Diet is important for everyone. The foods we eat provide us with the fuel and the nutrients we need to keep our bodies functioning properly. But the right balance is key – we need to provide ourselves with enough of the essentials while not taking in more than we need. Diet is especially important for Alphas. Good nutrition can help protect your lungs and liver while a poor diet can lead to health problems that make Alpha-1 harder to manage. Read on to learn more about eating right for Alpha-1.

Nutritional needs and dietary recommendations for Alphas are similar to those for people without Alpha-1. Even so, Alphas have an added incentive for following healthy dietary recommendations. Good nutrition may help Alphas to protect lung function and improve breathing by providing the energy and muscle tone needed to maintain effective respiratory effort. A poor diet can complicate Alpha-1 by imposing additional problems associated with diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and others.

Controlling Weight

Proper diet and nutrition can help control your weight and avoid the complications that arise from being overweight or underweight. The metabolic syndrome associated with being overweight is considered the single largest risk to an Alpha’s liver. Fat accumulates in liver cells causing a “fatty liver”, a medical condition associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (abbreviated NASH). The risk factors for NASH include obesity, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, diabetes, and hypertension.

Being underweight can also be a serious health concern for Alphas, especially those with lung disease. Unintentional weight loss affects as many as 40 to 70 percent of individuals with COPD due to the extra energy COPD patients must expend in order to breathe. It is estimated that an individual without respiratory disease will use approximately 100 calories per day in expanding and contracting the muscles involved with breathing while a person with COPD may use up to 700 calories per day just for breathing. This is true even if they are unaware of this extra work, and even mild COPD increases the likelihood of being underweight.

When your caloric intake is not sufficient to meet your energy needs, your body resorts to breaking down fat and muscle tissue in order to supply the energy it needs in the form of calories. This results in weakened muscles and weight loss. A vicious cycle develops where the loss of respiratory muscle strength leads to worsening shortness of breath and a further decrease in appetite. Eating an adequate number of calories will keep the body from resorting to the destruction of muscle to obtain fuel.

What is a Healthy Diet? 

Moderation, variety, and balance; not too much or too little; lots of different foods of plant or animal origin, with day-to-day variability; and a balance between the energy you take in and the energy you put out — these are the elements of a healthy diet. To simplify these principles, experts have changed the recommendations from a Food Pyramid to MyPlate.

Build a Healthy Eating Style

All food and beverage choices matter – focus on variety, amount, and nutrition. Make healthy food and beverage choices from all five food groups including fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy to get the nutrients you need. Eat the right amount of calories for you based on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level.

Building a healthier eating style can help you avoid being overweight and/or obese and reduce your risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. To make the best possible choices for your body:

  • Choose an eating style low in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
  • Use Nutrition Facts labels and ingredient lists to find amounts of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in the foods and beverages you choose. When looking at the Percent Daily Value of each nutrient, note that 5 percent or less is considered low while 20 or more percent is high.
  • Look for food and drink choices lower in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar.
  • Eat fewer calories from foods high in saturated fat and added sugars can help you manage your calories and prevent overweight and obesity. Most of us eat too many foods that are high in saturated fat and added sugar.
  • Eat foods with less sodium can reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

Make small changes to create a healthier eating style. Think of each change as a personal “win” on your path to living healthier. Each MyWin is a change you make to build your healthy eating style. Find little victories that fit into your lifestyle and celebrate as a MyWin! Start with a few of these small changes:

  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Focus on whole fruits.
  • Vary your veggies.
  • Make half your grains whole grains.
  • Move to low-fat and fat-free dairy.
  • Vary your protein routine.
  • Eat and drink the right amount for you.

The Dietary Guidelines

First published in 1980, the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” is updated every 5 years and is grounded in the most current scientific evidence. The current Dietary Guidelines provide guidance for choosing a healthy diet and focus on preventing diet-related chronic diseases. Its recommendations are ultimately intended to help individuals improve and maintain overall health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Its focus is disease prevention, not treatment.

There are five overarching Guidelines that encourage healthy eating patterns:

1. Follow a healthy eating pattern across your lifespan. All food and beverage choices matter. Choose a healthy eating pattern at an appropriate calorie level to help achieve and maintain healthy body weight, support nutrient adequacy, and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
2. Focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount. To meet nutrient needs within calorie limits, choose a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within all food groups in recommended amounts.
3. Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium intake. Consume an eating pattern low in added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium. Cut back on foods and beverages higher in these components to amounts that fit within healthy eating patterns.
4. Shift to healthier food and beverage choices. Choose nutrient-dense foods and beverages across and within all food groups in place of less healthy choices. Consider cultural and personal preferences to make these shifts easier to accomplish and maintain.
5. Support healthy eating patterns for all. Everyone has a role in helping to create and support healthy eating patterns in multiple settings nationwide, from home to school to work to communities.

For more diet and nutrition advice just for Alphas, check out the Big Fat Reference Guide to Alpha-1.

Sources: 
https://bfrg.alphanet.org/s/article/4-4-1-why-is-your-diet-important
https://bfrg.alphanet.org/s/article/4-4-2-myplate-from-the-usda
https://bfrg.alphanet.org/s/article/4-4-3-dietary-recommendations-for-all-alphas
https://bfrg.alphanet.org/s/article/6-9-2-general-dietary-recommendations-for-alphas-with-lung-disease
https://bfrg.alphanet.org/s/article/4-4-4-understanding-nutrition-facts-labels