Patients with COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease understand the problems caused by breathing difficulties when going on with day-to-day activities. According to ALA (American Lung Association) statistics, COPD affects approximately 24 million Americans. The problem is characterized by a mixture of symptoms from two common lung conditions namely; chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD also causes malnutrition which results in massive weight loss since the chronic disease demands approximately ten times more calories to cope with symptoms like breathing.
That is precisely why COPD patients are required to maintain healthy lifestyles. Eating and exercising are crucial when managing COPD. Although a healthy diet doesn’t cure COPD, it makes life easier by strengthening the immune system which helps to keep off chest infection. A healthy lifestyle will also give you all the excess energy you need to cope with breathing difficulties among other symptoms like chronic fatigue that increase the body’s energy needs.
Eat a “Heavy” Breakfast
You’ve probably heard the statement, “breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day”. Although most people have heard this statement casually from close family members (your mum), it is backed by science. Health scientists from the University of Pittsburgh have attested to this stating that we should eat more, earlier in the day.
This statement is much more critical when you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease given one of the primary symptoms of the disease is chronic fatigue which can be fought off by increasing energy supply in the body. A full breakfast will provide you with the much-needed energy to take on the day as well as some excess energy to utilize when you are struggling with fatigue.
The breakfast should be packed with healthy carbohydrates. However, don’t forget to include other food groups as well such as vitamins to help fight off infections and protein to help you build some much-needed muscle mass.
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