By naturopath Margaret Jasinska

Asthma is becoming an increasingly common problem in both children and adults. The condition usually begins in childhood, and for some people it becomes a life long ailment. Recent research has shown that obese children are at greater risk of developing asthma.

For every unit of Body Mass Index (BMI) above an ideal weight, a child’s risk of asthma is increased by 55 percent. BMI is not always the most reliable way to assess a person’s weight; it does have flaws. However, this is still a significant finding. Obese children who experience sleep disordered breathing and poor sleep quality are at highest risk. These children gain more weight on their upper body than lower body.

This finding really isn’t surprising because asthma is an inflammatory condition, and obesity is associated excessive inflammation. Plus, once a person is already obese, fat cells (particularly those around the torso) produce a flood of inflammatory chemicals that get released into the bloodstream, compounding the situation.

The foods that fuel obesity are the same foods that cause or worsen asthma: sugar, industrial seed oils high in omega 6 fats (eg. Canola, soy, sunflower, corn oil), gluten and dairy products. Asthmatics usually produce higher amounts of zonulin in their gut, which is a messenger that causes spaces to open up in the gut lining. Thus asthmatics have a leaky gut. Gluten, dairy products, sugar and vegetable oil all raise the risk of leaky gut. So too does an overgrowth of harmful bacteria or yeast in the intestines, which typically results from high carbohydrate diets.

Basing a child’s diet on whole foods, such as vegetables, protein rich foods (eg. Seafood, poultry, eggs, pastured meat), natural fats, nuts, seeds and fruit helps to reduce the risk of both obesity and asthma. Protein and fat are both highly satiating, reducing the intensity of cravings for sugar and junk food. Glutamine is an amino acid that helps to heal the gut lining, improving leaky gut. It is found in Gut Health powder.

Most families are very pressed for time, and children can be very fussy eaters. That means it’s not always easy to feed your children healthy home cooked meals all the time. Synd-X Slimming protein powder is a fast, convenient and very tasty meal option. It can be used to make a delicious smoothie for a nutritious meal on the run or after school snack.

Reference