Sometimes we can take for granted that our lungs allow us to breathe air in and out every day. Yet, there are a variety of lung related health issues that can cause us tremendous problems. Understanding more about how these organs work along with which raw foods to eat that will help will ensure that you live a healthier lifestyle.

You have two lungs and they cushion your heart, filling the chest cavity. As you breathe they expand and contract beneath layers of membrane. The inside of your lungs look like sponge – not sponge cake you understand but the sort of sponge you wash yourself with!

The brain send signals to the body about how much oxygen is needed, obviously when you are sleeping it needs less than during exercise. The message tells you to breathe in which pulls the rib cage up and out which allows your lungs to fill with air and then as you breathe out it relaxes and pushes the air out. The oxygen in the lungs then passes through the walls of the lungs into the left side of the heart which pumps the oxygenated blood around the body through the arteries. Once the oxygen is used up it returns to the right side of the heart and into the lungs again so the carbon dioxide can be removed and more oxygen taken on board.

The lungs also act as a defence system carrying away airborne germs of which there are many in the 21st century in the form of pollution from cars and factories. Major causes of pollution are fumes from diesel engines and power stations. We also breathe in carbon monoxide from traffic exhausts and cigarette smoke. The home can be a source of pollution as well through chemicals in household products as well as the more obvious ones like animal hairs and cigarette smoke.

The main lung conditions are asthma, bronchitis and lung cancer. These are caused by polluted air damaging the lungs.

Lung related diseases can be avoided with a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and water. If you are overweight, the lungs have to work extra hard to supply oxygen to the body. It goes without saying that smoking should be avoided.

Raw foods to include in the diet for fighting lung cancer are those which are high in beta-carotene. Why not juice them to make the nutrients more digestible and to consume a larger amount more quickly? Current thinking seems to be that carrots are the best cancer fighting vegetable of all.

The best cancer fighting juice combines the following raw vegetables:

• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Green asparagus
• Broccoli
• Beetroot (may turn your urine red – don't worry though it's not blood)
• Turmeric

If you’re more of a fruits fan then try this fruity juice:

• Purple grapes
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Apricots
• Pineapple
• Blueberries
• Tomatoes

It may be tempting to do both, but don't, it will be less effective. Do not be tempted to buy bottled juices because these are simply not as good and may contain sugar which is a total ‘no no’ for this treatment to work.

Another good food for lung cancer treatment is flaxseed oil. This has been termed Dr Johanna Budwig's Healing Diet and case studies can be found at healingcancernaturally.com/lungcancer-healingtestimonials.html. Here is one of the many case studies described on the website:

The brother in law of Betsy, a member of a local church was 47 years old and incapacitated with lung cancer. This was around 7 years ago as I remember. He had been given up and was doing no standard treatment. He began using 4 tablespoons of Flaxseed Oil a day with cottage cheese and in time the only souvenir left was a little scar tissue and he was back at work. I never knew his name but did not about him. Betsy is the best friend of a good friend of ours.

Other raw foods to include in a lung cancer (or indeed any cancer) fighting diet are important sources of protein, such as:

• Nuts
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Sprouted grains
• Wheatgrass
• Barleygrass
• Alfalfa
• Algae
• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Onions
• Beans
• Lentil
• Mung
• Sunflower seeds

Asthma and Bronchitis sufferers should be eating a spicy diet ideally with chilli peppers, which act as lung cleansers. The capsaicin acts as an expectorant, thinning the mucous in the lungs. Other foods that act in a similar way are mustard, vinegar and pepper, horseradish and tabasco. If you don't like the sound of these try 20 drops of tabasco in a glass of water and gargle with it daily.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari