Diets And Asthma

"Diet" is a four-letter word. Just looking at the word "diet" is distasteful, as I conjure up images of eating granola and tree bark. But "diet" doesn't always have to be a four-letter word; a healthy diet can be tasty and satisfying. Fundamentally, what I'm asking you to do is, over a period of months, gradually shift your diet from a meat-loving, fatty Western diet to a healthier, fish and vegetable-rich diet. You don't have to give up everything—you can still have the occasional steak and pint of ice cream—just eat less of them.

 

I'm not going to tell you what percentage of your diet should come from fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Nor will I suggest how many calories you should eat every day. Rather than focusing your attention on minutia, concentrate on healthy living, on what you're eating, not how much. Concern yourself on how you exercise and how you feel, not on how many minutes you pound the treadmill or how many calories you burn off. Counting calories only forces you to fixate on food. Rather, your focus should be devoted to lifestyle, asking yourself every day "What have I done today to make my life better?" not "How many calories does this slice of cheese have?" If, after three months, you still haven't achieved a slimmer and healthier you, then I might recommend visiting a nutritionist to talk about calories and carbohydrates.

 

Diet is extremely important for anyone with a medical condition, especially asthma. Multiple studies have documented that a healthy diet can protect against asthma, whereas an unhealthy diet can increase the risk of asthma. For many asthmatics, eating right will mean the difference between feeling lousy and feeling well. For some asthmatics, diet may mean the difference between life and death, a message demonstrated by a British study that linked high salt intake to increased asthma mortality.