Diet Plan for Asthma Sufferers

For you who has been an asthma sufferers, the best diet plan must be conducted to make sure that your asthma will never become worse. A healthy nutrition and diet plan will be a good way to help you in bringing an immediate relief for you who are having an asthma attack, Preventing and alleviating asthma signs and symptoms, such as coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing can be helped with this, too.

In your diet plan, you must include all the nutrients that you may need in managing asthma. Many nutrients must be included in your diet plan. Some important nutrients such as vitamin B6, vitamin E, ascorbic acid, rosmarinic acid, quercetin, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids must be available in your diet plan. It’s a good help for you who want to have a good management in asthma. For more detailed information, here are the composition for the best diet plan that you can take as an asthma sufferer.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6, known as pyridoxine, has been known as a nutrient which has a vital role in asthma management. Foods which is rich in pyridoxine usually become the main component of anti-asthma diet. Usually, pyridoxine will be easily found in many ranges of foods. Banana has been one of the example of food which is rich in this vitamin.

Previous studies have stated that pyridoxine has the ability to reduce the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks dramatically. In this case, pyridoxine has a critical role in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It is also a vital component in the production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (CAMP). As CAMP is a molecule which has an ability to help in relaxing bronchial smooth muscle tissue, surely this pyridoxine will be a good addition in diet plan for asthma sufferers.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is known as a good antioxidant for your body. In asthma management, vitamin E is needed to help in alleviating asthma symptoms. With this vitamin, you can manage coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath well. For a good combination, it is recommended for you to consume vitamin E together with ascorbic acid. The usually work to protect each other and will become more effective if you use it together.

Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid has become another nutrients that can be left behind in diet plan for asthma management. Known as vitamin C, ascorbic acid has become a good tool in asthma management because of its strong antioxidant properties. In this case, ascorbic acid will help you in neutralizing free radicals effectively. As free radicals molecules are unstable, you may get a contraction in your airway smooth muscles. Thus, combating this free radicals will be a good way in managing your asthma.

Not only that, high levels of ascorbic acid has been known to reduce the release of histamine in the body. It will also help in breaking histamine, faster, too. As histamine is one of chemical which is produced in the body that has the ability to cause constriction on your smooth muscles and to increase inflammation in asthma sufferer, consuming enough ascorbic acid will help you better in managing it.

Rosmarinic acid

Rosmarinic acid also known with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Even now, it has been reported that rosmarinic acid has antioxidant activity which is superior to the antioxidant activities in vitamin E. Thus, this nutrient may has a big ability to help in alleviating asthma symptoms. In addition, rosmarinic acid also has the ability to encourage cells to create prostacyclins. Prostacyclins will help to keep the air passages in the lungs to be opened. Thus, you will get an easy breathing with it. As many culinary herbs has a high content of this rosmarinic acid, you don’t have to be worried in searching them. It is available in lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, sage and thyme.

Quercetin

Quercetin is one of the most well-known bioflavonoid in the world. It is known as a good anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties. It’s rich of antioxidant, too. Because of that, it is not a wonder if quercetin can help you in relieving asthma symptoms. It also can help you in managing the allergic symptoms which are happened in some of asthma sufferers. For you who want to get this bioflavonoid for your body, you don’t have to be worried as it is contained in wide range of foods. For example, you can find it in yellow and red onions, lavage, broccoli, capers, tea, apples, red grapes, citrus fruits, cherries, and all kind of berries, such as lingonberries, cranberries and raspberries.

Magnesium

Magnesium is known with its ability to help in relaxing the smooth muscle cells. Previous studies have reported that there is an association between magnesium intake and the decreased risk of asthma. Other studies which have been conducted have shown that a high dietary intake of magnesium has a correlation with a better lung function. It is shown that by increasing your intake of magnesium, it will reduce the frequency of wheezing in asthma sufferers. Thus it is not a wonder if a patient which has an acute asthma attack in a hospital will be treated by injecting magnesium to the vein directly, or known as intravenous magnesium treatment.

Potassium

Last but not the least, not only magnesium, it would be good if your diet plan also has enough potassium content. Potassium is known as another mineral that shown a good association with lung function. It also helps in reducing the incidence of asthma. To make sure that you get enough potassium, then you just have to make sure that your meal contains, at least, root vegetables or beans.

In the end, it can be concluded that asthma sufferers have to get enough nutrients to manage their asthma. Other than to have that good diet plan like above, there are some things that you have to avoid, too. Specially for food, it would be good for you, an asthma sufferer, to reduce your salt (sodium) intake. Food preservatives, food additives, dairy products and eggs must be consumed less. But, of course it would be better for you to ask your dietitian for more thorough information. Keep in your mind that you always have to seek for the help of professional medical practitioners in the best management for asthma that you can do.