Somehow experiencing the poor air quality and “orange” skies first hand (even without the threat of the fire itself) makes this all the more real. Staying indoors or filtering yourself from the particulate matter is first and foremost…however it’s good to know that there are some nutritional supports to consider as well.

Annual wildfires in California, Colorado, Oregon and other areas in the western US, result not only in terrible loss of human and animal life, forests and property, but people (and animals) are also left dealing with tremendous environmental pollution.

The gases and particles that wildfires produce can be extremely irritating to the sensitive mucosal lining of our lungs. (Other parts of the body like nasal passages, eyes, GI tract also have mucosal linings.) People with respiratory issues like asthma or allergies are particularly vulnerable to this air pollution and the resulting oxidative stress and inflammation.

What Does Nutrition Have to Do with Wildfires?

In addition to minimizing your outdoor exposure during the wildfires, healthy nutrition can help counter the potential health effects of the gases and particles that the wild fires produce.

It’s important to eat a healthy whole foods diet rich in phytonutrients — a food component with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In plain language, eat a Mediterranean type diet, with lots and lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, healthy fats (like nuts, seeds, olive oil), whole grains, fish, limited amounts of red meat (grass fed is best) and dairy and few or no processed foods.

While healthy food is most important, targeted nutrition supplements, such as the master antioxidant glutathione, or its precursor NAC (n-acetylcysteine) can provide addition support. A boswellia supplement is also supportive of mucosal linings such as of the respiratory tract.

This article provides a review of some of the key nutrients that play important roles in the body to manage oxidative stress and inflammation from pollution.

Pollution and respiratory disease: can diet or supplements help? A review, Respir Research. 2018; 19: 79.

Abstract
Pollution is known to cause and exacerbate a number of chronic respiratory diseases. The World Health Organisation has placed air pollution as the world’s largest environmental health risk factor. There has been recent publicity about the role for diet and anti-oxidants in mitigating the effects of pollution, and this review assesses the evidence for alterations in diet, including vitamin supplementation in abrogating the effects of pollution on asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases.

We found evidence to suggest that carotenoids, vitamin D and vitamin E help protect against pollution damage which can trigger asthma, COPD and lung cancer initiation. Vitamin C, curcumin, choline and omega-3 fatty acids may also play a role.

The Mediterranean diet appears to be of benefit in patients with airways disease and there appears to be a beneficial effect in smokers however there is no direct evidence regarding protecting against air pollution.

More studies investigating the effects of nutrition on rapidly rising air pollution are urgently required. However it is very difficult to design such studies due to the confounding factors of diet, obesity, co-morbid illness, medication and environmental exposure.

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What Dr. Price discovered: 

• Traditional diets contain abundant vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, D, and K2, found in seafood and the fat and organ meats of grass-fed animals. 
• When indigenous people adopted processed and denatured foods such as white flour, sugar, canned foods, vegetable oils, and pasteurized milk, they developed the same chronic diseases that plague us today. 

Wise Foods for Healthy Families 

GOOD HEALTH IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT
Natural immunity, vitality, normal growth, an optimistic outlook, a keen mind, good bone structure, straight teeth and freedom from cavities, cancer, heart disease and chronic illness—this is our legacy when we eat foods provided by nature. 

MODERN FOODS DESTROY OUR HEALTH
Most chronic diseases—including mental and behavioral problems—are caused or exacerbated by modern diets. Evidence continues to mount linking chronic diseases with modern foods. Yet much nutritional advice today falsely promotes the consumption of processed food and makes us afraid to eat our ancestral foods. 

ANIMAL FATS ARE ESSENTIAL
Our bodies require nutrient-dense animal food, especially animal fats, for good health, generation after generation. Our cells, bones, brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and reproductive organs all require the nutrients found uniquely in animal fats to function properly. 

WISE FOODS WILL RESTORE YOUR HEALTH
By consuming nutrient-dense foods, we can restore our own health and provide the gift of good health to the next generation. 

A TRUSTWORTHY SOURCE OF INFORMATION
Our materials and website provide scientifically sound articles on the benefits of traditional foods based on research untainted by agribusiness and pharmaceutical industry money. We provide practical advice for returning nutrient-dense foods to family diets, and our local chapter leaders can help you locate healthy foods close to home. 

Wise, Healthy Foods 

• Butter, cream and whole raw milk
• Organ meats, such as liver
• Pasture-fed meats, dairy and eggs
• Wild fish, shellfish and fish roe 

• Organic vegetables and fruits
• Traditional lacto-fermented foods
• Healthy lacto-fermented soft drinks
• Homemade bone broths
• Properly prepared whole grains and traditional sourdough breads 
• Unrefined salt 

Foods to Avoid 

• Low-fat and fat-free products
• Modern soy foods
• Pasteurized, homogenized milk
• Margarine and trans fats
• Processed vegetable oils
• Dry breakfast cereals
• Artificial sweeteners and additives
• Fast foods and sodas
• Refined sweeteners and fruit juices
• White flour products
• Factory-raised meats and farm-raised fish 

Surprising Food Facts 

• Animal fats do not cause heart disease, cancer and obesity but actually protect us against these conditions. 
• Modern soy foods contribute to thyroid problems, digestive disorders and endocrine disruption.
• Low-fat diets can lead to many health problems, including emotional instability. 
• Vegetarians do not live longer; vegan diets do not protect against cancer and heart disease. 

Wise Foods for Sustainable Farms, a Clean Environment, and Local Prosperity 

NON-TOXIC FARMING in healthy, mineral-rich soil produces food that is free of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and hormones. 

PASTURE-FED LIVESTOCK are healthier animals that live outdoors eating green grass and soaking up sunshine to produce more nutritious meat, milk, eggs, and fat. 

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE depends upon millions of small family farmers who thrive by selling locally, who bring prosperity to rural communities and who also maintain open spaces for future generations. 

BIODIVERSITY is maintained through crop rotation and natural pest control as compared to the monocultures and soil depletion typical of large industrial farms using genetically modified organisms (GMOs). 

LOCALLY GROWN FOOD reduces transportation costs, traffic, packaging waste, pollution and dependence on foreign oil, while providing fresher foods and healthier local economies. 

LOCAL VALUE-ADDED products such as cheese, butter, raw milk, sausage, bone broth, artisan sourdough breads and healthy lacto- fermented beverages and condiments bring prosperity to small towns and rural areas.”

— Excerpt from www.westonaprice.org

Weston A. Price (September 6, 1870 – January 23, 1948) was a Canadian dentist known primarily for his theories on the relationship between nutrition, dental health, and physical health.

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