Speed ​​up recovery, this is a list of foods for TB sufferers

Tuberculosis is a respiratory infection caused by bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis (TB) is still treatable with antibiotics. However, undergoing treatment without ensuring that nutritional intake is still fulfilled, risks making your disease difficult to heal. Therefore, TB sufferers need to fulfill nutrition by eating a diet that can accelerate healing.

By adopting a healthy diet for TB, you will also increase your body's ability to fight the bacterial infection that causes TB and maintain your nutritional adequacy. As a result, you will get better faster.

Foods that are recommended for TB sufferers

TB sufferers are prone to decreased appetite, metabolic changes, and nutrient malabsorption, which is a condition when the body is unable to fully absorb the nutrients from the food consumed.

Moreover, TB treatment can also affect the work of the digestive system. It is not uncommon for TB sufferers to experience nausea, vomiting, and cramps in the stomach due to the side effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs. Even though the treatment carried out to cure this disease can last up to almost a year.

Therefore, it is important for TB sufferers to adopt a healthy and regular diet by eating foods that can accelerate the healing process.

Reporting from TB Facts, there are 6 types of food sources needed for TB sufferers, namely carbohydrates and fats which are a source of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals. The following is a more complete explanation of nutrition and examples of the food menu needed for TB sufferers:

Calorie-rich foods for tuberculosis sufferers

Increasing calorie intake will help meet energy needs and optimize the work of the immune system. This is important because people with tuberculosis who are underweight or malnourished are at risk of worsening their disease conditions.

The Director General of Health Services of the Republic of Indonesia stipulates that the standard calorie needs that TB sufferers must meet is 40-45 kcal of body weight per day.

The results of the study, entitled Tuberculosis and Nutrition also mentioned that increasing the consumption of food sources of energy for 6 weeks during the TB treatment period could make the participants have a better physical condition than the group that was not given additional energy.

Carbohydrates and unsaturated fats

Foods for TB sufferers that are recommended to increase energy are carbohydrates and fats. Of course, within normal limits.

Examples of foods that are sources of healthy carbohydrates for a healthy diet menu for TB sufferers can come from:

• Rice
• Porridge
• Team rice
• Potato
• Bread
• Wheat

If the sufferer has difficulty consuming large portions of carbohydrate type foods, try to eat smaller portions but more often.

Meanwhile, food sources high in good or unsaturated fat are the types of fat recommended for TB sufferers. A list of foods that contain unsaturated fats, including:

• Fish
• Nuts
• Low fat milk
• Low fat meat

How to process unsaturated fat foods should also be considered. Avoid eating too many fatty foods that are fried or served with coconut milk, especially when TB sufferers experience indigestion or nausea. You should use vegetable oil or olive oil to process fatty foods.

Protein

Apart from energy, you also need foods high in protein that are more than healthy people. This is because protein can prevent and reduce tissue damage due to infection. Protein also helps keep your weight normal.

In addition, protein functions to repair damaged cells in the body. The protein requirement that TB sufferers need to meet is 2–2.5 g / kg of body weight per day.

To help cure tuberculosis, sufferers need to get food from two sources of protein, namely animal and vegetable. A list of foods high in animal protein to accelerate the healing of TB sufferers are:

• Chicken
• Lean meat
• Fish
• Seafood: shrimp, shellfish
• Milk
• Cheese
• Egg

While examples of vegetable protein sources that need to be included in the daily diet of TB sufferers are:

• Tofu
• Tempe
• Red beans
• Green beans
• Soybeans

Vitamins and minerals

You really need vitamins and minerals when you have tuberculosis. Lack of vitamins and minerals can cause the immune system to decline, making it more susceptible to infection. Food sources that are rich in vitamins and minerals are usually vegetables and fruits. However, some minerals can also be found in predominantly protein foods.

The following are the essential vitamins and minerals needed by TB sufferers during the treatment period.

1. Zinc

Zinc has an important role in the immune system to fight infection and antidote free radicals that cause cancer.

According to the USDA Nutrition Data, people with tuberculosis have lower levels of zinc in their bodies than healthy people. Therefore, TB sufferers need more zinc intake to help improve immune function.

Examples of foods containing zinc that need to be on the diet for TB sufferers are:

• Seafood: shellfish, crab, lobster
• Cashews
• Mushroom
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Garlic

2. Vitamin A

Zinc is closely related to vitamin A. Both have important roles in the treatment of tuberculosis. Vitamin A is needed in improving T and B lymphocyte function, macrophage cell activity, and antibody response in the body's immune system. Both lymphocytes and macrophages play a role in fighting tuberculosis bacterial infection, thereby preventing more fatal tissue damage.

The need for vitamin A intake increases in tuberculosis patients due to increased excretion (use) of vitamin A in the body. TB sufferers can get vitamin A foods to be consumed from vegetables and fruits such as:

• Carrot
• Tomato
• Spinach
• Sweet Potatoes
• Lettuce
• Celery
• Beef or chicken liver
• Egg
• Mango
• Watermelon

3. Vitamin D

Vitamin D also has a role in increasing the work of macrophages to fight TB infection. To accelerate healing, TB patients can supplement their daily diet with sources of vitamin D found in:

• Mushroom
• Fish oil
• Fish (especially salmon and mackerel)
• Tofu
• Egg yolk
• Milk and its derivatives

4. Vitamin C

Just like vitamins A and D, vitamin C can help the body strengthen the immune system to fight infection. Foods that are a source of vitamin C generally come from fruits and vegetables that can be consumed directly or processed into juices and drinks. Sources of vitamin C for tuberculosis patients can be obtained from:

• Orange
• Kiwi
• Strawberry
• Melon
• Guava
• Papaya
• Tomato
• Broccoli

5. Iron

TB sufferers have lower levels of hemoglobin (a protein that contains iron in red blood cells) than healthy people. Therefore, TB sufferers are prone to anemia or lack of blood. TB sufferers need more foods that contain iron to prevent this condition. Iron-rich foods can be obtained from:

• Red meat
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Sawi

6. Selenium

Selenium also has an important role in the immune system. That is why, selenium is also one of the most needed nutrients in foods for TB sufferers. You can get selenium from consumption:

• Fish
• Seafood
• Meat
• Mushroom
• Bread

An example of an ideal food menu for people with tuberculosis

Make sure that in every portion of your diet, you meet the types of food with these nutritional content. Patients with tuberculosis should ideally eat three main meals a day and one to two snacks during the main meal schedule.

If you are confused about determining the combination of food types for your daily diet that meet nutritional needs while increasing immunity, you can follow the example of healthy eating menu recommendations for TB sufferers from the Indonesian Ministry of Health.

Breakfast or heavy meal menu before 12 noon:

• Rice
• meat stew
• Beans and carrot soup
• Milk

Snack at 10:00:

• Green bean porridge
• Milk
• Fruit
• Vegetable salad
• Bread

Lunch menu:

• Rice
• Balado fried fish
• Omelet
• Fried tofu
• Tamarind vegetable soup
• Papaya

Dinner or dinner menu:

• Rice
• Fried chicken
• Fried tempe
• Vegetable soup
• Banana

Restrictions on food and drinks for TB sufferers

In addition to the need for healthy eating, TB sufferers also need to avoid a variety of foods that make their disease difficult to cure. The following is a list of dietary and beverage restrictions for TB sufferers.

1. Processed food products

Processed foods are not good for consumption by people with tuberculosis, especially those using preservatives. Some of the foods that are included in this taboo list are sugar, white bread, white rice, flour, cakes, pastries, processed puddings, and canned foods.

2. Red meat is high in fat and cholesterol

Red meat, such as beef and mutton, contains saturated fat. Eating foods high in fat can increase a person's cholesterol levels. This is one of the dietary restrictions that TB sufferers must comply with in order to maintain health.

3. Food contains excess salt

One of the taboos for TB sufferers is foods containing high salt because it causes hypertension. High blood pressure can reduce the health conditions of people with tuberculosis.

4. Alcohol

For people with tuberculosis, alcohol can increase the risk of liver damage due to side effects of the drugs they are taking.

5. Coffee or drinks containing caffeine

Drinks that contain caffeine are not good for people with tuberculosis. Apart from coffee, abstinence from other caffeine-containing drinks, such as tea, is also not recommended.

6. Carbonated drinks

Carbonated drinks are drinks that have been mixed with carbon dioxide gas. One of the carbonated drinks that are known to many people is soft drinks.

In addition to the list of taboo foods and drinks for TB sufferers above, it is important to avoid various types of tobacco, such as cigarettes. The toxins contained in cigarettes are harmful to health, especially the lungs so that the tuberculosis condition gets worse.