One very common thing a lot of Americans do is sit down to watch tv, and they grab a bowl of popcorn or something salty to snack on.

With COPD it is not always that easy to snack on whatever you want, so we formed a list of some of the most tasty snacks to munch on with COPD.

As always, snack with caution. There is always a possibility to overeat and weight gain can cause harm to your COPD.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs are one of the best things to snack on and easy to make. Not only are they loaded with protein, lutein and zeaxanthin (all 3 are great for COPD) they are loaded with antioxidants too, which can help improve lung function.

What you need:

1 carton of eggs

Cooking Instructions:

1. We recommend cooking the eggs in a pot covered with cold water
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then cover
3. Remove from heat and let sit for about 12 minutes
4. Drain the water, cool in a bowl of ice water (or the fridge) and peel when the eggs have cooled down
5. Keep the egg carton to store the boiled eggs afterwards

Almond & Peanut Butter

There are a couple different ways to enjoy these two. Almond butter and peanut butter are both great on whole-wheat toast, or some whole-grain crackers.

Almonds and peanuts on their own can also be a great snack to bring with you wherever you go.

Both nuts come in a multitude of flavors, and if you can’t find flavors you can make them on your own.

We recommend throwing some plain nuts in a bag and adding some cinnamon or cocoa powder for additional flavor.

Both almonds and peanuts have a high fat percentage, but don’t worry, it contains healthy fats (like vitamin E).

Cheese

As a good source of calcium, cheese is a great way to snack but stay relatively healthy.

Stay away from full fat dairy, and lean towards “reduced fat” and “skim milk” products.

A good way to eat cheese is on rice, potatoes, veggies or even whole-grain crackers.

Our favorite recipe is green veggie risotto:

What you need:

2 tbsps olive oil

1 cup scallions, sliced

1 celery stalk, diced

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup Arborio rice

½ cup balsamic vinegar (or natural grape juice)

4 ½ cups chicken broth

1 (5-oz) package of baby spinach, chopped

2 cups fresh peas

1 cup grated parmesan

2 ounces sliced prosciutto (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add scallions, diced celery, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cook until all veggies are tender.
3. Add in rice & cook for about 2 minutes. Add in 2 ½ chicken broth, only ½ cup at a time
4. Add in spinach, peas and cook.
5. Over the next 10 minutes add in remaining broth until rice is tender.
6. Add prosciutto and Parmesan to taste

 Avocados

Avocados are packed with heart-healthy fats, and a strong heart is a strong body!

We recommend eating avocados sliced on whole-wheat toast, or mix it into salsa (or make some guacamole) and enjoy with whole-grain chips. We like this fresh salad for summer.

What you need:

Avocado

Radish

Watermelon

Feta, mint & chives (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Chop up equal parts watermelon, avocado and radish.
2. Top with feta, mint and chives and toss

Walnuts

Walnuts are loaded with omega-3 fats, which is very heart-healthy and is known to help lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease. Also high in antioxidants, walnuts are a great snacking choice for COPD. Walnuts are great plain but are also tasty coated in maple syrup.

What you need:

1 cup raw walnut halves

2 tbsps maple syrup

1/8 tsp salt

Cooking Instructions:

1. Add all to a medium heat skillet.
2. Toss and stir until evaporated
3. Pour onto wax paper and let cool

Salmon

Salmon is not only a dinner, but it’s also a great snack. Pop open a small can of salmon and a few whole-grain crackers and you are good to go.

Otherwise we found a great recipe for a salmon salad.

What you need:

2 cans of boneless, skinless salmon, drained

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup sweet onion, chopped (to your liking)

½ cup of cucumber, chopped

1/3 cup green onion, chopped

¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

1/3 cup greek yogurt, low fat

2 tbsps mayonnaise (we recommend olive oil mayonnaise)

Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients together
2. Add salt & pepper to taste

Fruit Smoothies

Smoothies are some of the easiest snacks to make.

Filled with all the nutrients from the fruit, it is packed with all the good stuff that your body needs when diagnosed with COPD.

The recipe we have listed contains calcium, protein and vitamin D, just in the milk!

What you need:

1 cup milk

½ cup frozen strawberries

½ banana

Cooking Instructions:

1. Combine all in the blender and blend to your consistency
2. The frozen strawberries act as ice for the smoothie

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is easy, quick and healthy. Loaded with fiber, calcium, iron and vitamin A, what’s not to love?

Below we have listed how we like to make our oatmeal in the morning.

What you need:

1 cup rolled oats

2 cups low fat milk

1 banana, mashed

½ tsp cinnamon (exclude if you wish)

Salt as needed

Cooking Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high.
2. Once to a boil, turn the head down to low and continually stir for about 3-5 minutes.
3. When oatmeal is at a desired consistency, remove from heat and serve immediately

Popcorn

Though popcorn at the movies is not healthy, it is still a good snack, when you make it correctly.

We found a recipe that was super simple to follow and from our test, it came out very tasty!

What you need:

Brown paper bag

¼ cup popcorn kernels

Cooking Instructions:

1. Pour the kernels into the bag and fold the top of the bag over so popcorn doesn’t spill out
2. Microwave for about 2 minutes (for a 1000-watt microwave), or until there is a few seconds (about 3) in between popping
3. Either turn off the microwave and let sit, or take the bag out carefully.

It is important to eat healthy with COPD and similar lung diseases because it is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

These simple and easy to make snacks are a great option when you want something with flavor, but you know you can’t have movie theatre popcorn. Luckily homemade popcorn is allowed!

Conclusion

Whether you have recently been diagnosed or have been living with COPD for years, avoiding unhealthy snacks and foods in general is one of the most important things you can do for the management of your COPD.

Let us know if you try any of the recipes and how you liked them by leaving a comment below! Or do you have some tasty COPD friendly snacks that we forgot to mention? Drop your favorite COPD snack recipes in the comments section.