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It can be quite challenging to deal with asthma. Some evidence suggests that diet modification may be helpful. If you have asthma, here is how you should be eating.

Asthma is an ailment in which airways are over-reactive. Symptoms of this common ailment are shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing which result from stimuli that cause the bronchial tubes and small airways to constrict. Even though allergic reactions to food can be the reason for the same exact symptoms as asthma, it is unusual for any certain kind of food to start an asthma attack if that person does not have a food allergy. But there is also evidence that shows what you consume can decrease how often you have an asthma attack. Is guidance what you are looking for? Here are some dietary suggestions for those who have asthma.

Can the symptoms of asthma be controlled by the diet? Diet may do a lot to help with asthma problems since specific foods decrease inflammation. In addition to spastic airways, asthma is characterized by inflammation which causes too much mucous to be produced and blocks the airways. When you have inflammation in your airways, they are at more risk for closing up and causing discomfort and even dangerous asthma problems.

If asthma is a problem for you, what should you be eating to help this? Diet by itself probably won’t be enough to get rid of your asthma, however eating healthy food might help you have fewer attacks and make them milder because of reduced inflammation. To begin with, you must rid your diet of as much processed food as possible and consume fresh fruits and vegetables instead. Many processed foods have high sugar and saturated fat contents and that can trigger inflammation. In some people, asthma can be triggered by eating some processed and canned foods which generally contain sulfites. Fruits and vegetables have a lot of antioxidants and anti inflammatory substances which are beneficial for the immune system and control inflammatory reaction.

Adding more fish to your diet is something you may want to consider doing if you have asthma. Omega 3 oils contained in oily fish like salmon have verified anti inflammatory abilities. Asthma symptoms improved in those children who took fish oil supplements, one study found. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that Resolvin E1 is contained in omega-3′s. This is a chemical that helps to reduce inflammation of airways and may be the reason that omega-3′s seem to help asthma sufferers. Pick oily fish like sardines, mackerel, and salmon, but don’t eat too much since some fish contain a lot of mercury and PCB.

To determine if certain foods trigger your asthma symptoms, try to keep a diary of the food that you eat for a few weeks. Write down everything that you eat as well as your asthma symptoms. Within a few weeks, you should begin to determine which foods effect your asthma attacks. Try to avoid suspected food triggers and see if that has any effect on asthmatic symptoms.

It is critical that you get enough vitamin D if you have asthma. There seems to be a link between low levels of vitamin D and more severe episodes of asthma. Even though the sun is the greatest source for this vital vitamin, oily fish, and cereals with added vitamins and milk are other sources for vitamin D. Think about letting a doctor test your vitamin D level and request supplements if the level is low.