Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 11-12-21

Health
Every year, millions of people die from lung disease. Poor lung health makes it harder to breathe, impairs your quality of life, and puts you at higher risk of dying from COVID-19 complications.
Your lifestyle plays a significant part in maintaining your lung health and preventing lung disease. Understanding the habits harming your lungs and making the right lifestyle changes could help you prevent lung disease and reduced lung functions.
identify what drives your crav- ings, create a quit plan, and re- view free resources and apps that help you stop the pattern.
Poor Diet
Rethink trips to the drive- thru for fast and fried foods. Eat- ing foods high in saturated fat — bacon, cheese, butter, ice cream, burgers, and beef is putting your lungs at risk, in addition to harming heart health and possi- bly shortening your life span. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that diets high in grease and unsaturated fat are associ- ated with inflammation and lung cancer.
Saturated fat is naturally found in dairy, cheese, and fatty meats, such as lamb, beef, and pork. If you’re not sure where to start, consider downloading a free diet monitoring app to check the amount of saturated fat you’re consuming daily. Limit meat, sugary drinks, and processed foods by focusing on a diet high in seafood, fruits, veg- etables, beans, and nuts. If you have a pre-existing condition, speak with your nutritionist or doctor before altering your diet.
Not Cleaning Your Home
A dirty living or work area could be destroying your lungs. Regularly breathing in bacteria, fungus, mold, animal fur, and dust particles can scar your lungs and trigger inflammation, making it harder to breathe.
If you have carpeting, be sure to regularly vacuum and steam it because carpets and rugs hold in toxins, dust, roach droppings, and mold. Also, dirty and clogged air filters can house mold, bacteria, and mildew, which has the risk of irritating your lungs and leading to lung disease.
If you’re struggling to find time to clean, try creating a cleaning schedule for weekly, bi- weekly, or monthly cleaning.
Physically Inactivate Lifestyle
A lifetime of low physical ac-
tivity levels is a risk factor for lung disease. If you’re spending most of your days sitting in front ofatvoratadeskforwork,it’s important to adopt a regular ex- ercise plan. Exercise has an anti- inflammatory effect and is associated with reduced upper respiratory infections.
A regular exercise schedule will help improve your overall health, but it’s not the only way to boost your physical activity levels. A simple yet fun way to get moving is to consider start- ing an active hobby, such as gar- dening, photography, and hiking.
Not Drinking Enough Water
Constant dehydration can impair your airway functions, making it harder to breathe and increasing
your risk for chronic bronchitis. If you work out regularly, you should be especially mindful of your water intake because work- ing out while dehydrated can trigger exercise-induced bron- choconstriction.
Ensure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day. This helps maintain lung functions, as well as the health of other organs in your body, in- cluding your kidney, heart, and skin.
Take calculated steps to stay hydrated, especially while work- ing out. Drink a glass of water with each meal and eat fruits and vegetables high in water. Avoid substituting water with sugary and caffeinated drinks. If you prefer a sweeter taste to your water, opt for unsweetened sparkling water or add hints of lemons or cucumbers to refine the taste.
Smoking/Vaping
Your smok-
ing and vaping
habit could be
setting you up
for lung dis-
ease. Cigarette
smoking is the
largest risk fac-
tor for lung
cancer, result-
ing in 90% (9 out of 10) deaths. Similarly, recent research has as- sociated vaping with worsened
lung function, shortness of breath, wheezing, and lung con- ditions such as bronchiolitis, va- ping-related lipoid pneumonia, and collapsed lungs.
The best time to quit smok- ing and vaping is now. It’s never too late to stop smoking and allow your organs to recover from the damage. Eliminating a nicotine and tobacco depend- ency can be challenging, so it’s recommended to discuss with your primary care physician,
PAGE 8-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021