While comfort foods may soothe the soul, the inflammation they cause could exacerbate your illness.
When you’re sick with bronchitis, it might be tempting to indulge in ready-made comfort foods to help take your mind off of the coughing, raspy throat, and low spirit that can accompany this illness.
But certain foods of delight and convenience — particularly ones containing refined carbohydrates and saturated fats — may increase inflammation in the body and slow down your recovery. They could also disturb the bacteria and other microbes living in your intestines (called the gut microbiome) and contribute to lower immunity.
It’s okay to treat yourself on sick days, as long as you stay mindful of foods that may irritate or prolong your bronchitis.
Inflammation and Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs. The condition often develops after a chest cold and comes in two forms: acute, or of brief duration, and chronic, which can last for years.
Your doctor may recommend that you eat inflammation-fighting foods and steer clear of inflammatory foods when you're sick with bronchitis, since it’s an inflammatory disease.
When you want to figure out which foods are inflammatory, you can use the typical Western diet as a guide. That’s because it includes a long list of popular inflammation-causing foods. The Western diet is heavy on animal-based and highly processed foods. It’s rich in saturated fat, added sugars, sodium, and refined grains. And it’s low in fiber and nutritional value.
The Gut-Lung Axis
Along with studies on inflammation and respiratory disease, there is an emerging body of research focusing on the “gut-lung axis.” This term describes the relationship between the digestive system and the lungs. Some types of food can affect the bacteria and other microbes living in your gut, and that in turn might have certain effects on your lungs.
Around 70 percent of the body’s immune cells live in the gut. An imbalance in the gut — which could mean a shortage of good bacteria, an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, or a loss of overall microbiome diversity — can lead to a dysregulated immune response in the lungs. And that could increase vulnerability to inflammation and infection.
Research suggests that an imbalanced gut microbiome may make us more vulnerable to respiratory infections.
Foods to Avoid With Bronchitis
Now, considering this research on the respiratory system’s relationship to inflammation and the gut, here is what you might want to avoid eating or drinking repeatedly if you have bronchitis:
Refined Sugars and Simple Carbs These contribute significantly to inflammation. Examples include soda, fruit juices, white bread, white pasta, and ice cream.
Trans Fats and Saturated Fats These fats can worsen inflammation and respiratory conditions. They are commonly found in processed and packaged foods, fried foods, butter, lard, fat and skin from meat, hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortening, cookies, crackers, and pastries.
Excessive Sodium and Salt High sodium intake causes water retention (edema), which can affect breathing ability and worsen respiratory symptoms in conditions like chronic bronchitis.
Fried and Greasy Foods These foods can contribute to inflammation and lower gut microbiota diversity, which can negatively impact the gut-lung axis.
Moderation Is Usually OK
Take into account that most studies focus on the impact ofchronic consumption of specific foods on the body. This means that although it’s best to eat foods that fight inflammation while you have bronchitis, you are probably not putting yourself in harm’s way by treating yourself once or twice on a sick day.
The Takeaway
Repeatedly eating refined sugars, saturated fats, and processed foods can increase inflammation, potentially slowing your recovery from bronchitis.
An unhealthy gut microbiome, linked to a poor diet, can make you more susceptible to respiratory infections via the gut-lung axis.
Focus on whole foods, rich in fiber and anti-inflammatory nutrients, to help calm inflammation and support your immune system.
