From the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC)
This tip sheet helps patients with COPD make appropriate food choices.

Food is fuel, and the body needs fuel for all of its activities, including breathing. Because the COPD patient expends much energy in the simple act of breathing, his ventilatory muscles can require up to ten times the calories required by a healthy person's muscles. This is why it is so important for persons with COPD to eat properly. Good nutritional support helps maintain the ventilatory functions of the lungs, while improper nutrition can cause wasting of the diaphragm and other pulmonary muscles.

These are general guidelines only; your physician is your best source of information on diet and other information about your lung disease.

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