More than 26 million Americans have asthma. Worldwide, as many as 400 million people are projected to have asthma by 2025, an increase of 100 million in just 20 years, according to a report by the Global Initiative For Asthma (GINA) Dissemination Committee. Studies show that these increases are related to environmental changes such as urbanization as well as unhealthy lifestyle behaviors including the growth of the Westernized diet, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity. In this article, we’ll review the connections between diet and asthma.

What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that can start at any age. It causes the lining of the bronchial tubes—the airways leading into your lungs—to become red, swollen, and sensitive. Once these airways are inflamed, they become hypersensitive to triggers that may not bother others. Under these circumstances, triggers can lead to an asthma attack: The airways’ lining further swells, the muscles that wrap around the bronchial tubes tighten or spasm, and more mucus than usual is produced, which can clog the airways. As a result, the airways become even narrower, making it harder to get air into the lungs.

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What Are the Symptoms of Asthma?

Asthma-related inflammation can be present in the airways without any obvious symptoms. When this inflammation escalates during an asthma attack, symptoms can include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, chest tightness, coughing, or wheezing.

What Are the Triggers?

Asthma attacks can be triggered by different factors in different people. Common triggers include air pollution, tobacco smoke, dust mites, pets, mold, cleaning products, exercise, and strong emotions, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

What Are the Dangers of Uncontrolled Asthma?

When not properly managed, asthma can be dangerous and potentially fatal. According to the most recent numbers from the World Health Organization, asthma caused 461,000 deaths worldwide in 2019. Avoiding triggers and using medications are the primary interventions for managing asthma. Researchers are investigating healthy lifestyle behaviors, including diet, that may help prevent or manage asthma, lower morbidity and mortality, and improve quality of life. 

How Does Diet Affect Asthma?

There is rising interest in the impact of diet on an asthma patient’s condition. “While lifestyle medicine in pulmonary disease is in its infancy, evidence-based practice and lessons learned from lifestyle interventions in other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and atherothrombotic vascular disease, should impart critical insights for lifestyle interventions in asthma,” says Sharmilee Nyenhui, MD, a researcher from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, who recently co-authored a commentary on the subject.

Existing evidence points to some clear patterns.

Global rates of asthma began steadily rising in the 1980s with the spread of the Westernized diet (aka the Standard American Diet), characterized by highly processed convenience foods, fried foods, refined grains, sweets, processed and red meats, and high-fat dairy products, with low intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 

In 2015, researchers from Harvard surveyed the eating patterns and asthma rates of children in Puerto Rico. They found that a dietary pattern including frequent consumption of dairy products and sweets, sodas, and snacks, with infrequent intake of vegetables or grains, led to increased odds of asthma in the children. 

Fast food, a hallmark of the Westernized diet, has also been implicated in asthma. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, a large-scale epidemiological study, leveraged data on the dietary habits of a half million children and adolescents from around the world. Those who consumed fast food three or more times per week had an increased risk of severe asthma, according to the results.

Does Eating a Plant-Based Diet Help Prevent Asthma?

A systematic review by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Lifestyle and Asthma Task Force concluded that the existing evidence supports recommendations in clinical practice to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables as a way of reducing the risk of asthma, particularly in children.

In the Harvard study of Puerto Rican children, the children with a healthy diet (defined in the study as frequent consumption of vegetables or grains and infrequent consumption of dairy products and sweets) had, on average, 83 percent lower odds of asthma than children eating an unhealthy diet. The researchers found that a healthier diet was associated with lower inflammatory cytokine levels. 

Fruits and vegetables—and other plant foods such as whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes—are high in antioxidants, which protect against inflammation. They also are rich in fiber. When you consume fiber, your gut microbes produce short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation, such as butyrate. “Plant-based foods support the biodiversity of the gut microbiome and also promote the bacteria that are anti-inflammatory,” says Kahleova of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 

Can Dietary Changes Reduce Symptoms in People Who Already Have Asthma?

In a study of asthmatic adults conducted by Wood’s team in Australia, patients were assigned for two weeks to diets with varying levels of antioxidants: one group ate a high-antioxidant diet with five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily; a second group ate a low-antioxidant diet with two or fewer servings of vegetables and one serving of fruit daily. After the two weeks were up, researchers continued to monitor the subjects for three months. They found that the high-antioxidant group, on average, went significantly longer without experiencing an asthma attack. The low-antioxidant diet group was more than twice as likely to have an asthma attack. 

Anecdotally, Forks Over Knives has heard from people who have had success in controlling their asthma after adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet:

• Asthma Held Me Back Until I Tried a Plant-Based Diet
• Eczema, Arthritis, Asthma, Migraines—All Gone After Going Plant-Based
• How a Plant-Based Diet Reversed My Asthma

Experts continue to research just how much of an effect diet has on asthma, with the goal of someday developing standardized dietary guidelines. The available research shows that eating a plant-predominant diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other fiber-rich foods can help mitigate asthma by contributing to a healthy weight, balancing a healthy gut environment, and protecting against systemic and airway inflammation. 

“The best dietary strategy for asthma is to consume a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fast foods, whilst achieving and maintaining a healthy weight,” says Wood. “This strategy will protect against inflammation, which is the underlying cause of asthma.”

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post Asthma and Diet: Here’s What You Should Know appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Then, while on my honeymoon in 2013, I started to experience severe stomach pains and bloating after every meal. I went to multiple doctors, and they couldn’t find anything wrong with my stomach. Eventually, I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and leaky gut syndrome. I was given medication, but it only seemed to worsen my symptoms. 

In 2015 I decided to try switching up my diet to see if that might help. I adopted a high-fat, low-carb diet that consisted of meat and vegetables, along with lots of oil and other fatty foods. I completely eliminated dairy, grains, and beans, and I ate very little fruit. I found some relief, but I was still having stomach issues and suffering from asthma and migraines. 

While on vacation in September 2018, I was scrolling through Netflix and came across the Forks Over Knives film and decided to see what it was about. When I was done with the film I was curious about trying the diet, but I was skeptical. At that point I’d been avoiding grains and legumes for years because I’d been told that they could worsen my stomach symptoms. I couldn’t see how I could eat those things and get better. 

Around the same time, I started experiencing unexplained chest pains and weight gain. Again, I went to see a specialist and they couldn’t determine the problem. They said that my blood pressure was perfect; my labs were fine; and my heart looked good. The only thing they could think to tell me was that I was obese and needed to lose weight. Eventually, I talked to a nurse practitioner who told me that my gallbladder could be causing chest pain. I went for a HIDA scan (an imaging test used to examine the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine), and sure enough the chest pain was caused by my gallbladder, which was functioning at less than 5 percent. 

On top of that, I was so tired all the time. As a registered nurse, I work 10- to 12-hour shifts, and I never felt like I had enough energy. I couldn’t believe I felt so bad at just 35 years old. 

In 2019, I found a great doctor who ran some more lab work for me. Two things stuck out: My A1C (a measure of average blood sugar) was 6.0, putting me in the prediabetic category. My C-reactive protein level—which measures inflammation and should generally be under 3—was 8.4. I was stunned. I had not had a grain or fruit in years, and yet my A1C was high; I was prediabetic and overweight; and my entire body was inflamed. 

She then tested me for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and found that I had hydrogen sulfide SIBO and that meat and other foods were causing me to have a reaction. That was the final thing that convinced me to go whole-food, plant-based.

Making the Transition

In November 2019, I went in 100 percent to the whole-food, plant-based way of eating. I found some plant-based YouTubers, such as Brittany Jaroudi, who talked about their journeys, and that gave me a lot of inspiration. I also had a chance to meet Michael Greger, MD, in person and listen to his seminar, and that really helped solidify that WFPB was the right path for me. I downloaded the Forks Over Knives Recipe App and signed up for Forks Meal Planner, and I picked up the magazine. I also bought the How Not to Die Cookbook. As I became more confident in my plant-based cooking, I started creating my own meal plans. 

The thing that surprised me the most was the diversity of food available to me. Even though I was not eating meat, processed foods, oil, or dairy, I still had so many options. For the first time, eating became exciting to me, and I found a love for cooking that I never knew I had. I started to enjoy coming up with new dishes. 

And I began to see the health benefits. I had more energy. My mood got better. My asthma symptoms decreased. About six months in, I discovered that I had some food intolerances due to leaky gut, but I made the necessary adjustments and stuck with the WFPB way of eating.  

Thriving Through and Through

More than a year later, I continue to see the benefits of this lifestyle change. Today I hardly ever need to use my inhaler. My labs have shown significant improvement: My A1C dropped from 6.0 to 5.3, and my C-reactive protein dropped from 8.4 to 3, putting me in the normal range for both. And my iron doubled! I’ve lost more than 50 pounds, and I continue to lose weight just by eating the foods I love. For the first time in a long time, I’ve had the energy to actually want to exercise.  

My favorite thing to eat now is beans. I love making soups loaded with beans and veggies; they are convenient for lunch during my long, busy workdays. The No-Tuna Salad Sandwich is another go-to meal for me. 

When the people in my life saw the weight dropping off me, they asked me about it, so I’ve been able to share my story many times. Three of my co-workers have now switched to the WFPB diet, and some friends and family members have started trying to eat more this way, too. I hold information sessions over Zoom to help them understand what WFPB is and how to make the transition. I can’t remember ever feeling as good as I do today.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post From Prediabetic, Asthmatic, and Anemic to Positively Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I Reversed My Diabetes in 5 Months on a Plant-Based Diet

In just five months, David Rivest reversed a disease that millions spend decades just trying to manage.

At 73, I Went Plant-Based and Said Goodbye to Obesity, Heart Disease, Kidney Disease, and Arthritis

A heart attack in his mid-60s impressed upon Rick McKeon the importance of changing his lifestyle. But he didn’t find the right formula until age 73, when he set some simple guidelines for himself and finally made healthy eating habits stick.

What Giving Up Meat, Dairy, and Processed Foods Did for My BMI, Blood Pressure, and Cholesterol

Brittany Jaroudi was only 25 years old when high cholesterol, obesity, and other health issues motivated her to change her diet and dramatically change her life.

I Conquered My Diabetes and Lost Over 150 Pounds By Going Plant-Based

Diabetes rates have reached record highs in recent years, impacting hundreds of millions of people worldwide and more than 30 million people in the U.S. alone. James William Booth shares how he reversed the disease and lost 150 pounds.

Why I Quit the Keto Diet

Exercise physiologist Drew Harrisberg details his reasons for quitting the keto diet and going plant-based instead.

How Going Plant-Based Helped Me Overcome Depression

At 27 years old, Dominique Linden was suffering from severe depression and obesity and related health problems. 

How I’m Beating Kidney Disease on a Plant-Based Diet

Kelly Lawrence suffered from gradually worsening kidney disease for more than 20 years, but she didn’t want to begin dialysis. Fortunately, after adopting a plant-based diet, she didn’t need to.

Eczema, Arthritis, Asthma, Migraines—All Gone After Going Plant-Based

A plant-based diet isn’t just helpful for overcoming obesity: It can lead to health transformations that are less obvious from the outside but nonetheless life-changing on the inside, such as in the case of Jennifer Sinyerd.

I Reversed Cirrhosis in 1 Year on a Plant-Based Diet

Otis’s doctor told him that his liver was too damaged to regenerate itself. Otis proved otherwise.

From Stage 3 Kidney Disease to Healthy Kidneys in 2 Months on a Plant-Based Diet

It really is possible to radically transform your health in very little time just by changing your diet, as this inspiring story from Sandra VanderMey demonstrates. 

Ready to get started? Check out our Plant-Based Primer to learn more about adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet.

The post Our Most-Shared Success Stories of 2019 appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

In November 2014, my boyfriend and I had an amazing Maui vacation, which included a day spent at a goat farm gorging ourselves on goat cheese (one of my favorite things at that point in my life). Then, during the last few days of the vacation, we had some downtime and decided to watch Forks Over Knives.

If you had asked me before that day if I had any health issues related to diet I would have answered with a resounding “No.” I was within a normal weight range and, though I had always struggled to stay there, I believed that I was, overall, very healthy. I had a handful of health issues—such as eczema, arthritis, and asthma—but I didn’t realize they could be related to food.

Shocked into Action
Before the Forks Over Knives documentary had even ended, I’d decided that I could not ignore the information that was being presented. The sheer shock was enough to motivate me into an experimental change of diet. I had no plans for how long I would stick to it; I didn’t even really understand what “whole-food plant-based” was. But I spent the next few weeks purging my kitchen of foods that I knew didn’t qualify as health-promoting. I searched the internet to see what the doctors and researchers I had learned about in the film said I should be eating.

As I was discovering all this new knowledge and trying new recipes, something really strange happened. I started feeling better. Asthma that I’d had since I was a child—vanished. Allergies that I suffered from for over 10 years—gone. Eczema that covered my back and arms—disappeared. Arthritis pain that had been affecting my ability to work—no more. All of a sudden I realized that maybe I hadn’t been all that healthy after all.

Going Deeper
Then over the next few months other benefits became apparent. Migraines that I had been having every two to three months dropped down to only once a year. I didn’t feel tired after eating. I was sleeping deeper. Chronic sinus infections stopped.

I had been in the process of becoming a living organ donor, so I was having extensive blood work done for that. When I had a follow-up appointment, my doctor exclaimed that I had the best lab work she had ever seen. She proceeded to print it off for me and told me it was frame-worthy. She asked me what I ate and was shocked when I told her “mostly plants.”  

There were days after that point when I ate non-WFPB, but it always made me sick; I got eczema flares-ups within hours of eating dairy. Ditching oil was certainty the hardest part for me. I can cook without it no problem, but there are so many things that are almost WFPB—except that they contain oil. Finding good flatbread has been a challenge! But overall, the transition was relatively easy, because I just felt too good to go back to eating my old foods.

Nurturing Others on a Plant-Based Path
I am now a mom of two little whole-food plant-based kids! They are both thriving on plants.

Going WFPB has changed my life, and I am passionate about ensuring that other people with health concerns, big or small, have access to this life-changing information. I run a local WFPB Society and I share my recipes with friends and followers online. I am very thankful for Forks Over Knives, as it has improved my health and surely added quality years to my life.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Eczema, Arthritis, Asthma, Migraines—All Gone After Going Plant-Based appeared first on Forks Over Knives.