We all need to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, but some people need to be more careful than others about what goes into their bodies. If you are suffering from lung diseases or illnesses such as COPD and bronchitis, you need to put extra caution and become more deliberate about what you eat. Chronic health conditions that affect the lungs cause you to have low oxygen saturation in your blood. Inadequate oxygen supply to the cells could be damaging to your health, and even life-threatening if not addressed. Apart from the various treatment methods you can seek such as oxygen therapy and medication, you can also control the disease by practicing a healthy lifestyle of exercising and eating the correct foods. Below are foods you should eat to increase the level of oxygen in your blood.
Alkaline foods
Oxygen and pH levels are related. If pH lowers, the level of oxygen in hemoglobin also decreases. A more alkaline body means higher oxygen levels. The lymph, blood, and fluid in the cerebral spine are designed to be a little bit alkaline with a pH of 7.4. When your body is more alkaline, your cravings for foodstuff like tobacco, sugar, and donuts will be a thing of the past.
Alkaline eating can also prevent cancer, whose primary cause is low levels of oxygen in the cells. This was proved by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Warburg in 1931. When the body is poorly oxygenated, carcinogens and other toxins build up in the blood, causing oxygen to be blocked and from the cells and interfere with respiration.
Alkaline foods include citrus fruits, nuts, green leafy vegetables, legumes, root vegetables, onion, garlic, and ginger. Keep from foods like sugar, carbonated drinks, sweets, and microwaved foods.
Take coffee
Coffee contains your body’s most powerful antioxidant, glutathione. Glutathione is a tripeptide that is found in every cell of your body. Antioxidants help fight free radicals which deprive your body of oxygen. Coffee can increase the production of glutathione in your body by 600%.
Top up on iron foods
Depending on your age and gender, you need 8 to 18 milligrams of iron daily. Great sources of iron include fish and oysters. Oysters have very high iron content, at a level of 5 milligrams per 6 servings of an oyster. Other foods that are rich in iron include dark-meat chicken, cashew nuts, medium-baked tomatoes, kidney beans, and lentils.
Take chlorophyll foods
Chlorophyll, a substance found in plant vegetables, strengthens the organs which produce blood in the body and prevents anemia. They, therefore, help ensure the body has a constant supply of oxygen. Chlorophyll is also rich in antioxidants that can fight ailments such as cancer and kidney stones which have a direct impact on oxygen levels in the blood. Chlorophyll rich foods include dark leafy green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale, blue-green algae, and spirulina. You can blend them into a juice for maximum results.
Try baking soda
Baking soda can help prevent colds and flus which can worsen your condition if you have breathing problems. It is also good for reducing sweet cravings which increase the level of sugar in your blood and aggravate your breathing problems. You can take 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in a ½ cup of water in the morning and before going to bed.
Eat oxygenating foods
Some examples of oxygenating foods include ginger, garlic, coconut oil, turmeric, chocolate, cayenne, and green tea. Other foods that will also add oxygen to your muscles include broccoli, kale, lettuce, cheese, eggs, nuts, sunflower seeds, wild game, fish, and beans.
Pile up on foods rich in vitamin A, folate, and B-12
Foods rich in the above nutrients will boost your levels of oxygen. Folate helps the body manufacture red blood cells. You can find it in foods such as citrus fruits and dark leafy vegetables. Vitamin B-12 helps the body to manufacture hemoglobin. It is contained in foods such as meats, fish, and salmon. Vitamin A also helps to produce red blood cells that transport oxygen. Foods rich in vitamin A include red and orange fruits such as pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and mangoes. You can also get vitamin A from leafy greens and dairy products.
While you switch to a better diet, keep from alcohol and cigarettes because they negate your efforts to live a healthy life.
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