increased risk of developing asthma, and increasing magnesium has been shown to reduce severity of asthma attacks and symptoms like muscle-spasming anxiety. It’s been found that magnesium can induce bronchial smooth muscle relaxation and allow air to get into and out of the lungs more easily.  Sources include greens, nuts, seeds, beans, cocoa and certain ancient grains.

• Broccoli, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables: These contain many antioxidants and a key compound called sulforaphane. Researchers from UCLA state, “A major advantage of sulforaphane is that it appears to increase a broad array of antioxidant enzymes, which may help the compound’s effectiveness in blocking the harmful effects of air pollution. We found a two-to-three-fold increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway cells of study participants who had eaten a preparation of broccoli sprouts. This strategy may offer protection against inflammatory processes and could lead to potential treatments for a variety of respiratory conditions.”

• Garlic, onions and mustard seeds: All are considered natural antimicrobials. They may help to fight bacterial infections and improve overall immune health. They also contain the antioxidant called quercetin, which inhibits inflammation.

• Raw milk and cultured dairy: Raw dairy seems to protect children from developing asthma and hay fever symptoms.  The healthy probiotics in raw milk strengthen the immune system, and research shows that probiotic foods improve digestion and help stop allergic reactions that occur as proteins and other allergens pass through the digestive lining.. Mothers can prevent their children from developing asthma if they ingest probiotics while pregnant or breast-feeding.

• Prebiotics and high-fiber foods: These plant fibers help us eliminate toxins and feed healthy probiotic bacteria. Whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds and raw vegetables are loaded with prebiotic materials and are great sources of fiber.
• Omega-3 foods: Omega-3 is mostly found in oily fish, such as mackerel, sardines, orange roughy, salmon, trout and tuna. Nuts and seeds can also provide a good dose. Omega-3s help lower the incidence of asthma significantly because they reduce airway inflammation and immune system reactivity.
• Foods with vitamin B5 (or pantothenic acid): It’s needed in larger quantities by asthmatics because they seem unable to utilize this vitamin correctly. It’s also been found that theophylline, a drug used to treat asthma, causes vitamin B5 deficiency. Pantothenic acid is also involved in adrenal function, and stress plays a large role in asthma.

 Other Home Remedies for Asthma

Avoid Irritants Inside Your Home

There might not be much you can do about pollution outdoors, but minimizing pollutants in your home can greatly lessen susceptibility to outdoor asthma attacks. Believe it or not, the Environmental Protection Agency tells us our indoor environments are two to five times more toxic than our outdoor environments! Here are tips to help you remove many sources of irritants that are likely found in your home:

Try to keep a window open even during the winter to bring fresh air in. If you can afford it, use a heat recovery ventilator (air-to-air heat exchanger) to bring outside air in.

• Avoid secondhand smoke from wood-burning stoves and cigarettes.
• Switch to natural cleaning products or use baking soda, lavender oil and vinegar to make your own. There are many simple recipes available online that can keep added chemicals out of your home and save you a bundle of money.
• Avoid antibacterial soaps and disinfectants.
• Avoid aerosols and petroleum-based ingredients in your health and beauty products. Instead use natural products made from essential oils.
• Use a dehumidifier in damp areas, and fix water leaks to reduce mold.
• Buy a water filter to remove chlorine from your tap water.
• Install flooring or carpets that you can vacuum beneath to reduce dust mites.
• Wash bedding weekly, and keep upholstery and carpets regularly vacuumed.
• Use sheets and pillow cases that are non-allergenic and don’t contain down or feathers.
• Keep furry friends out of the bedroom to limit the amount of pet hair you’re exposed to. Clean and brush pets regularly to remove some of their fur that can wind up around your home.
• Cockroaches are another asthma trigger, so speak with a professional exterminator if you suspect you might have some in your home.

When to see your doctor

If during an attack asthma medications aren’t able to help someone experience improvements immediately, then it’s important to visit the ER or call an ambulance right away. Although it’s rare, asthma attacks can sometimes become fatal, so being cautious is always best. Signs of a severe asthma attack that requires immediate intervention include a pale face, sweating, blue lips, very rapid heartbeat and inability to exhale.

If asthma symptoms ever start recurring multiple times per day, make sure to see your doctor. Also mention to your doctor if symptoms ever become frequent or severe enough to interrupt sleep, work, school or other normal day-to-day activities. Keep an eye out for side effects of medications or other signs of allergies, which might make asthma symptoms worse, including a very dry mouth, stuffy nose, dizziness, pains and a swollen tongue.