Good day Hive community! Hope you all are having a great day.
As previously noted on my last blog, 'Fruits for healthy eyes', the kinds of food and fruits we eat play very vital role in our health and other physical conditions or defects. This time we will be talking about food for the respiratory system and diet which improve such medical conditions.
Diet influences the conditions of the respiratory system more than one might think. Certain foods such as milk and eggs can precipitate asthmatic crisis. Others such as onions or garlic resist bronchitis. Fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene product protect against lung cancer. We shall now talk about common respiratory disease and diets to improve such conditions.
- Cough: This is the most common symptom of respiratory disease. Coughing is the body’s defense mechanism to expel foreign or irritating substances from the bronchial tubes. Certain foods can help eliminate the causes of cough and help relieve it while others make it worse. Onions, honey, lemon, vitamin A & C help to relieve cough while salt and diary product which can trigger or aggravate cough.
- Bronchitis: This is the inflammation of the mucosa lining the bronchial passages. It is usually caused by infection and is exacerbated by the inhalation of irritant fumes such as tobacco smoke. However, various foods have healing properties that are apt for cases of bronchitis. They follow:
*Mucolytics: these soften and promote the expulsion of mucus. Examples are onions and radishes which both contain sulfurated essence that facilitates the removal of excess bronchial mucus.
*Emollients: these such as okra, dates and figs soften and reduce inflammation in the respiratory mucosa.
*Antibiotics and antiseptic: foods such as garlic and propolis combat bacteria and viruses that cause or aggravate bronchitis. Reduction in salt intake, alcoholic beverages and saturated fat is advised. - Asthma: This is manifested by attacks of dyspnea (respiratory difficulty) accompanied by wheezing, cough, expectoration and chest pressure. Asthma is a result of spasms and inflammation of the bronchial tubes, usually caused by an allergic mechanism.
*Diet- Abundant use of certain foods can contribute to reducing bronchial sensitivity and predisposition to asthma attack. Examples are onions, oranges, vegetables, honey, yogurt, magnesium, B vitamin, antioxidant, etc. Also reducing salt consumption and eliminating foods known to most frequently cause allergic reaction can do a great deal to reduce the frequency and intensity of crises. - Smoking cessation: When one stops smoking, one must carefully choose foods capable of achieving three goals:
*Eliminate nicotine and other poison from the body: water, fruits and vegetables with depurant qualities contribute to this. They provide antioxidant vitamins and phytochemicals that neutralize part of the poison in tobacco.
*Repair the damage: plant-based foods that are rich in antioxidants protect the cells from the aggression caused by tobacco and contribute restoration of damage already done.
*Reduce your smoking habit or more advisably, stop smoking. Wheat germ is very rich in B vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper function of the nervous system and to overcome the stress involved in giving up tobacco.
I hope this write-up will be useful to you. Follow for more interesting updates and blogs and don’t forget to support with your upvotes. Thanks.🤗
* REFERENCE: Dr Pamplona 'Healthy Foods' 2010