Nutrition and COPD impact one another greatly. A person’s nutritional status can influence the degree of severity of COPD, and COPD can create circumstances that make consuming an adequate diet difficult.
·
associated
with chronic bronchitis
·
peripheral
edema is common (water retention in feet and legs)
·
poor
skin tone resulting from a lack of oxygen being distributed to the body
tissues.
· associated with emphysema
·
prone
to weight loss
·
poor
appetite common
·
muscle
wasting apparent - chest, arms and legs look boney.
Being overweight increases the workload on your
heart and lungs to supply oxygen to all areas of the body. Secondly, excess fat
in the abdominal area crowds the diaphragm, making it difficult to fully expand
the lungs. By losing weight through proper diet and exercise, the body’s muscle
mass is increased. This makes breathing easier and the person will feel
healthier and more energetic.
On the other hand, being underweight is a problem as
well. Weight loss happens because of a combination of increased calorie needs
and inadequate diet. As a result of poor diet the body’s muscle mass becomes
depleted -- including the respiratory muscles. This makes breathing more
difficult. The increased work of breathing creates a higher calorie need, which
the person may not be able to meet, and then a cycle of weight loss and muscle
wasting is continued.
Nutrition and Your Immune System
A diet deficient in calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals has a negative effect on immune function. The body’s cells that fight infection are made of proteins. Poor diet makes it difficult for the body to build new immune factors to fight infections and to repair damaged tissues. This scenario is common among people with COPD, and puts them at risk for developing respiratory infections. Decreased appetite and increased caloric needs may then start another debilitating cycle. For this reason and the ones above, the COPD patient must achieve a balance of good nutrition and exercise to stay as healthy as possible.
·
Fluid
- drink at least 8 cups of caffeine free fluid daily. Fluid keeps mucus thin and
keeps your body hydrated.
·
Protein
- for repairing and building cells. The amount you need depends on your
nutritional status and should be determined by a dietitian. Generally, six
ounces of protein per day and 2 cups of milk provide an adequate amount of high
value protein.
·
Calcium-
especially important for women and for individuals who are on steroid
medication. Calcium builds bones and helps regulate blood pressure. You can get
dietary calcium from dairy products, supplements, and vegetables. But note that
the body does not readily absorb the calcium in vegetables.
·
Adequate
calories - important even if you are trying to lose weight. You can ask your
health care provider about an assessment of your nutritional needs if you are
advised to diet.
·
Potassium
- important for blood pressure control, muscle contraction, and nervous system
function. Potassium is susceptible to depletion as a result of certain diuretic
medications. Sources of dietary potassium include fruits, vegetables, dairy and
meat.
·
Caffeine-
Limit beverages containing caffeine. It causes the body to lose water and it
increases the diuretic effect of medications such as theophylline .
·
Eat
three small meals and three snacks - this will prevent you from becoming too
full. Too much food at once distends the stomach and crowds the diaphragm
making it more difficult to breathe.
·
Eat
bigger meals earlier in the day rather than later in the evening.
·
Avoid
lying down after meals.
·
Cook
when feeling most energetic- make extra portions and freeze leftovers for easy
frozen dinners.
·
Avoid
gas-forming vegetables and limit carbonated beverages if prone to gas. See list
of gas forming foods.
·
Keep
fruit juice and water readily available in the refrigerator.
·
Rest
before eating.
·
Choose
foods that are easy to prepare.
·
Choose
softer foods that are easier to chew if you become short of breath while
eating.
·
Eat
a variety of foods to ensure that you are getting adequate vitamins and
minerals.
Many
people with C.O.P.D. say they feel bloated or full quickly after eating just a
small amount of food. Rushed meals and shortness of breath during eating can
cause air to be swallowed as you eat and cause bloating. Lack of exercise may
also contribute to this problem.
Gas-forming foods may also cause discomfort. Gas can cause the stomach to push upon the diaphragm against the
lungs, making it harder to breathe. The
following is a lists of foods they may cause gas or bloating.
Avacados |
Honeydew Melon |
Beans |
Leeks |
Beer |
Lentils |
Broccoli |
Nuts |
Brussel Sprouts |
Onions |
Cabbage |
Peas (split/black-eyed) |
Cantaloupe |
Radishes |
Cauliflower |
Raw Apples |
Corn |
Sauerkraut |
Cucumbers |
Soybeans |
Garlic |
Turnips |
Green Peppers |
Watermelon |
·
Have
snacks handy. Snack foods, cheese and
crackers, and ice cream all make good snacks.
·
If
you are a big fresh fruit and vegetable eater, eat the fruits and vegetables
that are higher in calories.
·
Whenever
you can, drink juices instead of water, coffee, or tea. Water, black coffee, and tea have no
calories.
·
Try
adding the following foods to your diet, they provide more calories and less
volume than most other foods.
A
teaspoon of margarine or butter adds about 45 calories. Mix it into hot soups, cooked cereals, rice,
and soft boiled eggs. When you eat a sandwich
put butter on the bread in addition to other condiments. Serve bread hot because more margarine or
butter is used when it melts into it.
One
tablespoon contains 100 calories. Use
it with salads, scrambled eggs, fruits, and sandwiches. Use it instead of salad dressing in recipes,
mayonnaise provides twice the calories of salad dressings.
One
tablespoon contains 90 calories and this is a food high in protein. Serve peanut butter with fruits such as
apples, pears, and bananas. Have it on
toast with butter for breakfast, in sandwiches, stuff celery with it, and on
crackers for snacks.
This
has 100 calories per 1oz. And is also a food high in protein. Try cream cheese on fruits, crackers, raw
vegetables, with jelly on a sandwich, or in gelatin salads.
One
tablespoon of sour cream contains 70 calories.
Sour cream or plain yogurt can be used on vegetables, added to gravies,
salad dressings, and creamy casseroles.
Try adding them to eggs for rich and fluffy scrambled eggs, soufflés,
and omelets.
Use
whipped cream to top pies, cakes, hot chocolate, fruit gelatin and other
desserts. You can also use cream in
coffee instead of milk to boost calories.
Whipping cream has about 60 calories in one tablespoon.
Use
honey whenever you usually use sugar, in coffee, teas, or cereal. It has twice the calories of sugar. Try honey, peanut butter, and butter
together on toast.
These
add calories without volume. Add them
to gravy, cream soups, creamed vegetables, casseroles, hot cereals, and
milkshakes.
Add
these to hot or cold cereals and fruit salads.
These make great high calorie low volume snacks.
Tips for Adding Protein
·
The
major sources of protein in your diet are foods from the meat and milk
groups. If you are not getting enough
of these protein foods, need more protein because of an infection, or need more
protein to rebuild your muscles here are some tips to help you increase your
protein intake. Use the following ways
to increase protein in your diet without increasing the amount of food you eat:
·
Add
skim milk powder to increase protein.
Try adding it to hot milk or cold cereals, scrambled eggs, soups,
gravies, casseroles, and ground meat (for hamburgers, meat loaf, etc.). Especially if you do not drink milk, using
skim milk powder in these ways will help you get the nutrients (calcium) in milk
that you need.
·
Add
ground meat or cooked chicken to soups and casseroles.
·
Add
grated cheese to sauces, vegetables, soups, and casseroles.
·
Use
peanut butter for snacks. Peanut butter
is an excellent source of protein and calories.
·
Choose
dessert recipes that contain eggs, such as sponge cake, egg custard, bread or
rice pudding, and eggnog.
·
Blend
finely chopped hard-boiled eggs in sauces, gravies, salad dressings, and
casseroles. It will hardly be
noticeable.
A
common problem anyone with lung disease experiences is loss of appetite. It may be caused from fatigue, illness,
stress, depression, or by any combination of these things - no one knows for
certain. The more weight you lose, the less you feel like eating and the weight
loss continues. Here are some hints that may help:
·
It
may help to eat three small snacks each day (three smaller meals and 3 between
meal snacks).
·
Keep
healthy snacks available for nibbling.
For example, milkshakes, cheese, peanut butter, milk cereal, sandwiches,
yogurt, custard, pudding, ½ cup ice cream, and low carbohydrate nutritional
supplements.
·
If
foods do not have much taste, try chewing gum or sucking on hard candy before
meals. This helps stimulate saliva in
the mouth.
·
Some
people feel hungrier in the morning and others tend to be hungrier at night.
Take advantage of your “hungry” time and load up on the calories.
·
During
your not so hungry times, try to eat your favorite foods.
Food Guide Pyramid
Using the Food Guide Pyramid
Start
with plenty of breads, cereals, rice and pasta; vegetables; and fruits. Then
add 2 or 3 servings from the milk and dairy group, and 2 or 3 servings from the
meat group. Each of these food groups contains some, but not all, of the
nutrients you need. No one food group is more important than another -- for
good health you need them all. Go easy on fats, oils, and sweets -- the food
group at the small tip of the pyramid.
What Counts as a Serving?
Breads & Cereals |
Vegetables |
Fruits |
Milk & Dairy |
Meat |
Oils & Sweets |
1 slice of bread |
1/2 cup cooked or raw cut vegetables |
1 piece of fruit or melon wedge |
1 cup of milk or yogurt |
2 1/2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish |
Use very sparingly |
1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta |
1 cup of leafy raw vegetables |
3/4 cup of juice |
1 1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese |
1/2 cup of cooked beans |
|
1/2 cup of cooked cereal |
|
1/2 cup of canned fruit |
|
|
|
1 ounce of ready to eat cereal |
|
1/4 cup of dried fruit |
|
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