Emphysema belongs to a family of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases known as COPD. It is a disorder that affects the air sacs of your lungs, making breathing difficult. With emphysema, an enormous amount of energy is needed for the breathing muscles, making a nutritious diet imperative. Few dietary restrictions exist with emphysema and are usually unique to each individual. However, some guidelines exist that may help improve pulmonary functioning.
Emphysema
The air sacs in your lungs are round and clustered, like bunches of grapes. Emphysema turns these small sacs into large pouches with holes in the inside lining. This causes a reduced surface capacity for oxygen to pass into the bloodstream. As emphysema progresses, the airways leading to these sacs become constricted and eventually collapse, leaving air trapped inside your lungs. Treatment may slow emphysema but at the time of publication, no cure existed.
Dairy Products
Consuming foods that produce phlegm may make breathing more difficult because it may block the smaller air sacs. Although not everyone finds excessive phlegm production an issue, for those who do, avoiding dairy products, such as milk and cheese, may help. Dairy products may also make phlegm thicker and coughing it up may prove problematic. If milk and cheese do not affect you, there is no need to avoid them.
Salt Intake
Swelling and fluid retention are common with emphysema and usually the culprit is excessive salt intake. Reducing your daily salt intake may help decrease the amount of swelling in your extremities and allow the liquid you drink to be carried out into your urine or perspiration. If swelling is an issue, speak with your doctor about a salt and sodium-restrictive diet and the possibility of taking diuretics, water pills.
Other Considerations
To keep your stomach from pushing against your lungs, smaller meals may help. Eating more frequently will prevent a full stomach from competing for space. Avoid gas-producing foods such as anything spicy, hot or fatty. Caffeine, beer and carbonated liquids may also produce a fuller stomach. Other foods to be aware of are Brussels sprout, bran, cabbage, beans and prunes. Carbohydrates may also pose a problem for some people, since carbs produce carbon dioxide when digested, which is expelled when you breathe, putting more stress on your lungs. Excessive alcohol may also interfere with breathing.
