COPD: Keeping your diet healthy
Why is it important to eat regularly and eat healthy foods if you have COPD?
If you have COPD, eating regularly and eating healthy foods is important because:
- Food provides you with energy, including the energy you need to breathe. You need more energy to breathe than a healthy person.
- Nutrients are necessary for a healthy immune system. If you have COPD, you are at increased risk for lung infections. A healthy diet and strong immune system can help you prevent and fight infections.
- If you are overweight, your heart and lungs have to work harder, which makes breathing more difficult. Eating healthy foods can help you lose weight.
- If you do not eat enough or are underweight, you generally feel tired, which in turn makes it more difficult to perform everyday activities. Being underweight may also increase your chance of getting infections. Eating healthy foods can help you gain or maintain your weight.
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Eating regularly and eating healthy foods can help prevent lung infections in people with COPD.
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| Author: | Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS Cynthia Tank | Last Updated: May 8, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Ken Y. Yoneda, MD - Pulmonology | |
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