Simple Ways to Improve Your Lung Health

Are your lungs as healthy as they can possibly be?

If you smoke, I think you already know the answer.

But if you don’t, you may not have given the topic much thought until recently – but now the prospect of COVID-19 has put as all a little on edge about the status of our lungs.

Whether you’ve never smoked a cigarette a day in your life or you’ve got a two-pack-a-day habit, it has never been more important to take care of your lungs than it is right now.

Thankfully, there are some effective natural ways you can keep your lungs in fighting shape.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

Why you need a healthy respiratory system

There are entire university courses devoted to the complexities of the respiratory system, but don’t worry – we just need a basic understanding if we want to make some improvements.

This system is a group of organs that helps your body take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. The main organ of this system is the lungs. They exchange these two important gases as we breathe with some help from our circulatory system.

To make a long story short, we need oxygen to survive.

I don’t want to get too dark here, but after just five minutes without it, your brain cells will start dying off – and you can probably guess what happens next.

That’s why we want to keep our lungs as healthy as possible so they can keep carrying out their important work – and why it can be catastrophic to our health when something goes wrong with them.

How to strengthen your lungs

Yes, you can physically strengthen your lungs, and you don’t need to lift any weights to do so! Here’s how.

Quit smoking: I’m not here to preach, but this list would be remiss if I didn’t mention how damaging smoking is to your lungs – and that also includes secondhand smoke and environmental irritants.

Exercise frequently: One of the best reasons to exercise has nothing to do with your weight – it can help your lungs to function properly! Walking, running and Pilates are all good choices.

Check your indoor air: Look out for pollutants in your home like artificial fragrances from air fresheners, mold, and dust; get an indoor air filter if you’re really concerned.

Practice belly breathing: This is also known as diaphragmatic breathing because it engages your diaphragm, but that’s quite a mouthful, so let’s just stick with “belly breathing”.

This technique is simple and is recommended for strengthening your lungs and addressing many breathing problems.

1.      Relax your shoulders while sitting or lying down.

2.      Place one hand across your belly and the other on your chest.

3.      Inhale through your nose for about two seconds, paying attention to the sensation of the air moving into your abdomen and making your stomach move out as it fills up; you want to feel your stomach moving more than your chest.

4.      Then, exhale for two seconds with pursed lips while pushing down gently on your abdomen.

5.      Repeat a few times.

Food for lung health

Grab your grocery list and add these foods if you’re on a mission to make your lungs healthier.

Broccoli

Yes, broccoli is good for your overall health, which is why it appears on so many “healthy food” lists. But why is it so good for lungs specifically?

In his book How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger points to studies showing that broccoli can help protect the lungs from damage, and certain compounds in the vegetable might be able to stop lung cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.

It’s the perfect excuse to whip up a batch of Broccoli Soup!

Green tea

Green tea is full of antioxidants, as you might have heard – but did you know that these antioxidants can help reduce lung inflammation?

They may even be strong enough to protect lungs from the damage caused by smoke inhalation, with one study finding adults who drank at least two cups of this tea daily had better lung function than people who didn’t drink it.

Anti-inflammatory foods

Eating foods that fight inflammation can help alleviate breathing difficulty and chest congestion.

If you’re eating a whole food, plant-based diet, you’re probably already on the right track, but here are the ones you should focus on most if healthy lungs are your goal:

• Cherries

• Blueberries

• Walnuts

• Lentils

• Beans

• Olives

• Leafy greens

Turmeric

If you were wondering why you didn’t see turmeric listed above, it’s not because it isn’t an anti-inflammatory food – it’s because it’s considered one of the ultimate anti-inflammatory foods and is worthy of an entry of its own.

It breaks down mucus and can reduce inflammation in the lungs, so why not start adding it to your soups and sauces or try some Turmeric Spiced Golden Milk?

Ginger

Turmeric’s cousin is no slouch in the respiratory health department. When consumed raw, as a tea or cooked, ginger has been shown in some studies to have an anti-inflammatory effect against respiratory infections. Not bad at all for something that tastes so great!

Good herbs for lungs

If your lungs could talk, they’d probably ask you for these herbs:

• Eucalyptus: This antioxidant can fight infections, which is why you’ll often find it in throat lozenges and decongestants. It can keep the mucus lining in your lungs thin and improve blood circulation.

• Rosemary: Packed with health-enhancing minerals like vitamins A and C and zinc, it can be taken in tea form to give your lung health a boost.

• Oregano: Two compounds in oregano, carvacrol and rosmarinic acid, are natural antihistamines and decongestants.

• Marshmallow: Marshmallow tea can help treat a dry cough and is good for thinning mucus, but before you get too excited, note that we’re talking about the plant here – not those pillowy candies of your youth. (Sorry!)

As you can see, there are lots of easy ways to give your lungs some TLC, so take a deep breath – you’ve got this!