Eating easy with COPD

Breathe easy:

• Eat little and often to reduce that bloated feeling – more small meals a day, rather than two or three big ones. A full stomach can make you breathless, as your lungs have less room to expand.
• Sit up while eating, to ease the pressure on your lungs.
• Use medication that can make your breathing easier and/or clear your airways at least one hour before eating.
• If you are on continuous oxygen, use it while eating, as it will give your body the oxygen and energy it needs to cope with eating and digestion.
• Try saving your drinks for the end of your meal, so that you don’t feel full too quickly and miss out on essential nourishment.
• If eating makes you short of breath or tired, rest before eating to conserve your energy.
• Choose foods that are easy to swallow.
• Take little bites or mouthfuls, chew slowly and breathe deeply so that you are less likely to become short of breath.

Get prepared:

• When you are feeling up to cooking, make extra and freeze it, so you'll always have a healthy meal in the freezer when you’re lacking in energy or too tired to cook.
• Try to vary the colours and textures of your food and enjoy all of your favourites. You are then much more likely to be tempted by what you are eating and will get a range of different nutrients into your body.
• Take advantage of meals offered by family and friends. A batch of roasted tomatoes, rich in the antioxidant lycopene and drizzled with a bit of olive oil and basil can be delicious whizzed up as a soup or saved till later over a bowl of pasta.
• See if you are eligible to participate in your local Meals on Wheels service or frozen meals deliveries. It may cost a little, but it would be worth it and can save you lots of time and energy. Contact your Home Care Organiser in your local social services department.
• Choose foods that are easy to prepare and save your energy for eating.
• Eat your main meal earlier, rather than later so that you have enough energy to get through the day.
• Don’t be afraid to use convenience foods. Use your new found knowledge of nutritional labelling to choose the ones that are right for you.  There is lots of variety in supermarkets these days – frozen, chilled or packet ready and they have come a long way in terms of taste and nutritional value. They may be a little costly but you are not having to prepare foods yourself and will save time, energy, food wastage and cooking fuel.
• Keep healthy snack foods visible and within easy reach.
• Brush your teeth before meals so that your mouth feels fresh and you’ll be able to taste your food better.

Setting the scene:

• Enjoy the company of family and friends while eating at home, or go out to dinner.
• Eat in a relaxed and calming atmosphere – set the table, eat in the garden, enjoy using your best pottery and play some soothing background music to encourage ease of eating.
• Use colourful garnishes to brighten food and make it more appealing – simple touches like a sprinkle of your favourite herbs may help.

Myths and facts nutrition quiz

Test your knowledge on the misconceptions about managing your diet with COPD with this myths and facts nutrition quiz. We all know that eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential for optimising good health but what does healthy eating mean for you? Take this short myths and facts nutrition quiz to see if you understand how COPD affects your own nutritional requirements. Your results will include lots of useful tips and advice about shopping, eating and cooking well with COPD, along with some useful links to help you achieve the best from your diet to maintain your health.

1. Eating a healthy balanced diet will help to cure COPD.

   False – Although following a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle cannot prevent or cure COPD, it can help you feel better and give you more energy for your day-to-day activities, including breathing and eating. It will also provide your body with lots of essential vitamins and minerals to help boost your immune system and help you fight against future chest infections, as well as reduce your risk of developing long-term diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

2. It is much better to be underweight rather than overweight.

   False – It is important to try to maintain as healthy a weight as possible, as being underweight or overweight is bad for your health. If you are overweight, your heart and lungs have to work harder to breathe and supply oxygen to your body making you feel lethargic and generally unwell. In the long term, carrying around excess weight, particularly around the waist, will increase your risk of other health problems such as high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Likewise, making sure you are not underweight should help to ensure that your body has the necessary strength to prevent muscle wasting or weakening, get through any chest infections, prevent any further illness and help fight disease.

3. Having three good meals a day is better than grazing all day on snacks.

   False – With COPD it is better to eat little and often. Try to eat more small meals throughout the day rather than three larger meals, as this will help to reduce that bloated feeling. A full stomach can make you breathless, as your lungs have less room to expand. What’s more is that you will be able to pack more nutrients and calories into your diet by varying your food choices and having smaller, easy-to-tolerate meals.

4. Nutritional supplements are essential to make sure I get all of my recommended vitamins and minerals.

   False – For most healthy people you should be able to get all the vitamin and minerals that your body needs by eating a wide variety of foods from each of the different food groups. Supplements as their name suggest should only be used to supplement a healthy diet and are not a substitute for good eating habits! Indeed studies continually show that the body is better able to absorb nutrients from food. Please note – It is always advisable to speak to your doctor or state registered dietitian before including supplements into your diet, as they may interact with different medications that you are taking.

5. Tea and coffee doesn’t count towards my recommended fluid intake.

   It is a common myth that drinking caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee causes the body to lose water. Research has shown that it may affect the hydration of the body only when it is drunk in excess and in someone who is not accustomed to caffeine, that it might affect the hydration of the body. The majority of people can safely tolerate caffeine and far from being dehydrating, it actually counts towards your daily fluid intake. The British Lung Foundation recommends that you drink about 2.5 litres of water or other fluids a day (about 8–10 (250ml) glasses) and to drink more when the weather is warm, exercising or when you have a fever. Water will not only help improve your digestion (keeping stools softer and easier to pass when eating higher fibre foods), it helps keep secretions in your lungs thin and easier to cough up. Check with your doctor about your fluid requirements, especially if you are taking diuretics (sometimes called water tablets).

6. A few twists of the salt grinder over my fish and chips will do no harm.

   False – Be careful not to go overboard on the salt! Most of us know that eating too much salt is not good for our blood pressure and heart health, but what you might be surprised to hear is that excess salt in your diet could cause your body to hold onto extra water – as much as 1.5 litres (or around two and a half pints) of fluid which could potentially make your breathing more difficult. It is recommended that we do not eat more than 6g salt (around a teaspoon) a day to benefit our health. Most of the salt you eat is not what you add to your food, but is hidden in prepared foods like breakfast cereals, bread, some meats, meat dishes savoury snacks and ready meals, so it is worthwhile getting into the habit of checking food labels, as you could be easily eating too much salt without realising it.

7. Fresh fruit and vegetables are not always better than frozen.

   True – The longer fruit and vegetables sit on the shelf the more vitamins, particularly vitamin C, are lost. Fruit and vegetables are usually frozen as soon as they have been picked which helps retain several of their essential vitamins. If you are struggling to get to the shops, make sure you have your freezer stocked with lots of delicious varieties of frozen fruit and vegetables. Here are a few good examples of how to use them – throw frozen fruits into smoothies, defrost them and mix with yogurt for breakfast or scatter over your cereal. Frozen vegetables can always make a great addition to your main meal, or simply whizzed together with vegetable stock for a quick hearty broth. Don’t forget that frozen, fresh, dried or canned will all help you towards your recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Also, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, pure fruit juice smoothies and pulses count.

8. A quick fix diet is a great way to get my excess weight off in no time.

   False – Losing weight is all about changing your energy balance. The only way to lose the weight is to burn more calories than you eat. You can achieve this by gradually eating or by exercising more. The key to successful weight loss is not to go on a crash diet but to change how you eat and enjoy eating a healthy balanced diet for life. It is important that you lose the weight steadily and slowly over time – 0.5–1 kilogram (1–2lbs) a week is good and achievable. This will help ensure that you still have the energy to breathe easy and go about your daily activities. You don’t need to go it alone; there is lots of help and support available out there to help you in your quest to lose weight. For further information and advice on losing weight sensibly, please visit NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk)

9. I have a poor appetite but I need to gain weight. Aren’t all of these high energy foods that I have been told to eat bad for me?

   False –The key consideration for you at the moment is to get your weight back to a healthy level. If you are underweight you may feel weak and tired and be more susceptible to infections and illness, which in the short term can be very dangerous. When you have a poor appetite, you need to maximise calories and essential nutrients into each mouthful. It is understandable to be over faced by large meals, which could actually make your breathing worse, by putting extra pressure on your chest. High energy, high fat foods can be added to a variety of foods to make them more energy/calorie rich. Choose from whole milk, whole milk yogurts and hard cheese, olive oil, rapeseed oil margarine, cream cheese, jams, full fat mayonnaise, peanut butter, nuts and seeds, eggs, fresh fruit juice and honey.

10. Alcohol is banned when you have been diagnosed with COPD.

    False – It is important to keep to sensible limits when drinking alcohol as it can increase your risk of stroke, osteoporosis and some cancers. If you are watching your weight, don’t forget that alcoholic drinks are a source of energy (providing seven calories per gram). Please note – alcohol should only be drunk under the care and guidance of your doctor as it interferes with the effectiveness of some medications you may be taking, e.g. oral steroids.

Healthy diet information

This section contains useful information which has been collated to help you maintain a diet that’s right for a healthy lifestyle. See the list of links below for further information on healthy eating, healthy snack options, BMI, fridge essentials and much more.

Which foods should you eat more of and which should you eat less of? Teach yourself about food groups, balanced meals, portion sizes, and how to cut down on sugar and saturated fats. Read more about eating well.

Here, Body Mass Index is explained. Information on body shapes, waist sizes, and the risks of obesity associated with these factors. Read more about healthy body weight.

Learn how to lose weight steadily and sensibly. Get information on BMI, calorie intake, food diaries, and the science behind weight loss. Read more about losing weight sensibly.

Snacking doesn’t need to be unhealthy. Learn how planning ahead, and snacking on foods such as fruits and cereal bars, can benefit your diet. Read more about healthy snacking options.

Eating out can be as healthy as you want it to be. Learn which foods to choose when dining out, and how you can make the whole experience healthier without compromising on enjoyment. Read more about eating out healthily.

Keeping the fridge stocked with healthy essentials is vital to a balanced diet. See which meat, vegetables and dairy products we recommend you always have in your fridge. Read more about healthy fridge essentials.

Get organised for a healthier diet with a diverse food cupboard. Learn which foods are best for making the basis of quick, nutritious meals – including vegetable oils, tinned fish and pulses. Read more about healthy store cupboard essentials.

Take our simple healthy eating questionnaire to see if you’re eating healthily or if there is some room for improvement. There are ten multiple-choice questions with advice and top tips along the way to help you boost your eating patterns for life. Good luck!