How to Fight and Relieve Asthma Symptoms Naturally Through Nutrition

Your one-stop source for information on the optimal diet, the top 19 foods, and the best recipes for preventing and relieving asthma symptoms.

Asthma is a respiratory disorder affecting the airways of the lungs. The airways of asthma sufferers occasionally constrict, become inflamed, and start making more mucus, often in response to an allergen (such as cold air, exercise, infection, tobacco smoke, or emotional stress). This may result in symptoms like wheezing, coughing (especially at night), trouble breathing, or a feeling of constriction within the chest. Some asthmatics may have no symptoms for long periods of time but are then suddenly attacked by asthma symptoms, while others experience symptoms more frequently. Asthma has gained much public attention in recent years, as the condition is rapidly becoming more prevalent, afflicting almost 20 million Americans today. The most effective way of controlling asthma is identifying triggers of the attacks and limiting exposure to them. However, if trigger avoidance is insufficient, a number of drugs are available. Moreover, nutritional choices may also help reduce attacks and the severity of symptoms.

What you will find in this Guide

This Nutrition Guide for Asthma Sufferers aims to provide comprehensive information on how to fight asthma naturally at home with food and proper nutrition. The page you are currently viewing is the home page of the Guide — all the latest news and tips are published here, so be sure to bookmark this page! Other sections provide information on dietary habits and foods that can help fight and alleviate asthma symptoms as well as delicious anti-asthma recipes. You can navigate this Guide by using the menu on the right.

Important Notice: The information on this website, including the information above, has not been verified for correctness or completeness, and some of the information may not be correct. Information included on this website is not a substitute for professional nutrition advice or for professional medical or health advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment, making any changes to existing treatment or altering your current exercise or diet regimen.

THIS WEEK'S SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE

Citrusy Power-Smoothie

Perhaps you've already heard about the study that associated a high intake of citrus fruit with reduced risk of asthma in children. This week's smoothie combines common citrus and banana with turmeric, one of HealWithFood.org's top anti-asthma foods. Curcumin, the key active ingrdient in turmeric, has been shown to inhibit the release of histamine, a substance that plays a key role in the development of asthma symptoms.

View This Recipe

View Last Week's Recipe

HEALTHIFY YOUR KITCHEN

Soup Maker – A Blender That Also Cooks

No question about it, regular blenders and smoothie makers are a great addition to any healthy kitchen. But why get a regular blender, which only creates cold drinks/meals, if you can get a blender that also cooks? As electric soup makers come with both a blending mechanism and a heating element (which can also be turned off), they easily beat most regular blenders in terms of versatility. Despite being labeled as soup makers, these multi-purpose kitchen appliances are also perfect for making sauces, cold smoothies, baby food, and salad dressings, and some models – such as the Cuisinart's SBC-1000 soup maker pictured above – can even crush ice! To learn more about these multi-functional kitchen gadgets, check out this week's special feature:

Choosing an Electric Soup Maker

Other Invaluable Kitchen Tools:

Yogurt Makers with Glass Cups

Non-Plastic Water Bottles

Deli Meat & Food Slicers for Home Uses

Non-Plastic Electric Kettles

Plastic-Free Lunchboxes

Stainless Steel Food Dehydrators

Non-Toxic Frying Pans

Manual, Non-Plastic Citrus Squeezers

Stainless Steel Popsicle Molds

QUICK LINKS

10 Diet Tips for Asthma Sufferers

Learn how certain eating habits may help keep asthma attacks away.

See Article

Best Foods for Preventing and Alleviating Asthma

Here, we look into some common foods with asthma-fighting potential.

See Article

Anti-Asthma Recipes – From Soups to Breakfast Dishes

Create delicious dishes using foods with asthma-fighting potential.

See Article

You may have already heard of curcumin, an anti-inflammatory compound that gives turmeric root its potential anti-asthmatic properties and other health benefits. But in order for curcumin to exert its beneficial effects, sufficient amounts must be absorbed by the body. Early research suggests that piperine, a phytochemical found in black pepper, may boost the absorption of curcumin from turmeric. To learn more, click here.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Leafy Greens Cookbook
High consumption of green leafy vegetables has been associated with a lower prevalence of adult asthma, but coming up with ideas on how to incorporate these nutritional heavyweights into your diet is not always easy. In The Leafy Greens Cookbook, private chef and caterer Kathryn Anible provides 100 creative recipes featuring both common leafy greens as well as some less well known green goodies, such as escarole, dandelion greens, and rapini. To buy this inspiring cookbook, or to read what people who have already bought it have to say, click here (US residents) or here (UK residents).