2. ● Your body needs food as fuel to perform all activities,
including breathing.
● The right mix of nutrients in your body can help you
breathe easier.
● Good nutrition helps the body fight infections.
● Breathing requires more energy for people with COPD
o A person with COPD may burn up to 10 times
more calories during breathing than a healthy
person.
Why is Nutrition Important?
3. ● Metabolism: the process of changing food to fuel in
the body
o Food and oxygen are changed into energy and
carbon dioxide
o Carbon dioxide is a waste product and is exhaled
● You use energy for ALL activities - from sleeping to
exercise
Food + Oxygen Energy + Carbon
How Does Food Relate to Breathing?
4. ● Maintain a healthy body weight
● A registered dietician can tell you
○ What your “goal” weight should be
○ How many calories you should
consume per day.
Nutritional Guidelines
5. ● Overweight: heart and lungs have to work
harder, makes breathing more difficult
o exercise regularly, limit total daily calories
● Underweight: May feel weak and tired, more
likely to get an infection
o Must consume enough calories to produce
energy to prevent weakening of the
diaphragm and other respiratory muscles.
Nutritional Guidelines
6. ● Monitor your weight: if you have an unexplained
weight gain or loss (2lbs/day or 5lbs/week), notify
your doctor
o diuretics (fluid pills) may make you lose weight
May need to take potassium supplement (ask
your doctor)
Foods high in potassium: bananas, oranges,
potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus
o steroids may make you gain weight
Other Nutritional Guidelines
7. ● Drink plenty of fluids: 6-8 eight-ounce glasses per day of non caffeinated beverages to keep mucus thin and
easier to cough up.
Note: If you have a heart problem such as CHF as well
as COPD, follow doctors’ guidelines for limiting
fluids.
8. ● Make sure you are getting enough calcium
and vitamin D
○ take supplements if necessary
● Wear your nasal cannula while eating if
continuous oxygen is prescribed
○ Eating and digestion require energy, your
body will need the oxygen
9. ● Avoid overeating or foods that cause gas or
bloating
○ Might make breathing difficult
○ Foods that cause gas include:
■ carbonated beverages
■ fried, greasy, heavily spiced foods
■ apples, avocados, and melons
■ beans, broccoli, brussel
sprouts,cabbage
10. ● Include high fiber foods: vegetables, fruit,
cooked dried beans, pasta, rice
○ moves food along the digestive tract
○ helps control glucose levels
○ Can reduce cholesterol levels
○ Goal - consume 20-35 grams per day
11. Control the sodium (salt) in your diet
○ Consuming too much causes the body to
retain too much water, which causes
breathing to be difficult
○ Helpful hints to limit daily salt intake
■ remove salt shaker from table, use herbs
or no salt spices to flavor foods, don’t
add salts to food when cooking, avoid
foods with > 300mg sodium/serving
12. ● Dyspnea (shortness of breath) and cough
interfere with adequate dietary intake.
● Fatigue interferes with buying and preparing
foods.
● Chronic mouth breathing alters the taste of food.
● Headaches and mental status changes occur
because of excess levels of carbon dioxide in the
blood.
Reasons for Poor Nutrition
With Lung Disease
13.
14. ● Drink milk instead of low-calorie beverages.
● Talk to your doctor or dietician about supplementing
meals with a nutritional supplement such as ensure
or boost. Supplements help increase calories and
provides nutrients to your body.
● Avoid low-fat or low-calorie products.
o Examples of high calorie snacks: ice cream,
cookies, pudding, cheese, granola bars, crackers
with peanut butter, eggs, fruit or vegetables with
dip, popcorn with butter
Tips for Gaining Weight
15. ● Clear your airways one hour prior to eating
● Eat slowly. Take small bites. Breathe deeply while chewing.
● Choose foods that are easy to chew.
● Instead of eating 3 large meals, try eating 5-6 small meals.
This will keep your stomach from filling up too much so
your lungs have more room to expand.
● Drink liquids at the end of your meal. Drinking during a meal
might make you feel bloated.
● Eat while sitting up to relieve the pressure on your abdomen.
Tips to Overcome
Shortness of Breath While Eating
16. ● Choose foods that are easy to prepare. If you
use all of your energy to cook, you won’t
have enough left to eat.
● Rest just before eating.
● Eat largest meal with higher calorie intake
early in the morning.
● Avoid non nutritious beverages (coffee, tea,
sodas)
Tips for Improving Your Appetite & Diet
17. ● Eat more protein and fat, less simple sugars.
● Walk or other light activity to stimulate
appetite.
● Keep food visible and within reach.
● Choose high-protein, high-calorie snacks
● Limit alcohol consumption: might slow
down your breathing and make it difficult to
cough up mucus.
Tips for Improving Your Appetite & Diet
18. It is very important
to choose foods
from each food
group to ensure that
you are receiving
all the nutrients that
you need.
20. ● The things you eat can affect the way you breathe.
● It’s important to maintain a healthy body weight.
● Pay attention to how many calories you consume per day.
● Avoid overeating.
● Avoid foods and beverages that cause gas or bloating.
● Include high-fiber foods in your daily diet.
● Limit sodium (salt) intake.
● Use nutritional supplements as recommended.
● Choose foods from each food group when planning your
daily meals to ensure you are receiving the appropriate
nutrients.
Conclusion
21. ● Advance Healthcare Network for Respiratory Care
and Sleep Medicine
● The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
● American Lung Association
● The Cleveland Clinic
● COPD Foundation
● United States Department of Agriculture:
ChooseMyPlate.gov
References