ASTHMA

EAT PLENTY OF
• Fruits and vegetables (aim for 5 to 10 servings per day)
• Chicken soup, broth, and other fluids to help thin bronchial mucus.
• Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines to counter inflammation.

AVOID
• Any foods, including additives, that seem to bring on attacks.
• Mushrooms, cheese, soy sauce, and yeasty breads if molds trigger attacks.
• Salicylates, an ingredient in aspirin, tea, vinegar, salad dressings, many fruits, and a few vegetables.
• Any food preserved with sulfites.
• Foods containing tartrazine, or yellow food dye 5.

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that is leading cause of childhood deaths, especially among city dwellers. The rising toll of asthma has puzzled doctors, but many attribute it to a combination of factors, such as the cost of asthma medications, which may be beyond the means of low-income families, improper use of asthma medications, and exposure to environmental pollutants.
Wheezing, chest tightness, labored breathing, and other asthma symptoms occur when the tiny muscles that control the airways to the lungs constrict, causing a bronchospasm. Normally, the airways narrow somewhat when exposed to smoke, pollutants, very cold air, or substances that are harmful if inhaled. In asthmatic people, however, the response is exaggerated and often triggered by otherwise harmless substances or activities, such as pollen and other allergens and exercise.
Heredity may be a factor. The reason some people have hyperactive airways is unknown; heredity, however, is suspected of playing a role, because the disease runs in families. Many asthmatics also have hay fever and other allergies. Although stress and emotional upsets can trigger or worsen an attack, experts emphasize that asthma is a lung disease, not a psychological disorder; as such, it should be treated as a serious and even debilitating physical condition.
Some asthma attacks are quickly reversed by taking a bronchodilator medication. These ease symptoms by opening the constricted airways. Other episodes are more prolonged, and, as the airways become more inflamed and clogged with mucus, breathing becomes increasingly difficult. In such cases, an injection of epinephrine (Adrenalin) and a corticosteroid drug may be needed to stop the attack.
Although asthma is a chronic disease, the changes that occur during an attack are temporary, and the lungs generally function normally at other times. When asthma starts during childhood, the frequency and severity of attacks tend to lessen as the youngster grows and may disappear by adulthood. Some adults, however, suffer a recurrence, often as an aftermath of a viral infection. In such cases, the asthma may be even more severe than it was in childhood.

ELIMINATING TRIGGERS
Doctors agree that the best treatment for asthma entails identifying and then avoiding its triggers. In some instances these are obvious—for example, exposure to tobacco smoke and other noxious fumes, cold air, exercise, or an allergy to animal dander. Seasonal asthma is usually due to various pollens, molds, and other environmental factors. Suspected allergens can usually be identified by blood and skin rests.
Food allergies can cause attacks. In many asthma sufferers, food allergies are a trigger; in these cases, identifying the culprits may require considerable detective work, especially in children. Because food allergies vary from person to person, there is no handy list of offenders. But sometimes a child unconsciously links a food with his asthma by fussing or refusing to eat it. Complaints such as “it makes my mouth feel funny” may point to an allergy. Often, foods that trigger asthma are identified by keeping a careful record of the time and ingestion of all foods and drinks, as well as any asthma symptoms. After a few weeks, a pattern of offending foods may emerge. A doctor can then do confirming skin or other allergy tests.
For some people, inadvertently ingested environmental allergens are the problem rather than the foods. People allergic to ragweed, for example, may also react to pyrethrum, a natural pesticide made from chrysanthemums, or to other allergens related to plants. Similarly, people allergic to mildew and other environmental molds may react to molds in foods; common offenders include cheese, mushrooms, hot dogs and other processed meats, as well as anything that is fermented, including soy sauce, beer, wine, and vinegar.
Salicylates—compounds in the same family as the active ingredient in aspirin and found naturally in may fruits may trigger asthma. Yellow food dye 5 (tartrazine) is chemically similar to salicylate, although it is less potent.

HELPFUL FOODS
There are no specific foods that prevent asthma, but some may lessen its complications. Omega 3 fatty acids, found in salmon, mackerel, sardines, and other cold-water fish, have an anti inflammatory effect and may counter bronchial inflammation. Evidence continues to grow on the protective effects of fruits and vegetables on lung function.
Eat at least 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily and include one citrus fruit. These foods all provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, important for healthy lung function. Vitamin C helps promote a healthy immune system and may be helpful in reducing wheezing in children with asthma. Some studies have linked weight gain with adult onset asthma. In addition, when obese people with asthma lose weight, there can be an improvement in asthma symptoms.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
Like everyone else, asthma patients need to consume a healthful, balanced diet, but this is sometimes difficult if allergies require eliminating entire food groups (for example, milk and other dairy products). A dietitian can recommend substitutes or supplements to ensure maintaining good nutrition.
Asthma drugs can create nutritional problems. Long term steroid use, for example, causes bone loss, vitamin D and calcium supplements may be needed to strengthen bones. Potassium deficiency is another potential problem; it can be prevented by eating ample citrus fruits, bananas, dried fruits, berries, beets, tomatoes, and green leafy vegetables. Epinephrine and other bronchodilator drugs can cause feelings of nervousness, which are exacerbated by caffeine. It may be advisable to switch to decaffeinated coffee.