Asthma is a medical condition associated with breathing problems. Contributing factors can include swollen airways and excessive mucus production. This results in wheezing, coughing or wheezing while trying to breathe.
Some of the following foods may trigger asthma symptoms, including:
1. Eggs
Egg allergies are extremely common. And the sheer amount of meals which use eggs as an ingredient mean that people are constantly exposed to them. This makes eggs one of the more common food based asthma triggers. If someone with an allergy to eggs eats a product containing them they’ll often experience asthma symptoms. What’s more, if eggs aren’t an obvious part of the meal than they’ll often be unaware of their cause in the asthma attack. These types of reactions are most common among children. And there’s always a chance that younger people might develop a tolerance for eggs over time.
2. Cow’s milk
Milk is similar to eggs in that it’s primarily a matter of food allergies. When milk acts as a trigger for asthma attacks then it’s usually due to an underlying allergy to lactose. And like eggs, it’s easy to ingest milk and lactose without being aware of it. This is due to the common use of milk as a cooking or flavoring agent in food.
3. Nuts
Nuts have two issues for people concerned about asthma. The first problem is similar to that of dairy problems. Nuts are one of the more common food allergies. And like with most allergies they can also be a trigger for asthma attacks. What’s more, it takes far less total material for nuts to cause an allergic reaction than with most foods. This means that even cross contamination by making one meal near another which uses nuts is a very real possibility. Nuts are also a potential issue for pregnant women. Recent studies suggest that eating nuts during pregnancy can actually increase a child’s later risk for asthma. The exact mechanism isn’t fully understood yet. But all of this paints nuts as one of the more problematic foods for anyone concerned about asthma.
4. Soy
Many people who can’t handle dairy turn to soymilk as an alternative. But soy is itself a possible trigger for symptoms of asthma. Many people find that soy will trigger asthma attacks even in fairly small serving sizes. This makes quite a few foods a potential risk factor. Soy is a component of tofu, soybean oil and in general is often used as a common food additive. If soy is verified as one’s asthma trigger then it’s a good idea to go over most food labels to ensure it’s not an ingredient.
5. Wheat
Wheat is usually associated with asthma in two different ways. The first is through gluten sensitivity. This reaction is similar to other food allergies. An immune response in one’s body can cause symptoms severe enough to trigger an asthma attack. However, wheat is also an issue for another reason. Prolonged exposure to wheat flour can cause asthma. It even has a specific designation – baker’s asthma. It’s common enough that around 4% to 25% of workers in bakeries suffer from this condition.
6. Shellfish
Shellfish are one of the most common allergies. As such, they can trigger asthma attacks in a similar way to many other problematic foods. Shellfish are also similar to nuts in their propensity for cross contamination. It’s quite common for seafood to have small amounts of shellfish in it. This is simply a byproduct of processing plants and restaurants which prepare all forms of seafood in the same general area. If one has verified that shellfish is a trigger then it’s best to be somewhat wary of seafood in general.