You’ve heard that eating less red meat can improve your heart health, and loading up on calcium will make your bones strong. If you want to build muscle, you’d be well served to pile your plate with protein. But what about eating for pulmonary health? Research supports the idea that your nutritional habits can also impact your lungs, particularly if you have asthma.

“Asthma is a chronic illness. We don't have a cure, but ‘control’ is the word that we use,” says board-certified pulmonologist Francis Adams, MD, clinical associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “And if you can incorporate a healthy lifestyle, which includes a healthy, nutritious diet, your chances of control are so much better.”

Maureen George, PhD, RN, professor of nursing at Columbia School of Nursing and spokesperson for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), also says that in her clinical experience, she’s found that patients who prioritize whole, nutritious foods “report less problems with their asthma.”

Because there’s so much to gain, Dr. Adams says it’s important for asthmatics to speak with their doctor early and often about their diet. “I think [diet] is just as important as allergy-proofing” for controlling asthma, he says. “Some people don't ask the question: ‘What should I eat, what shouldn't I eat?’... Don’t be shy about exploring this area because it can really be a big help.”

Below are seven eating habits that research shows could help control your asthma symptoms—but please talk to your doc before making any big changes to the way you eat.

1. Maintain a healthy weight

“Healthy weight” will mean something different for every person, and it’s important to remember that you can never tell how healthy someone is just by looking at—or weighing—them.

However, Dr. Adams says, “It's worth noting that obesity is a real risk factor for asthma. So if we can avoid that or if we can reduce weight, that alone will improve the outlook or the prognosis for a patient with asthma.”

2. Load up on anti-inflammatory foods and antioxidants

People with asthma experience a swelling of the airways, so it makes sense that eating foods known to reduce inflammation in the body would help with symptoms. “If you can combat the inflammation and do it naturally through the diet, you're going to just help the outlook of your asthma tremendously,” says Dr. Adams.

Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, author of The Better Period Food Solution, agrees. “There are a litany of anti-inflammatory nutrients and antioxidants, like vitamin A, C, D, E, that help to reduce inflammation by reducing oxidative stress,” she says. “These nutrients are able to not only put a bandage on the respiratory ‘wound’ but they are able to repair and strengthen cells to prevent injuries and damage from happening again.”

According to Dr. George, studies show that a diet high in antioxidants, specifically, “may improve asthma control and reduce exacerbations and loss of lung function.”

“Antioxidant-rich foods are beneficial in the management of asthma symptoms by bringing oxygenated, healthy and supercharged cells to the irritated and injured areas in the body,” says Beckerman, naming flavonoids, selenium, carotene, vitamin C, E, and ubiquinone—which can be found in fish, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables—as dietary antioxidants to add to your menu. “These foods can help calm airway hyperresponsiveness by helping to reduce mucus secretions and calming any redness associated with airway constriction and inflammation.”

Dr. Adams often recommends his patients follow a Mediterranean-style diet. “Lots of fruits, lots of vegetables,” he says. “Fruits are rich in antioxidants. They're also rich in a lot of vitamins like vitamin C. That ‘apple a day’ is a way to get vitamins as well as antioxidants.”

3. Get enough vitamin D

Specifically, low levels of vitamin D, which has antioxidant properties, has been shown to correlate with exacerbated asthma symptoms. According to Dr. George, medical professionals therefore believe that maintaining sufficient levels of vitamin D is important for controlling asthma flares.

Dr. Adams recommends almonds, legumes, eggs, and fish (particularly salmon) as great food sources of vitamin D. But if you have a difficult time getting enough vitamin D from food, he says, research shows that vitamin D supplements may be helpful in reducing asthma symptoms as well.

4. Pay attention to your fiber intake

Beckerman says that dietary fiber may also indirectly help with respiratory inflammation. “Because fiber is able to increase the thickness of the barriers in the intestines, it can prevent pro-inflammatory proteins and cytokines from entering the bloodstream and triggering an inflammatory immune response all over the body,” she says.

Great sources of fiber include whole grains, beans, nuts, berries, and sweet potatoes.

5. Avoid sulfites

According to the American Lung Association, sulfites have been known to aggravate asthma symptoms for some people—although research has not yet proven why this happens.

Sulfites are chemicals that act as a preservative in food. They occur naturally in some foods, including fermented foods, wine, vinegar, and some vegetables, but are added to many others —notably dried fruits, shrimp, and maraschino cherries—in order to maintain their color and lengthen their self-life.

6. Watch out for foods that make you gassy

Dr. Adams explains that your stomach sits right below your diaphragm. “That’s what separates the lungs from the abdomen,” he says. As the diaphragm contracts and expands, it pushes air in and out of the lungs. However, when you become gassy, your stomach presses up against the diaphragm, limiting its movement and, as a result, the ability for you to take in oxygen. “This could definitely make someone who is already short of breath from the asthma even more short of breath,” says Dr. Adams.

Beckerman therefore recommends limiting hard-to-digest and gas-causing foods like raw broccoli, cauliflower, and sodas or seltzers on days when your asthma is acting up. “In fact, it’s recommended to stick to cooked vegetables, opt for soups and other warm foods to keep digestion at ease while asthma symptoms are heightened,” she says.

7. Eat slow and steady

Beyond what you eat, how you eat can also help prevent your asthma from flaring. “Eating habits such as eating slowly, sticking to warm foods and cooked foods, taking breaths between bites, keeping clothing loose around the belt, all could help to relieve any airway constriction or additional tightness,” says Beckerman.

Dr. Adams adds overeating to this list: When you eat too much, your stomach expands and inhibits diaphragm function just like when you’re gassy. He recommends small meals spread at regular intervals throughout the day.

Just remember: You can’t cure asthma or eliminate its symptoms through eating habits alone. “Nutrition therapy is a benefit in the prevention and can be used in the management of asthma—however, it is critical and diligent to work with a pulmonologist or doctor who can provide insight and recommend specific individual treatments,” says Beckerman.

Abbey Stone is the former editor-in-chief of the Webby-Award-winning brand Well+Good. Previously, was also an editor at publications including Mental Floss and People; in addition to GQ, her writing has appeared in Allure, The Daily Beast, SheKnows, POPSUGAR, Wondermind, and more. She graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College and... Read moreRelated Stories for GQAsthma