South Indian Meal Plan for COPD Patients

Indian Diet Plan for COPD Patients

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Meal Plan for COPD Patients, Featuring South Indian Dishes

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD is an inflammatory lung condition that makes breathing difficult (1) . Patients with COPD should have a healthy diet with right mix of nutrients to feel better and gain more energy for breathing and daily activities. Given below is a suggestive meal plan for patients with COPD. (2,4

Dietary Recommendation: Eating a diet with “fewer Carbohydrates” and “more Fats” along with foods high in antioxidants help in easy breathing and reduce COPD related symptoms. (2)

Morning
Afternoon
Night

Early Morning (6:00 AM)

• Fistful of soaked almonds / walnuts + 1 tsp soaked or powder flax seeds

Breakfast (8:00 AM)

• 1 cup semolina upma (rava) or 2 ragi dosas / 1 bowl ragi porridge (Kanji) or 2 idlis
• 1 boiled egg
• 1 cup coffee / tea or turmeric milk

Note: 

• Replace cow’s milk with almond milk or soya milk in case of milk allergy.
• Can include coconut chutney.

Mid Morning Snack (11:00 AM)

• 1 medium size fresh fruit (Refer the list below)

Note: Avoid fruit juices.

Lunch (1:00 PM)

• 1 + ½ cup cooked rice or 2 small wheat / millet chapatti + ½ cup cooked rice
• 1 cup sambhar
• 1 cup spinach curry
• 1 cup curd or boiled egg or 2 piece pan fried/chicken

Note: 

• Add a tsp of ghee over chapatti / rice.
• Can sprinkle fresh coconut over vegetables.

Afternoon Snack (4:00PM)

• 1 cup makhana (lotus seed), ghee roasted or fistful of almonds / walnuts
• 1 cup green tea or herbal tea (mint leaves + ginger)

Note: If hungry in between, include a bowl of tomato soup / 1 cup boiled green gram sprouts.

Dinner (8:00 PM)

• 1 cup godhumai pulao (broken wheat) or 2 wheat chapatti
• 1 cup bottle gourd curry
• 4-5 pieces of grilled paneer

Note: Try to finish your dinner at least 3 hrs before you sleep. Staying light bedtime will help to sleep deep.

Foods to eat
Foods to avoid

Foods high in proteins like dal, sprouts, low fat milk and milk products like curd, buttermilk and paneer, eggs, fish and chicken.

Processed meat, cold cuts like sausage, salami, ready to cook nuggets and hotdogs.

Complex Carbohydrates - Cereals like whole wheat, barley, oat, semi-polished rice, boiled rice, dalia, rava (suji),  ragi , jowar, bajra,  murmura ,  poha, corn (bhutta),  makhana and quinoa.

Products containing refined flour-like biscuits, baked items khari, toast, donuts, cakes, brownies, Instant pasta, instant noodles, .instant oats and soft drinks.

Good fats like almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, flax seed, chia seed, watermelon seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, ghee, filtered ground nut oil, cold pressed oil – rice bran and kachi ghani mustard oil.

Margarine, refined oil, dalda and hydrogenated fat (found in most the processed food).
Fruits and Vegetables Safe to Consume
Fruits and Vegetables Causing Gas to Restrict

Papaya (Ripe) grape, lemon, pineapple, sweetlime (mosambi), orange, pomegranate, muskmelon, coconut, honeydew, banana (not over ripe).

Apple, mango, pear, watermelon, litchi and plum.

Spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, beetroot, carrot, cucumber, brinjal, okra, potato, raw papaya, turnip, yam, gourd and pumpkin.

Brinjal, onion, garlic, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.

Additional Tips:

  • Eat 5-6 small and frequent meals, instead of few large meals in a day to reduce stomach fullness and pressure on the lungs.
  • Allow 3-4 hours digestion time for a large meal and 2-3 hours for smaller meal.
  • Eat more food early in the morning, if you usually feel too tired to eat later in the day.
  • Limit intake of simple carbohydrates like table sugar, chocolates, sugar syrup based mithai’s and cold drinks.
  • Limit intake of foods that may cause gas or bloating as they can make breathing more difficult – Refer guide.
  • Soak dal and pulses overnight to reduce the anti-nutritional factors (gas-making substance)
  • Control intake of sodium (salt) in your diet to avoid water retention and difficulty in breathing. Avoid salty snacks like bhujia, namkeen, chips, instant soups, salad dressing and ketchups.
  • Use herbs and spices in place of salt to lower sodium intake.

Note: Always consult your Dietician or Doctor for a personalized nutrition care plan best suited for your existing medical condition.

Disclaimer:

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COPD. Accessed 1 st Nov 2022. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/copd/index.html
  2. American Lung Association. Nutrition and COPD. Accessed 31 st Oct 2022. Available at : https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/living-with-copd/nutrition
  3. Barrett. J. How to institute the low-FODMAP diet. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Mar;32 Suppl 1:8-10.
  4. Collins. P et.al. Nutritional support in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): an evidence update. J Thorac Dis 2019;11(Suppl 17):S2230-S2237.