Recommended Diet for COPD

A healthy diet plays an important role in managing COPD. Even though, it (healthy diet) cannot bring about a cure for the ailment, yet, healthy diet is imperative in making the patient feel relatively better. In fact, it has to be noted that a wholesome diet also plays a role in minimizing the severity of symptoms such as shortness of breath. Also, when a patient takes quality food, the occurrence of respiratory infections can also be checked to a significant extent. http://copd.about.com/od/copd/a/copddiet.htm

The patient should consume snacks that are rich in calories, to make sure that decent levels of energy are maintained even before having meals. Milk, milk shakes and fruit juices with plenty of calories, etc, constitute as being the high calorie snacks. It is strongly advised that plenty of proteins are there in the daily diet of the patients. They (proteins) are extremely crucial in ensuring that the required level of energy is consistently maintained. Starchy vegetables such as beets, potatoes, carrots and peas, all of which have lot of calories in them, are ideal to be consumed by COPD patients. http://copd.about.com/od/copdandnutrition/f/howtogetextracalories.htm

Patients would be helping themselves immensely by keeping away from fad diets which, apart from satisfying the palate serve no other purpose. They are devoid of nutrients that are essential for good health. It is advisable that people afflicted by COPD take food in small quantities at regular intervals, rather than having two big meals. It also has to be ensured that the diet for COPD patients has very low levels of sodium, and there is a highly valid reason for this. When sodium is consumed in large quantities, fluids are retained in the body. This in turn aggravates shortness of breath- the most striking symptom of the disease. http://www.everydayhealth.com/copd/a-copd-diet.aspx

Also, it is highly pivotal that patients consume plenty of fluids. This would make sure that it is comparatively easy for them (patients) to cough out mucus. In fact, medical experts strongly state that it is more or less imperative that people having COPD take minimum of 6-8 glasses of liquids, on a daily basis. It is recommended that patients reduce the intake of beverages having caffeine, for they can adversely impact the working of some of the medications taken to treat COPD.