Be Well
may all be well
Maybe other people have ideas or things that work, I'll start with some that help me, and will post more later. Not going to write an article but just a list of things that have helped me.
Food that aggravate:
Avoiding gooey cold foods - in Ayurveda foods that aggravate "Kapha" (where our English word "cough" comes from) - are bad for asthma. Foods that cause more congestion according to the Ayurvedic system are foods that are cold in temperature, or in energy, gooey, sticky, fatty and/or sweet. So these are foods I have rarely or never, or in strict moderation, and I find that if I indulge, my asthma is worse for a couple of days or so.
Also seasonal eating helps - avoiding cold foods when it's cold, rainy or snowy and eating them only in hot months is best.
Ice cream
Yogurt (I have rarely, and mix it with water to make a drink - lassi - with a bit of spice or fruit)
Sour cream - (I have rarely, usually in potato salad when it's hot out)
Cold cheese or foods with tons of cheese
Foods with cream sauces
Cold gooey desserts in general
Lots of bananas
Cold smoothies or other cold drinks - I find that drinking things room temperature or warm works much better
Orange juice unless diluted and drunk hot - yes, hot - like hot lemonade, hot orangeade!
I'm sure there are more foods that aggravate asthma - best is to experiment and listen to your body.
Foods that help
Hot foods like hot soup
Hot spicey foods - within reason and tolerance and taking other possible conditions into consideration
Good spices in general for asthma - cinnamon, cardamom, ginger both root and powder, black pepper, jalapenos or cayenne or other chilis if tolerated
Some of these spices help liquify mucus for better elimination, others dry it up (like black pepper) and they all help the lung function.
Easy to digest foods suitable for constitution - if food stagnates in the innards, lungs are likely to get more congestion. So small meals or whatever it takes to digest foods well. Chewing helps, too!
Drinks
Some teas and drinks are very helpful for asthma, I'll list ones I know of.
Coffee is said to be a bronchodilator, so I use it occasionally but for regular coffee drinkers it may not have such an effect
Spicy teas, either black tea with spices added or just the spices
Ginger tea in particular - peel and grate or mince fresh ginger root, simmer with the lid and drink with a bit of honey or sugar, can add a bit of lemon juice or milk (NOT both!!!)
Chai type tea - I just made some today, proportions vary so try what works. either use whole spices and simmer for about 45 minutes with lid on, or use powdered and just steep for some minutes and stir and drink with sweetener and hot milk:
Ginger - I used dry and fresh
Black Pepper - I used pepper corns
Cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon
Sometimes I add Fennel. Traditionally mixed with hot milk and sweetened. Very good in cold weather - helps lungs, digestion and circulation.
Hot lemonade - could be made with grapefruit or orange juice, and some peel grated in (organic only as regular citrus peels have really bad stuff on them). I make mine with bottled organic lime juice as it is more tolerable to me than lemon (previous long ago ulcer) and fresh ones are too expensive for me. Adding a pinch or two of powdered ginger makes a tasty drink that helps the lungs.
A special Ayurvedic herb called variously Long Pepper or Pippli (or Pippali) is excellent for the lungs. Make a tea with just Pippli or add it to other drinks. Later I will describe a special healing tea that has helped me immensely. Also will give my essential oil Lung formula.
Food that aggravate:
Avoiding gooey cold foods - in Ayurveda foods that aggravate "Kapha" (where our English word "cough" comes from) - are bad for asthma. Foods that cause more congestion according to the Ayurvedic system are foods that are cold in temperature, or in energy, gooey, sticky, fatty and/or sweet. So these are foods I have rarely or never, or in strict moderation, and I find that if I indulge, my asthma is worse for a couple of days or so.
Also seasonal eating helps - avoiding cold foods when it's cold, rainy or snowy and eating them only in hot months is best.
Ice cream
Yogurt (I have rarely, and mix it with water to make a drink - lassi - with a bit of spice or fruit)
Sour cream - (I have rarely, usually in potato salad when it's hot out)
Cold cheese or foods with tons of cheese
Foods with cream sauces
Cold gooey desserts in general
Lots of bananas
Cold smoothies or other cold drinks - I find that drinking things room temperature or warm works much better
Orange juice unless diluted and drunk hot - yes, hot - like hot lemonade, hot orangeade!
I'm sure there are more foods that aggravate asthma - best is to experiment and listen to your body.
Foods that help
Hot foods like hot soup
Hot spicey foods - within reason and tolerance and taking other possible conditions into consideration
Good spices in general for asthma - cinnamon, cardamom, ginger both root and powder, black pepper, jalapenos or cayenne or other chilis if tolerated
Some of these spices help liquify mucus for better elimination, others dry it up (like black pepper) and they all help the lung function.
Easy to digest foods suitable for constitution - if food stagnates in the innards, lungs are likely to get more congestion. So small meals or whatever it takes to digest foods well. Chewing helps, too!
Drinks
Some teas and drinks are very helpful for asthma, I'll list ones I know of.
Coffee is said to be a bronchodilator, so I use it occasionally but for regular coffee drinkers it may not have such an effect
Spicy teas, either black tea with spices added or just the spices
Ginger tea in particular - peel and grate or mince fresh ginger root, simmer with the lid and drink with a bit of honey or sugar, can add a bit of lemon juice or milk (NOT both!!!)
Chai type tea - I just made some today, proportions vary so try what works. either use whole spices and simmer for about 45 minutes with lid on, or use powdered and just steep for some minutes and stir and drink with sweetener and hot milk:
Ginger - I used dry and fresh
Black Pepper - I used pepper corns
Cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon
Sometimes I add Fennel. Traditionally mixed with hot milk and sweetened. Very good in cold weather - helps lungs, digestion and circulation.
Hot lemonade - could be made with grapefruit or orange juice, and some peel grated in (organic only as regular citrus peels have really bad stuff on them). I make mine with bottled organic lime juice as it is more tolerable to me than lemon (previous long ago ulcer) and fresh ones are too expensive for me. Adding a pinch or two of powdered ginger makes a tasty drink that helps the lungs.
A special Ayurvedic herb called variously Long Pepper or Pippli (or Pippali) is excellent for the lungs. Make a tea with just Pippli or add it to other drinks. Later I will describe a special healing tea that has helped me immensely. Also will give my essential oil Lung formula.