Nutrition is an important aspect of any disease. Eating healthy, nutritious food is necessary as it gives the body the ability to fight off infections and diseases. While COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cannot be regulated with food alone, food and nutrition is very important as the person with COPD requires a lot of energy just to breathe. Hence, this COPD specialist doctor in Kolkata takes a look at some of the aspects of nutrition for a person with COPD.
So, on that note, let’s delve deeper into the topic of nutrition and COPD.
How Does Food Relate to Breathing?
Oxygen and food are the raw materials of metabolism while energy and carbon dioxide are the waste products. Carbon dioxide is exhaled by the body. Hence, the correct mix of nutrients can help you breathe easier. It has been seen that the metabolism of carbohydrates produces the most carbon dioxide for the amount of oxygen used while fats produce the least amount of carbon dioxide. Hence, people will with COPD may find it easier to breathe if they consume a diet with lesser carbohydrates and more fats.
What is a Healthy Weight for a Person With COPD?
For a person with COPD being underweight can be potentially dangerous as the person requires around 430-720 calories just to breathe. Even being overweight is not good for a sufferer from COPD as it may keep your lungs from expanding. You can also develop other diseases like sleep apnea, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Eating Tips for Someone with COPD
To make the foods easier to chew, a person with COPD should ideally cook vegetables until they are soft, grind meats, dip breads in soups, eat pasta, mashed potatoes, soups and casseroles. This way they will expend lesser energy when it comes to consuming food.
Also, according to this COPD specialist doctor in Kolkata, the patient should try to relax before meals, so that they do not get agitated. If they are on oxygen, they should ask their health provider to increase the oxygen flow during meals.
Moreover, try to have small meals instead of large meals and avoid food that causes bloating. Avoid lactose and fried foods so that there is no bloating.
For a proper diet, you need to contact a qualified physician who can help you to chart out a meal plan. This should be done carefully for every individual.
Conclusion
If you are suffering from COPD, get in touch with the best COPD specialist doctor in Kolkata, Dr Amitabha Saha. He is a well-qualified doctor who will treat your COPD with utmost care and concern. So, hurry up and get in touch with him today for a consultation.