What dietary taboos should you pay attention to when you have bronchitis?

The core principle of diet for patients with bronchitis is to avoid foods that can irritate the respiratory tract and aggravate sputum secretion. Don't think that "it doesn't matter if you eat a bite." Many people have a cough that lasts for ten days and a half, and most of them are unable to control their mouths.

Last week, I met a young man in my junior year at the outpatient clinic. His cough had almost stopped after the acute bronchitis fever subsided. His roommate went out for a spicy butter hot pot meal for his birthday and showed off two bottles of ice cola. He coughed and retched that night, and the yellow phlegm that had disappeared came back. When he came for a follow-up visit, his voice was so hoarse that he could not even speak. The treatment was supposed to be discontinued, but the anti-inflammatory treatment had to be extended for another week. In fact, when bronchitis breaks out, the airway mucosa is like a skinned wound, which is in a highly sensitive state of congestion and edema. If you sprinkle chili peppers or pour ice water on the wound, it will definitely jump in pain. The same is true for the respiratory tract. If it is stimulated, it will cough desperately to expel the airway. In severe cases, it will induce airway spasm and make you breathless.

Many people ask whether sweet or cold food should not be touched at all. In fact, there is no absolute standard for this. Different situations vary greatly. For example, some guidelines say that high-sugar foods should be completely banned, and some doctors think that eating a small amount will not affect it. My own clinical observation shows that if you have a lot of phlegm, or sticky yellow phlegm, it is best to tolerate high-sugar foods such as milk tea, cakes, and preserves. Sugar will increase the viscosity of the phlegm, which will block the trachea and prevent you from coughing it out, but will aggravate the infection. ； But if you just have a dry and itchy cough with no phlegm, and you want to eat a sweet orange or take a few sips of room-temperature white fungus soup, there is absolutely no problem. There is no need to overdo it and starve you.

The same goes for iced things. If you suffer from cold cough and can't stop coughing when the cold wind blows, then you must completely avoid iced milk tea and iced watermelon.； But if you have a hot cough with a swollen and sore throat, it’s okay to take a sip of cold lozenges occasionally to relieve the pain. Just don’t be greedy. Low temperature stimulates the already fragile airway, which can easily make the cough worse.

Another type of food that is easily overlooked is allergenic foods, such as mangoes, seafood, and nuts. If you have a history of allergies, even if you eat them normally, it is best to avoid them during the attack. At this time, the airway reactivity is much higher than usual. I have met an old patient before who had no problem eating shrimp at ordinary times. When he had a bronchitis attack, he ate two boiled shrimps and was so breathless that night that he was sent to the emergency room. He took hormones to suppress it.

In fact, you don’t need to check the list one by one on the Internet and dare not eat anything. The core judgment standard is very simple: after eating something, if you don’t feel that your cough is getting worse or there is more phlegm, then you can eat it.； If you cough immediately after eating and can't stop, just don't touch it next time. Everyone's body is different, so there is no need to impose other people's taboos.