Healthcare professionals may recommend certain foods to boost the immunity of people with HIV. This may include a meal plan high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins.
HIV is a virus that affects a person’s white blood cells and weakens the immune system. This makes people more susceptible to diseases and cancer. If left untreated, the virus can progress to stage 3 HIV, also known as AIDS.
However, your health care team can provide treatment to help manage your symptoms. People with HIV can live long, healthy lives. As part of their HIV treatment, health care professionals recommend meal plans and proper nutrition. Good nutrition and food safety practices have many benefits for people with HIV.
A healthy eating plan for people with HIV can help maintain a healthy immune system. This includes:
- Eat a variety of foods, including:
- Eat foods that are low in:
- Eat a certain amount of calories to maintain a medically recommended weight
Calories are a measure of the amount of energy contained in food and drink. Most adults typically consume:
However, the number of calories needed to maintain or change weight is
- Sex
- height
- weight
- Physical activity level
- Year
Healthy Meal Plans for People with HIV
Healthcare teams will advise people with HIV on proper dietary plans. These plans include both macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are the types of foods people eat.
- carbohydrates
- protein
- fat
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals
Good nutrition is
Proper nutrition is also important for:
- Supports Overall Health
- Helps maintain the immune system
- Helps maintain medically recommended weight
- Absorption of HIV medications
- Improved quality of life
Nutrition counselling, care and support from a medical team helps people living with HIV
People with HIV should seek advice from their health care team or a specialist before making any major changes to their diet.
HIV and HIV medications can cause nutritional problems. Some HIV-related infections can make it difficult to eat or swallow.
Some HIV medications may have side effects that affect a person’s nutrition, such as:
- Anorexia
- nausea
- diarrhea
Treatment for HIV is known as antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medications every day. Weight gain can be
People with HIV can also avoid nutritional problems by following food safety practices.
Food safety
People with HIV can protect themselves from these diseases by following food safety rules and tips.
People with HIV can reduce their risk of food poisoning by avoiding the following foods and drinks:
- Raw eggs or foods that contain raw eggs (such as homemade cookie dough)
- Raw or undercooked poultry, meat, seafood
- Unpasteurized milk, dairy products, and fruit juices
Four basic steps for food safety can also be used.
- cleaning: When preparing food, wash your hands, utensils, and countertops frequently.
- Separation: You can store foods separately to prevent the spread of bacteria. For example, some ready-to-eat foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and bread, should be stored separately from raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs.
- cooking: Food needs to be cooked thoroughly, and a tool like a food thermometer can help with that.
- Coldness: Meat, poultry and seafood must be kept refrigerated, as must eggs and other foods that may spoil within two hours of purchase or cooking.
Healthy eating plans can help people with HIV maintain their immune system. Your medical team will recommend meal plans and proper nutrition as part of your HIV treatment. These meal plans include eating a variety of foods to get enough calories and nutrients, and avoiding certain types of foods.
Proper nutrition is important for maintaining the immune system and fighting infections, and it also has many other benefits for people with HIV: Practicing food safety can help people with HIV avoid food-borne diseases that can make them sick.
