These top dietary tips for lung disease will provide a boost to overall health and wellness.
As they say, you are what you eat! For someone with lung disease, following a healthy diet can go a long way towards maximizing overall health and wellness by providing more energy for breathing and everyday activities, fighting chest infections, and much more. Try these top dietary tips for lung disease:
- Don’t skip breakfast! It truly is the most important meal of the day. For someone with lung disease, breathing burns ten times more calories than it does for those without lung disease. Consuming larger meals early in the day when energy is highest will help the person gain the most nutrients and calories possible for the day.
- Eat healthier foods first. Fatigue can cause someone with lung disease to stop eating before they have gotten the calories and nutrients needed.
- Seek out foods with potassium. People with lung disease may need to take a diuretic, which can cause the need for more potassium.
- Stay hydrated with non-caffeinated fluids. This will help thin the mucus in the airways and make it easier to clear the lungs.
- Eat smaller, more frequent, high-calorie meals. This strategy can help someone with lung disease meet daily caloric needs more effectively.
- Include plenty of fiber in the diet. High fiber foods like vegetables, dried legumes, bran, whole grains, cereals, rice, pasta, and fresh fruit aid in digestion by helping food move more easily through the digestive tract.
- Select foods that are simple to prepare, or get help with meal preparation. Preparing meals can burn up so much energy that a person with lung disease doesn’t have enough energy to actually eat the meal.
- Skip the salt. Sodium can result in water retention, which makes it more difficult to breathe, so it is best to avoid foods with more than 300 milligrams of sodium per serving.
- Wear an oxygen cannula during meals. If the doctor has prescribed continuous oxygen therapy, be sure to wear the oxygen cannula when eating.
At Compassionate Care Home Health Services, we understand the dietary and lifestyle needs of those with lung disease, and can help with symptom management for a better quality of life. Our wide range of services includes:
- Planning and preparing healthy meals
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Companionship
- Assistance with personal care needs, such as baths/showers, getting dressed, etc.
- Help and support with walks and exercise
- Errands and transportation
- Skilled nursing and home health care
- And much more
Contact us at 877.308.1212 for more top dietary tips for lung disease and to learn more about our home care and home health services in Cadillac, Alpena, Traverse City, and the surrounding areas.