If you are suffering from COPD, you will find that consuming certain types of foods and avoiding some others may help you keep your condition under control. While a good diet cannot cure you of this condition, it can make your body strong enough to fight chest infections that can often lead to hospitalization when you have COPD. The idea is to know foods to eat for COPD to help ease the symptoms.

1. Complex carbs
These have long sugar molecular chains and the body needs more time to digest these. This is why eating complex carbohydrates like whole grains, beans, lentils, fresh fruits, starchy vegetables, etc., can provide a sustained energy release.

2. Protein-rich foods
When you have COPD, you can choose to eat high-protein foods like fatty fish that have omega-3 fatty acids beneficial for heart health. The best foods to eat for COPD include eggs, fish, legumes, tofu, milk, cheese, nuts, and seeds. Protein foods can boost muscle mass and help patients gain a desirable weight if they need to. For people who need to shed weight, eating proteins instead of refined carbs is a good option.

3. Mono/polyunsaturated fats
These are the healthy fats known to lower high cholesterol levels, and can be found in fish like salmon, vegetable oils like avocado and olive oil, and nuts and seeds. If you are suffering from COPD and must gain weight, you can consider adding these healthy fats to your meals.

4. Vegetables and fruits
Fresh produce is highly recommended for COPD patients as these are excellent sources of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The non-starchy veggies except for corn, potatoes, and peas, can be a part of the COPD diet.

5. Potassium-rich foods
It is necessary to include potassium-containing foods like dark green leafy veggies, beets, asparagus, tomatoes, oranges, bananas, avocados, etc as these can help when you are taking diuretics.

6. Vitamins/minerals
People with COPD may often be prescribed steroids to manage their condition, but long-term use of such medications can increase your body’s calcium need. So, you should consider taking calcium supplements. It is best to use one with vitamin D.

7. Herbs
When too much salt in the diet can cause swelling or edema, it is best to consider using herbs and spices instead, so that your blood pressure is in check.

8. Fluids
Drinking more water or fluids are recommended for COPD patients, so that they stay hydrated. This helps in quick mucus removal too. Instead of drinking a lot of water at one go, you must try and spread it across the entire day.

9. Nuts
People diagnosed with COPD find it difficult to eat calorie-rich foods, and this causes nutritional deficiencies in them. So, you can consider eating high-calorie foods like nut butter varieties, like almond butter or peanut butter without added sugar, and nuts to boost the daily calorie intake.

10. Fatty fish
Many COPD patients suffer from protein deficiency, and for them, foods like fatty fish, eggs, chicken, nut butter, etc., can be good lean-protein sources. You can even consider using protein powder to prepare a smoothie for them. Fish like herring, salmon, tuna, and sardines are excellent diet choices for such patients as they contain omega-3 fatty acids. Since COPD is caused by chronic inflammation, these omega-3 fatty acids can prove to be effective in fighting this and easing the symptoms.