BEST FOODS FOR PROMOTING LUNG HEALTH

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY C. MITRA   Msc Food and Nutrition , B, Sc Food and Nutrition

Lungs


Lung is one of the most important organs of our body, which is responsible for inspiring oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide as a result helps in making our life possible. We have to keep our lung healthy otherwise it may develop various life threatening health disorders.

This article will discuss about most important 12 foods that help in promoting the health and activity of entire respiratory system –

Include apple

  • We all know that "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Apple is a nutritious fruit that has been traditionally used for various medicinal purposes
  • Apple is composed of various imperative nutrients that offer numerous health benefits and also help in reducing the susceptibility of becoming ill
  • Consumption of apple is directly linked with improving lung functionality. Vitamin E, Vitamin C and beta-carotene play vital role in improving the health and activity of lung and it has seen that apple is extremely rich in these 3 nutrients thus consumption of apple is thought to be very effective for obtaining a good respiratory health
  • Apple is composed of various important phytonutriemts as well, which exert powerful antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory activity
  • Antioxidant activity is accountable for protecting the lungs from free radical induced oxidative damages as a result helps in improving lung activity
  • Whereas its anti-inflammatory activity helps in protecting the lungs as well as the air way from inflammatory damages and swelling thus helps in reducing the susceptibility of developing asthma and other related respiratory disorders

Apples

Focus on the consumption of berry

  • Consumption of berry is considered as a healthy choice for promoting respiratory health
  • It has seen that blueberry and acai plays imperative role in improving lung activity thus these two berries are considered as the two most important berries that help in keeping the lung healthy
  • These are also rich in antioxidants that help to protect the lung from the free radical induced oxidative damages as a result help in promoting lungs activity
  • It also helps to protect the respiratory tract from damages
  • Moreover its consumption is very much useful for reducing the susceptibility of developing respiratory diseases

Try broccoli

  • It is better to include broccoli in diet as it is extremely nutritious and offers various health benefits. One of its important health benefits include promotion of lungs functionality, which helps to keep the respiratory disorders at bay
  • It is rich in Vitamin C, folic acid, carotenoids as well as phytochemicals, all of these nutrients are responsible for fighting against damaging elements of  lungs as a result help in protecting the lung and also help in sustaining its activity
  • L-sulforaphane is an imperative constituent of broccoli that is also accountable for improving the health and activity of lungs. basically it exerts potent anti-inflammatory activity that helps in protecting the respiratory tract from inflammatory damages and swelling as a result it helps in reducing the susceptibility of developing respiratory disorders especially asthma

Have some walnuts

  • Consumption of walnut is considered as a healthy choice for promoting lung health
  • It contains adequate amount of omega 3 fatty acid, which is an important nutrients responsible for offering various health benefits
  • It is extremely useful for fighting against asthma as well as other related respiratory disorders because it has believed that omega 3 fatty acid exerts powerful anti-inflammatory activity that helps in protecting the lungs and the respiratory tract from inflammatory elements, which ultimately helps in reducing the prevalence of respiratory illness

Try Cayenne Pepper

  • It is considered as an important therapeutic substance that has been widely used as an imperative remedial action for respiratory disorders
  • It plays vital role in improving the activity of lungs
  • Capsaicin is an important component present in cayenne pepper that helps in protecting the mucous membrane of the upper and lower respiratory tract whereas it also helps in stimulating the secretion from the respiratory tract
  • It also contains adequate amount of beta carotene that helps in improving the symptoms of asthma as well

Include f

  • Flax seed is an important therapeutic substance that is used for various medicinal purposes
  • Individual suffer from respiratory disorders should include it in their daily diet as it helps in improving the symptoms and also helps in reducing the susceptibility of developing respiratory diseases by improving the health and activity of lungs

Flax seed

Try ginger

  • Consumption of ginger is extremely useful for promoting lung health
  • It helps in detoxification and also helps in stimulating the elimination of pollutant from the lung
  • It exhibits anti-inflammatory activity as well, which plays vital role in protecting the lungs from inflammatory damages as a result it helps in improving its activity
  • Whereas it is also associated with relieving congestion and also helps in unclogging air passages, which ultimately helps in improving circulation to the lung as a result helps in boosting up the total health and activity of lungs  

Have garlic

  • Garlic is considered as another important therapeutic substance for respiratory health
  • It is composed of various flavonoids, which play vital role in stimulating the production of glutathione that ultimately helps in eliminating toxins as well as carcinogenic substances from body
  • Whereas it also helps to support the lung for performing in a better way
  • It exerts powerful antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory activities that help in protecting the entire respiratory system from both oxidative as well as inflammatory damages as a result help in sustaining the functionality of lung

Consume turmeric

  • Turmeric has been traditionally used for various therapeutic purposes
  • It contains various nutrients that play significant role in boosting up the overall health status and it is very useful for boosting up the respiratory health as well
  • It contains an important component named curcumin that exerts potent anti-inflammatory activity that helps in relieving inflammation as well as swelling of the airway and also helps in preventing the tightness of chest associated with asthma
  • It is thus better to include turmeric in diet for ensuring a healthy and happy lung

Consume water abundantly

  • An individual should consume water in order to obtain a healthy and active lung
  • Water plays significant role in detoxifying the body and it has seen that poor consumption of water may interfere with the process
  • Dry lung is also considered as a result of poor water consumption and dry lungs are susceptible to irritation and it also increases the risk of inflammation thus it is always better to stay hydrated
  • An individual should consume 8 glasses of water daily

Increase the intake of potassium rich foods

  • Diet should contain adequate amount of potassium rich foods like tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, beets and banana because they all are very much helpful for improving lung activity
  • Potassium plays vital role in maintaining a healthy lung functions by regulating blood pressure and by decreasing water retention

Include pumpkin

  • Pumpkins are considered as another important vegetables that help in improving lung activity
  • Basically they are rich in carotenoids, which are closely related with higher lung functionality
  • They are also loaded with phytonutrients that exert outstanding antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, which are responsible for promoting overall lung health by protecting lungs from harmful damages

All the above stated foods are really very useful for improving lung health

Healthy lungs



Source:

Dreher, M.L., 2018. Whole fruits and fruit fiber emerging health effects. Nutrients, 10(12), p.1833.

Nick, G.L., 2004. Whole foods bestow lung cancer protection and improve lung function. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, (251), pp.142-144.

Pounis, G., Arcari, A., Costanzo, S., Di Castelnuovo, A., Bonaccio, M., Persichillo, M., Donati, M.B., de Gaetano, G. and Iacoviello, L., 2018. Favorable association of polyphenol-rich diets with lung function: Cross-sectional findings from the Moli-sani study. Respiratory Medicine, 136, pp.48-57.

Sexton, P., Black, P., Metcalf, P., Wall, C.R., Ley, S., Wu, L., Sommerville, F., Brodie, S. and Kolbe, J., 2013. Influence of Mediterranean diet on asthma symptoms, lung function, and systemic inflammation: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of asthma, 50(1), pp.75-81.

Wood, L.G., Shivappa, N., Berthon, B.S., Gibson, P.G. and Hebert, J.R., 2015. Dietary inflammatory index is related to asthma risk, lung function and systemic inflammation in asthma. Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 45(1), pp.177-183.

 

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