The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide as it has a significant physical and emotional impact on people who suffer due to decreased lung function.
It is important that once the disease is diagnosed, patients learn to live with it and make small adjustments in their daily lives that can help improve their quality of life.
One of the changes they have to make is their diet. As pointed out by the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (Separ), it is common for people with COPD to have their weight altered and enter a vicious circle: when lung function decreases, so does nutritional status and needs increase. of energy, therefore, the body needs more oxygen and worsens lung function.
Experts point out that patients can be in two situations: overweight or underweight.
If you are overweight, especially excess body weight around the belly, the patient will feel a shortness of breath . In addition, you will have an increased risk of hypertension , diabetes or coronary heart disease .
In this situation, Separ recommends that you lose weight gradually (half a kilo a week to guarantee that you lose fat and not muscle and / or liquids). Thus the feeling of suffocation will decrease and your general health will improve. To achieve this you must adopt a varied diet plan.
If, on the other hand, you are underweight , you should add unsaturated fats and oils such as olive oil or butter to your diet, thus increasing calorie consumption without increasing food consumption.
Recommended foods include high-calorie beverages (alcohol and caffeine-free) such as soy milk, fruit juices, and nutritional supplements. They can also include nuts like walnuts and hazelnuts.
Tips for eating every day
Finally, to help COPD patients adapt, Separ experts give a series of guidelines:
- Avoid heavy meals.
- To lighten the respiratory load it is better to eat several times a day (5 or 6 in small amounts).
- If dyspnea appears while eating, eating a bland diet with easy-to-chew foods can help.
- Opt for easy-to-prepare and flavored dishes to combat a lack of appetite.
- Spend time eating and sitting down.
- If you need oxygen, use it before and after food. The reason is that digestion requires more energy and therefore increases the demand for oxygen.
- Avoid constipationand flatulence . If you have gas, avoid eating legumes, melon, onion, cucumber and carbonated drinks.
- Cured meats (chorizo and salchichón, for example) increase inflammation of the tissues and hinder lung function; fiber-rich diets have the opposite effect.
- Watch your salt intake.
- Consume water outside meals except if you retain fluid and your ankles swell, in which case you should consult your doctor.
