There is no *asthma diet.* I’m putting that right in front because I know some of you Googled that phrase to get here.
Sure, you can find nutritional suggestions for asthma patients on a few webpages and the good sites back up the recommendations with actual research, but by *asthma diet* I mean that no doctor I’ve ever encountered/heard of will diagnosis asthma and then outline a detailed eating plan guaranteed to to reduce flares and inflammation. The good news, though, is that Western medicine seems to be making a little headway in the search for links between nutrition and chronic illness.
This is good news for people like me. Once I came to terms with this illness 5 years ago and stopped waiting for the asthma fairy to magic away the Asthma Girl’s problems, I started some serious thinking and reading about tools like healing foods. I knew I couldn’t fix the physiological problem that flipped that switch to *hyper-reactive* in her airways or take her off her meds, but I decided I could at least avoid making her symptoms worse and try to keep those lungs and bronchial tubes in good repair. Within reason, of course.
That within reason part is the key to raising a child with asthma and (I suspect) other chronic illnesses. It’s so easy to go overboard, to crawl into the corner and drag my kid there with me so that no one touches her, breathes on her, coughs on her, or modifies her personal environment in even the tiniest ways for fear of triggering her asthma. (Don’t worry. I resist, although the temptation is strong.) Coming to terms with her asthma meant figuring out which workable changes had a good chance of helping her and how many of them I was willing to implement.
Yeah, I’m talking about the midline again.
Part of my efforts do involve the AG’s diet. Now, I’m talking about little changes here, not keeping my daughter on some specialized diet all by herself while the rest of us scarf down pizza and french fries. We all eat the brown rice and tofu sometimes, and we all eat the pizza sometimes, too.
My thinking on asthma-friendly eating is this: if consuming certain foods might lessen my kid’s symptoms, no matter how small the chance, then increasing their frequency in her diet within reason is worth trying. Certainly good nutrition is never a bad idea.
Consider the apple.
Apples were all over asthma news this year, as a new study added to older research about the fruit’s possible anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties. High in phytochemicals like the flavonoid called quercetin, apples are part of a powerhouse produce group that includes red onions, blueberries, cranberries, and red grapes. Green tea’s high in the stuff too, and some research suggests these phytochemicals can reduce pulmonary inflammation.
So while I don’t force-feed my daughter 5 apples before breakfast or pack apple sandwiches in her lunchbox, I do make sure they stay stocked in the produce drawer and incorporate them into some of my cooking.
The dip recipe below, whose origins I know not, uses those possibly powerful apples but is also wildly popular in my house and at parties, inexpensive, and perfect for the holidays. Have I sold you on it yet? Because here’s one more: it’s simple to make.
Like a lot of minimalist recipes, you wouldn’t think the short and simple ingredient list could produce something that tastes so good. But unlike so many quick-and-easy recipes, this one doesn’t incorporate mixes or packaged foods into the ingredients.
Apple Dip
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Whip up the cream cheese in a blender first, and then mix in the other ingredients until the dip is smooth. Serve with apple slices, which you should first soak in a mixture of lemon juice and water to keep from turning brown. Granny Smith or other tart varieties taste best.
(edited 12/21/07 to include the following sentence)
–Please note that some asthmatics, as noted in the comments section, have problems with citrus fruits. If there is any possibility of this trigger among your guests, then don’t treat the apples with lemon and instead slice them right before serving.
–Leave out the cinnamon if you like. Either way is good, but we like the cinnamon version better.
That’s all. Simple, delicious, and possibly even beneficial to asthma.
Got any apple recipes of your own to share? Post them here in the comments, and if I get any I’ll write them all up in a post (with links to your site, of course) in the next day or so.
Research Links
Abstract: Food and nutrient intakes and asthma risk in young adults
Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits (pdf)
Abstract: Maternal food consumption during pregnancy and asthma, respiratory, and atopic symptoms in 5-year-old children
Just a passing thought… I’m not sure I’d suggest the use of lemon juice in this recipe, because of the audience. Although I adore the lemon’s magical ability to keep my daughter’s apple from getting “yucky” in her lunch box, I’m not sure it’s appropriate for the “asthma diet.”
Lemons have always, since I was very young, made me have an asthma attack. Typically just a mild one, but even so. I know of 2 or 3 other asthmatics who have noticed the same thing. I just thought I’d pass that on…. now I’m off to try to make this dip! 
Really? I had no idea lemons acted as a trigger for some people. It just goes to show there’s always something new to learn about asthma.
Thanks so much for letting me know–I’m editing the post right now to reflect your comment.
(And enjoy the dip!)