Health Alert: 3 Things To Eat For Healthy Lungs

TORRANCE, Calif. - April 14, 2015 - PRLog -- In Chinese medicine, the lungs set the rhythm for the body. They direct the flow of wei qi, the protective energy that helps you maintain good health.

"Breathing's pretty easy so we tend to take our lungs for granted," notes Dr. David Nelson, Ph D, sports nutritionist at the Center for Advanced Medicine. "But as health practices around the world have noted, they are key for our health in multiple ways. They work hand in hand with your heart. They are key to immunity. They serve up the oxygen your body needs to break down nutrients and create the energy you need to live. And they help your body get rid of the waste gas, carbon dioxide. For these reasons taking care of your lungs makes good sense, if you want to stay healthy."

Stopping smoking is an obvious way to safeguard lung health. But even when people don't smoke, their lungs can be at risk. Microbes, environmental toxins and even simple particulate matter in the air can damage the lungs.

"One of the big things you can do to help your lungs is something your mom always told you to do . . . eat your broccoli," advises Dr. Nelson. Clinical research shows that eating raw broccoli and its cousins (cabbage, kale, cauliflower, etc.) can reduce your risk for lung cancer by as much as 55% if you’re a smoker."

These vegetables – all in the cruciferous family – contain special sulfur-based compounds that have been shown to be potent cancer-fighters. These compounds - sulforaphane and erucin - seem to help detoxify carcinogens as well as activate tumor-suppressing genes.

But here’s the thing . . . it's important to eat these vegetables as whole foods, not as supplements. Supplements don’t include the enzyme, myrosinase, that's found in these vegetables. The body uses myrosinase to break these special compounds down and make these compounds bioavailable.

A second nutrient to look for that is in many green vegetables is vitamin A.

"You may have heard from your doctor that you shouldn’t take vitamin A or beta-carotene supplements if you’re a smoker," notes Dr. Nelson. "Several studies have shown these supplements can increase smokers’ risk for lung cancer. But what many conventional doctors and researchers overlook is that the results are just the opposite when you get vitamin A and its natural precursor, beta-carotene, from food. Study after study has shown that people who eat the most beta-carotene-rich vegetables and have the highest blood levels of beta-carotene have the lowest risk for lung cancer."

What kinds of veggies have this golden, protective nutrient? Leafy greens like kale, spinach and collards as well as orange vegetables like carrots and squash. The superfood, chlorella offers your body a rich supply of beta-carotene and vitamin A. And since chlorella is a whole food, it contains the healthy form of these nutrients.

Chlorella also does two other things to help the lungs:

·         Chlorella helps the body speed toxins out of it. With each inhale, the body brings in all kinds of pollutants. Smoking, in particular, exposes the body to the toxic heavy metal, cadmium. Studies have shown chlorella can help speed cadmium out of the body at 7 times the normal rate.

·         The fiber in chlorella and other veggies and fruits may help calm the immune system. According to preliminary studies, lung health may be heavily impacted by the health of the gut bacteria. These bacteria support proper immune functioning, helping to prevent allergic reactions that can contribute to problems like asthma. Fiber-rich foods – prebiotics - nourish these bacteria like nothing else. It may be that eating to support these bacteria can do enormous good for the lungs as well.

Finally, it's important to eat the right oils for lung health. After decades of pushing the consumption of oils from soybean, corn and canola as healthier alternatives to butter, researchers are doing a turn around. One of the reasons these commonly used cooking oils are falling out of favor is the way they spur inflammation in the lungs, decreasing lung performance.

It seems the form of vitamin E found in these oils – gamma tocopherol – irritates the lung tissues. In contrast, olive oil and sunflower oil’s vitamin E – alpha tocopherol – does not seem to have the same effect. After surveying close to 5000 people, researchers found people with the highest blood levels of gamma tocopherol have the highest rates of asthma whereas people with the highest levels of alpha-tocopherol have some of the lowest rates.

Dr. Nelson advises replacing these oils with oils like olive oil shown to help minimize inflammation.

"There is nothing like a good clean breath of air to revitalize your body," notes Dr. Nelson. "Taking care of your lungs will make it possible for you to breathe easy. And with each breath comes energy and good health. Eat right for lung health and your whole body will reap the rewards."

To learn about 2 other ways to support lung health, please go to https://www.sunchlorellausa.com/blog/5-things-you-can-do-....

About Dr. David Nelson, Ph D

David Nelson is a nutritional consultant, and has been involved in the field of nutritional studies for over 20 years. Dr. Nelson studied at San Diego University, Iowa State University, and Mankato State University. He currently specializes in the areas of Anti-aging, Sports Performance Nutrition, and Allergy. For the past 15 years, Dr. Nelson has been the Nutritionist at the Center for Advanced Medicine, and co-hosts the radio show "Health Talk, A Second Opinion," with the other doctors from the Center. He is also an esteemed member of the Sun Chlorella Advisory Board, which helps guide the medical innovation behind Sun Chlorella products.

About Sun Chlorella USA

Sun Chlorella USA offers the finest quality chlorella products for anti-aging, weight maintenance, energy, heart, brain & digestive system, as well as overall health and wellness for both people and pets.  Want to learn more health secrets? Get a free copy of our report, "Why Didn't My Doctor Tell Me About This?!" This eye-opening report, created by 5 pioneering natural health experts, reveal nutritional secrets that can change your life. Go to https://sunchlorellausa.com/download-free-report to get a copy. Also, for special offers, news and updates, follow us on Twitter at @sunchlorellausa or ‘Like’ us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SunChlorella.