9 Foods That Might Help Relieve Asthma Symptoms

There’s no magic-bullet food to cure asthma, but making some changes in your diet may help reduce or control asthma symptoms. “A healthy, varied diet plan is beneficial in asthma," says Holly Prehn, RD, a registered dietitian and certified nutrition support clinician at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver. Start by adding fresh fruit to your diet — which has been shown to help, Prehn says.

Elizabeth Secord, MD, division chief and training program director for allergy and immunology at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, recommends keeping a food log to better understand the link between your diet and your symptoms. For example, you might notice that spicy foods trigger reflux symptoms similar to asthma symptoms.

In addition to managing asthma symptoms, a healthy diet is key for maintaining a healthy weight. "People with asthma who are overweight take longer to respond to treatment when hospitalized," says Dr. Secord. Losing at least 10 percent of your body weight is a good starting goal, according to 2015 research in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

So what should you eat? Read on for nine specific foods to include in an asthma-friendly diet. 

But when it comes to asthma, not all fat is created equal. For example, kids who ate more butter and fast food were also more likely to have asthma, according to a 2015 study in BMC Public Health. So be sure to focus on plant-based fats and omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with a reduction in inflammation in people with asthma, according to a 2015 study published in Allergology International.