Dietary guidelines for people with HIV / aids & bull; hello healthy

A person infected with HIV / AIDS needs a healthy and balanced diet. Diet for people with HIV is good done as an effort to maintain nutritional status and also boost the immune system. The HIV virus can weaken the immune system so that people with HIV / AIDS need lots of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals to help fight disease.

In addition, the diet for people with HIV / AIDS is also intended to help cure the symptoms and complications of HIV. Usually people with HIV have weight problems that continue to lose weight, problems with infections, and also diarrhea.

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The following are the basic principles of the diet for people with HIV / AIDS.

Calories

Calories you can get from every food you eat. These calories will be converted into energy that will be used to carry out various activities. To maintain your weight, you need a lot of calories. Your calorie requirement per day is approx.

17 calories x 0.5 kg of body weight, if you are watching your body weight
20 calories x 0.5 kg of body weight, if you have an infection
25 calories x 0.5 kg of body weight, if you are losing weight

The more weight you lose or have complications, the more calories you will need.

Protein

Protein is needed to help build muscles, organs, and the immune system. You can get protein from animals and plants, such as chicken, meat, fish, milk, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Choose lean meat, skinless chicken, and low-fat milk.

The protein requirements needed for people with HIV / AIDS are:

100-150 grams per day for men who are HIV positive
80-100 grams per day for women who are HIV positive
Not more than 15-20% of the daily calorie requirement if you also have kidney disease. Protein intake is limited because too much protein intake can aggravate the kidneys.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. Your daily carbohydrate requirement is about 60%. To get the sufficient amount and type of carbohydrates, you can get them from:

Eat 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
Choose various types of vegetables and fruits with different colors, so that you can get all the nutrients your body needs
Choose carbohydrates with high fiber, such as brown rice and quinoa, wheat, oats, and many more
Limit consumption of simple sugars, which you can get from candy, cake, biscuits, or ice cream

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Fat

Fat provides additional energy for you to do activities. Choose foods that contain good fats than bad fats. To get good fats, you can eat nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish, canola oil, olive oil, walnut oil, corn oil, sunflower seed oil, and others. Limit consumption of fatty meats, chicken with skin, butter, and palm oil. The need for fat for people with HIV / AIDS is 30% of the total calorie needs per day, try to meet 10% of your fat needs from monounsaturated or good fats.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals your body needs to help regulate the processes in your body. People with HIV / AIDS need more vitamins and minerals to help repair damaged cells and tissues. Apart from that, vitamins and minerals are also needed to help boost your immune system. Some of the vitamins and minerals that are needed by people with HIV / AIDS are:

Vitamin A and beta-carotene, which you can get from dark green, yellow, orange, and red vegetables and fruits, as well as from liver, eggs, and milk
Vitamin B, can be obtained from meat, fish, chicken, nuts, seeds, avocado, and green vegetables
Vitamin C, you can get from oranges, kiwi, guava
Vitamin E, you can get from green vegetables, nuts, and vegetable oils
Iron, you can get from green leafy vegetables, red meat, liver, fish, eggs, seafood, wheat
Selenium, can be obtained from nuts, seeds, poultry (chicken, duck), fish, eggs, and peanut butter
Zinc, can be obtained from meat, poultry, fish, milk and dairy products, and nuts

If you have trouble getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, your doctor may recommend that you take vitamin and mineral supplements to meet your nutritional needs. We recommend that you first consult with your doctor before you take supplements.

If you are taking supplements, you should pay attention to the following:

Take supplements when you have eaten or when your stomach is filled
Take supplements regularly
Talk to your doctor before you take high doses of supplements. Some vitamin or mineral supplements in high doses can harm your health.
Iron supplements can cause you to experience constipation. For that reason, you should increase your fluid intake and increase your fiber intake to help reduce constipation.

Water

Not to be missed is water. Yes, water is also much needed by your body to help metabolize nutrients from the food that enters your body. In addition, additional water consumption is also needed for:

Reducing drug side effects
Helping the body to remove drug waste that has been used by the body or get rid of toxins in your body
Prevents you from dehydration, dry mouth, and constipation
Helps reduce the fatigue you feel

At least, you should drink as much as 8-10 glasses per day. However, sometimes you need more fluids than this. It's best to remember to always drink and don't get thirsty. If you experience diarrhea or vomiting, you may need to drink more than usual.

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