If you have asthma, allergies, COPD, or any other common breathing problems, you’ll find that certain foods trigger you to have more symptoms. Symptoms of asthma and COPD can be wheezing, tightness of the chest and coughing. It’s important to know which foods can cause this so you can be aware of how to benefit your health the best.

Read on to find out the worst foods for breathing problems:

1. Carbonated beverages
Researchers have recently found that drinking carbonated beverages like soda can increase the risk of breathing problems. Soda specifically has been linked to asthma. People who drink more than a half liter of soda every day have been found to have increased breathing issues. Consuming some carbonated beverages is still alright to do. However, this is a limit to how much is healthy if you’re concerned about it impacting your breathing. Carbonated beverages also lead to thicker mucus in the body and more congested airways.

2. Dairy products
For a long time, consuming dairy products has been linked to asthma. It doesn’t cause asthma but it impacts it in a negative way. It can worsen your asthma symptoms significantly if consumed. Additionally, many people are allergic to dairy. Consuming dairy if you’re allergic to it can lead to coughing, choking and the swelling of airways. Dairy is best to be avoided if you don’t know whether or not you’re allergic to it. It’s also important to know how severe your allergies are. Some people can’t drink milk but can still eat cheese. Check in with your doctor to see if you can eat some dairy products without having severe breathing problems occur.

3. Excessive salt
Consuming excessive amounts of salt is one of the easiest ways to increase breathing problems quickly. Eating salty foods makes your body hold onto fluid. To move this extra fluid around your body, the heart has to work harder than it normally does. It can cause your blood pressure to rise and make things like breathing more difficult. It can also cause symptoms like heavy breathing and swelling in the body. This can really impact your lungs and daily functions because you will feel bloated. The best thing you can do is avoid foods with more than 300 milligrams of salt per serving listed on the nutritional label. Cutting out these foods is a great way to reduce salt intake and increase your overall health.

4. Acidic foods and drinks
Acidic foods and drinks can significantly increase your breathing problems. This is because it increases the chance of acid reflux which can damage the lungs and also inflame the windpipe. These are two things you really want to avoid if you have breathing problems. Some specific foods to avoid are fruit juice, citrus, spicy foods and coffee. All of these foods can worsen breathing problems if they are consumed. There are many ways to avoid these foods and still enjoy life. Instead of drinking coffee, there are healthier options to boost energy production like eating more fruits and vegetables.