Children with bronchial asthma should limit what to eat?

This article is professionally consulted by Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh - Head of Respiratory - Asthma - Allergy - Clinical Immunology Unit, Vinmec Times City International Hospital.

Some foods that can trigger an existing asthma attack. Avoiding some of the following foods can limit asthma flare-ups. Let's work with the doctor of Vinmec International General Hospital to choose the right food when the child has this disease.

Asthma is a severe inflammatory airway disease, leading to symptoms such as airway obstruction, increased phlegm, edema, and spasms. In daily life, we often call bronchial asthma as asthma or asthma.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the bronchi, the disease not only affects health, but if serious, can also kill the patient's life, especially children. Therefore, when children with bronchial asthma need special care, especially a suitable diet.

Early stage of bronchial asthma
Children wheeze, when breathing is difficult. Children can't keep their breathing even, sometimes it's fast, sometimes they have to take a long breath and have chest tightness. Both inhaling and breathing, the child feels discomfort, sometimes chest pain.
The next stage of bronchial asthma
Children begin to have symptoms of expectoration, sneezing, runny nose in addition to shortness of breath at the end of each asthma attack. The child has a severe cough and produces a lot of white or green sputum.
Severe asthma episodes
Children have more prolonged asthma attacks. The duration of asthma attacks is also more frequent. Especially difficult to breathe at night and in the morning. If an asthma attack is not treated in time, breathing cannot return to normal, which can lead to death.
>>> Who needs to be screened for asthma?

The cause of bronchial asthma is currently unknown, but the disease forms under the influence of external and internal environmental factors. Risks that increase the likelihood of bronchial asthma or trigger an asthma attack include:
Family history of asthma or allergies (Atopy): Asthma can be passed on from close relatives of the child. In addition, the disease may originate from the child's own body, children with allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis or allergic urticaria due to other allergens have a higher rate of bronchial asthma than healthy children. normal strength. Allergies to seafood, dust, animal dander, pollen, cosmetics, etc. When a child is exposed to allergens that cause an allergic reaction in a child, these allergens can trigger or worsen an attack. asthma in children. Respiratory tract infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi aggravate asthma Environmental pollution: Our living environment is increasingly polluted with dust from vehicles, production activities,... With In children, their resistance to pollution is not high, so they easily catch respiratory diseases. Bronchial asthma in children also appears and is difficult to control if they have to inhale a lot of chemicals from hygiene products such as washing powder, detergents used daily at home, ...

4.1. Avoid eating foods that are too salty

Eating a lot of salt causes the body to retain water, causing edema. The essence of bronchial asthma is to cause inflammation and constriction of the airways. When eating salt, the swelling increases, which means that the inflammation of the airways also increases, making breathing more difficult for the baby. In addition, regularly eating salty foods is also the cause of many diseases such as kidney, heart disease, ...

4.2. Foods containing sulfites Sulfites are food preservative compounds that help prolong shelf life, prevent bacterial growth, and maintain food's color. This substance increases irritation in the lungs, causing high breathing difficulty for people with bronchial asthma. Therefore, we should limit feeding to a minimum of sulfite-containing foods such as:
Pickled foods: Pickled sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, salted eggplant,... Instead, we can switch to cooking. baby salad. Canned food, drinks, fast food. Dried fruits and vegetables: Dried potatoes, raisins, dried pineapples, dried apricots, dried cherries,... Frozen foods: Frozen shrimp, crabs, fish,... Foods that children have had previous allergies such as: Seafood, flour, milk, eggs,...
4.3. Acidic foods Acidic foods: Onions, lemons,..., fried foods, carbonated drinks are taboo foods for children with asthma. These foods can cause reflux, making your child's asthma symptoms worse.
4.4. Barbecue Grilled meat creates carbon compounds that make some asthma medications like theophylline ineffective. In addition to interacting with asthma medications, carbon compounds also cause asthma attacks. Instead, you can process meat into other dishes to ensure the health of your baby.