There is nothing as indispensable for life as oxygen. No human being would be able to survive for more than a few minutes without receiving a sufficient amount of this gas from the atmosphere. Oxygen from the air reaches the blood through the respiratory system: nose and mouth, larynx, lungs, bronchial tubes, bronchioles and alveoli. The respiratory system also has excretory function; eliminating carbon dioxide produced through metabolic combustion as well as other toxic substances. All our cells and especially the neurons of the nervous system, require good oxygenation. Hence the importance of the healthy lungs and respiratory tract. Food intake can affect, for better or for worse, the respiratory function. For example, too much salt, shellfish and certain preservative and coloring among others, contribute to asthmatic crises and narrow the bronchial tubes, thus making respiration difficult. On the other hand, onions, garlic, radishes and other vegetables high in essence, produce the opposite effect: dilate the bronchial tubes, facilitate mucus elimination, and improve the air passage through the respiratory ducts. These vegetables produce antiseptic and antibiotic effects, thus facilitating the excretion of germs that often contaminate the respiratory products. Figs and dates smoothen and protect the membrane lining of the bronchial tubes. Colorful vegetables, such as carrots, supply beta carotene (Provitamin A) which, together with vitamin C prevents lung cancer. Four our respiratory system to work optimally, we must abstain from products, whether food or others that intoxicate or tax the respiratory systems. Likewise, we must use appropriately and consistently those foods that facilitate the healthy function of this system.
