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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

Keep Your Lungs Healthy to Ward off Breathing Problems

We all believe that diseases and especially breathing problems are a result of external elements. Believing` so, we blame external pathogens or disease causing factors like bacteria, viruses, pollens and pollutions, and not even once considering the fact that the major cause of our health issues may be related to the food that we eat.
To keep our body work efficiently, healthy lungs are critical. The lungs are essential for our survival as they work tirelessly, day and night and continuously. It helps us breathe and breathing brings in oxygen and expels out carbon dioxide. It is perhaps the most essential functionality of our body that allows us to do everything, from thinking to singing.
Our lungs are incredible, it is just like a cog in the wheel that keeps our body work efficiently. If the lungs are effected and we start suffering oxygen deficiency, it could have serious health implications leading to respiratory illnesses like Asthma and Phenomena. It is said that the best way to keep our lungs healthy is to eat healthy and eat for our lungs.

Eat for your lungs
There are certain foods that are great for lung health. Although, what we chose to eat does not directly acts on the lungs, but indirectly effects them through our cardio vascular system and also by providing antioxidant protections. Eating lungs healthy foods clubbed with regular exercises helps our lungs stay clear, remain healthy and not being overloaded. Our lungs also are a major part of our immune system. External elements like pollutants and microbes are trapped in the lungs and expelled through cough. Sneezing is another way our lungs expel infections and other pollutants from the body.
Fresh and raw foods are an effective way to get the much needed enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and helps us breathe easy. Here are some foods that are great for our lung health that makes us safe and protected from respiratory ailments:
Garlic: rich in antioxidant properties are also capable of reducing damages caused by free radicals. Garlic since centuries has been at the top of the list of foods as a natural remedy for end number of ailments from viral infections to haemorrhoids. Garlic contains allicin, an exceptionally potential antioxidant that destroys free radicals and is a great food for people with asthma, reduces inflammation and reduces risks of lung cancers.

Apples: studies have revealed amazing facts on the benefits of apple on our lungs. Children who drink a glass of apple juice daily, is less like to develop whizzing and women who eat apples regularly will have less likelihood of giving birth to babies who will have asthma and wheezing. The fruits is rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids, known to reduce inflammation in the respiratory tract – the main cause of asthma and wheezing. It is a proven fact that intake of foods like apples, carrots, citrus fruits that are rich in vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene are very good for lungs.

Cruciferous vegetables: veggies like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale have been found beneficial in fighting and preventing lung cancers. These veggies are rich in chlorophyll that cleans and builds blood, and are full of some very effective antioxidants. It is also enriched with glucosinolates, an all-natural compound that halts the growth of certain types of cancers including lung cancer by means of decreasing inflammation and stop the growth of cancerous cells.

Healthy oil – canola, sunflower and olive: the mono and polyunsaturated fats found in these oils, have great effects of our heart, skin, hair and also the lungs. Infant it has been found that olive oil is very effective in fighting health hazards associated with air pollution, like high blood pressure and impaired blood vessels. All these factors can cause reduced oxygen supply, thus making our heart pump faster and make breathing difficult.

Fatty fishes like salmon: the high contain of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in fatty fishes like salmon helps reduce inflammation in the lungs and fights bacterial attacks. It has also a proven fact that omega 3 fatty acids are very instrumental in keeping the lungs healthy in people who suffer from all kinds of lung diseases.

Seeds, nuts and beans: mineral magnesium is an all essential mineral for lung health. Seeds, beans and nuts are rich sources of magnesium along with essential fatty acids, hood for our cardiovascular health and lung functionality.

Flax seeds: are high in both – Omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium, the two most essentials for optimal lung health. Magnesium is very essential in relaxing the muscles along the bronchi and the airways and helps in keeping them open. Blockage or contraction of the bronchi is a major reason for triggering asthma attacks. Omega 3 is also an all-important essential for patients with asthma and other breathing problems.

Chow on these great foods and assure a great pair of lungs and ward off breathing problems along with a full body boost up.