Hey everyone! I would like to share the nutrition information I got from the Nutritionist at Pulmonary Rehab. There are tips for losing weight, gaining weight, and tips for healthy living food wise. I’m hoping they can help the both of us with our goals. I am going to split the information up so the posts don’t get too long. This week is nutrition, next week will be weight loss/gain tips.
I am going to share other information I’ve gotten from other sources as well. My own experiences too.
Nutrition Therapy for Better Breathing
So, we’ll start with the basics. MyPlate.gov shows the nutrition balance of grains, fruits, veggies, protein, and dairy that we should shoot for.
- Grains: make half of them whole grains—they have more fiber. Enjoy stuff like pastries, cakes, and candy in moderation.
- Fruit: aim for 1.5-2 cups per day. It can be fresh, frozen, canned (in juice), or dried. Limit fruit juice to 1 cup per day.
- Veggies: aim for 2.5-3 cups per day. It can be fresh, frozen, or canned (reduced sodium). Remember to eat the rainbow!
- Dairy: try to have 3 servings of dairy per day. Things like milk, cheese, yogurt, soy milk, and soy yogurts. If you can’t have dairy, like me, you can look for calcium-fortified milks.
- Protein: try to eat lower fat options, like poultry, fish, nuts, beans, and loin and round cuts of red meats. Plant-based proteins work too.
Fiber
Fiber has many benefits to our health and most of us don’t get enough. We should aim for 20-35 grams per day and do it gradually if you don’t currently eat much. Doing it too quickly can cause GI upset. Along with that, drink your water…unless you’re on a fluid restriction.
Sodium
Sodium can cause fluid retention, which can make it hard to breathe, so eat foods that are lower in sodium. You can do this by eating less processed foods, using salt-free seasoning (my favorite is Mrs. Dash), and select foods that are 140mg sodium per serving.
Fluids/Beverages
When it comes to fluids/beverages, aim for 6-8 (8 ounce) glasses each day. This will keep you hydrated and mucus thinner. Limit caffeine as it can interact with meds and can be dehydrating for some. You can save the your drinks for between meals, if you get full quickly.
Having Trouble Eating? Try This…
When I got my Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (and Interstitial Lung Disease/COPD) diagnosis, I never thought about how it would affect my ability to eat. Now, I don’t have much for problems physically as of now, but it could happen. I’m going to give you a quick human anatomy lesson to help make it make sense.
The stomach sits right below the diaphragm and when the stomach is full, the diaphragm has a hard time moving down. Since the diaphragm moving down helps the lungs fill properly, this affects our breathing.
Tips:
Rest before meals if eating causes fatigue.
Speaking of fatigue, if yours is worse later in the day, eat the largest meal earlier.
Eat smaller meals throughout the day. Your lungs will expand better since your stomach won’t be so full.
Take small bites and chew slowly with a closed mouth so you don’t inhale air. I tend to eat quickly and can’t breathe through my mouth well. Also, I get the hiccups more often…this is probably one of the causes…
If you get short of breath while chewing, make and eat foods that are softer and easier to chew.
Try to avoid foods that cause gas since it makes the stomach swell and impedes the movement of the diaphragm. However, not all bodies get gassy from the same foods, so figure yours out and go from there.
Other Thoughts…
While I believe this is a good starting point for everyone, I want to share my personal experience with nutrition and lung disease. One of the best things I found is to eat foods that are anti-inflammatory as inflammation in your body can make it harder to breathe. It’s tough to stick to sometimes, but breathing is kind of important. I am lucky in a way that I know which foods cause inflammation for me. That being said, I got the information in a way that wasn’t fun or lucky (and it was a lot of work), but the knowledge is helpful now.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I know that gluten, dairy, corn, sesame, cranberries, and mint cause inflammation for me. Some of them–mainly gluten and dairy–cause an increase in mucus production. In turn, that causes a productive cough, which is never a good thing. Now, does this stop me from eating cheese on my pizza? No. I just try to be mindful of it and know that there are certain cheeses I can eat with less of a reaction. Alongside that, sugar also causes me to cough if I have too much, so that’s fun. I tend to use sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar.
Remember to take care of yourselves and be safe out there! Seeyalaterbye <3
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