Your oatmeal and your whole wheat bread may help you breathe well and avoid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Researchers quoted in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that, among men and women ages 44 to 66, those who consumed 26.7 grams of fiber per day from fruits and whole grains performed better on lung function tests.

The high fiber eaters were less likely to develop COPD over the 10-year study than people who ate 9.5 grams per day or less. The benefit was found both in smokers and non-smokers, but smokers benefited somewhat less.