If you’ wish ‘re looking to help respiratory health, make sure you incorporate some healthy foods that will help keep your lungs active and working.
Pears, Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Fish, & Tumeric are great for respiratory health. Each benefit our lungs in different ways from pollution protection, helping with asthma symptoms, or reducing coughing and phlegm.
In this article, we will cover why each of these foods is beneficial for your lungs and how they can help.
Pears
Eating fresh fruit like pears may decrease production of phlegm, according to an older Scottish study in the European Respiratory Journal. Based on the findings, adults regularly eating fresh fruit roughly had a 30 percent reduced prevalence of phlegm for three or more months per year and in the morning in winter.
Pears are full of fiber, which helps with appetite control and keeping you fuller for longer. Pears also have vitamin C, an antioxidant that can boost your immunity. Have pears as a snack or as part of a whole meal, canned pears can also be great!
Apples
Research has shown that regularly eating apples may help promote lung function. Studies have linked good lung function with high intakes of vitamins C, E and beta-carotene, all of which are present in apples and help keep your lungs healthy.
Apple intake is shown to cause a slower decline in lung function in ex-smokers. Additionally, consuming five or more apples per week can potentially give you greater lung function. Apple intake has also been linked to a lower risk of asthma in other studies. This could be because of the high concentration of antioxidants in apples.
Sweet Potatoes
Here’s a veggie that has a ton of vitamin A and is a great source of vitamin C. This study done in 2007 linked higher consumption of vitamin A veggies like sweet potatoes with a reduced risk of lung cancer. The two vitamins (A & C) have been shown in studies to protect against oxidative stress and inflammation in people with asthma.
Our favorite is to make a sweet potato for maximum flavor and nutrients packed in one.
Fish
Including fish in your diet like salmon, sardines, and certain white fishes may help your respiratory health. Including Mediterranean food in your diet can be great for your health including your lungs. According to a European study ids who ate less fish were more likely to report poor respiratory health, including a lot more coughing and wheezing.
A new 2018 study finds that higher consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, usually found in fish, is linked to reduced asthma symptoms for kids exposed to high levels of indoor air pollution.
Tumeric
Turmeric is often noted for anti-inflammatory properties due to the curcumin compound present in it. This compound helps relieve inflammation of the airways and chest tightness that are usually linked to asthma.
In fact this study, shows that high curcumin intake in smokers was associated with 9.2% greater lung function, versus smokers who did not take curcumin.
Make sure you are adding these foods to your diet every day to ensure healthy and happy lungs!