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Eating a balanced diet maintains immune wellness.
I repeatedly receive requests to supply the "menus or the diet" that I use to maintain my immune wellness. I always need to inform people that I do not follow a special diet nor do I have special menus that I can send. With this in mind I have decided to answer the question of a balanced diet in this column instead of the submission of my normal monthly recipe.
When considering eating for immune wellness it is important to realise that no single food type or food group should be put forward as being more beneficial than another. The key to immune wellness and for that matter any healthy diet should always focus on the importance of balance and variety. Hence it is incorrect to put forward that beetroot, virgin olive oil, lemon juice or any other single food item is a golden bullet when it comes to immune wellness.
What then is a balanced diet especially when trying to maintain immune wellness in a person infected by HIV? The answer is to ensure that you select foods from the four food groups daily. The four food groups are:
Starch/Cereals like maize, brown bread, rice, sorghum, pastas and breakfast cereals. Cereals or rather starch foods form the main part of your diet and give energy for your body.
Fruits and Vegetables, like pumpkin, carrots, spinach, onions, garlic, oranges or paw-paw and many more give you the vitamins and minerals to help your immune system fight infection. I always remind people to consider eating like a robot and by that I mean making sure that when you select fruits and vegetables again you focus on variety. Hence eating red fruits and vegetables, green fruits and vegetables and yellow and orange fruits and vegetables as often as you can will ensure that you obtain a variety of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that will ensure that you assist your body to fight infection and remain well with HIV.
Beans, Meat, Fish and Milk Products are protein foods which help to build your body's muscles, these are often in extra need with HIV.
Fats, like butter, oils or peanut butter are important sources of energy and good for gaining weight. Sugars, like honey or jam also give extra energy.
Does this mean that I can cure myself from HIV by eating a healthy diet? The answer is no. There is no cure for HIV or AIDS. The only treatment available for HIV are drugs called anti-retrovirals (ARV's) By using ARV therapy (ART) at the correct time and as prescribed by your treating doctor you will be able control the virus from multiplying and hence continuing to damage your immune system. Eating a healthy diet is not a cure for HIV but rather it supports your body's ability to fight infection, maintain a healthy body and aids recovery from infection and strengthens your immune response. The use of drug therapy without addressing nutritional intake would be foolishness.
Below is a sample menu: This might assist you in understanding how to making the right choices daily and hence ensuring that you eat well for your immune system, remember it is only a guideline:
EXAMPLE MENU FOR ONE DAY
Breakfast:
Fresh Fruit Juice
Pronutro served with Milk + Honey.
Fried Beef Liver and Onions
or
Poached Eggs
Baked beans in tomato.
Served with Whole Wheat Toast, Butter and Honey
Mid Morning Snack:
Red Apple
Peanut and Fruit Snack Bar
Lunch:
Hake Mornay made with Low Fat Cheese
Fluffy Parsley Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Garden Peas
Julienne Ginger Carrots
Supper:
Green Bean and Beef Stew
Samp
Fresh Garden Salad sprinkled with Bean Sprouts.
Fresh Fruit Salad or a Fresh Fruit
I am not hungry and do not have an appetite: When one is HIV positive and especially when suffering from opportunistic infections related to AIDS once might not feel hungry. It might help if you consider eating smaller meals but more often to ensure that you maintain your weight and still get the nutritional requirements needed to keep well.
Remember that it is always important to choose food items that you enjoy when designing your menu.
Monitor your food intake: We are often not aware of what we eat or we think we are eating a healthy and balanced diet when in fact we might be missing an important or essential food group. The table below obtained from the World Health Organisation (WHO) can assist you in recording and monitoring your food intake.
Fill it in carefully every day, noting the amount you eat each time. List all the amounts of food you eat daily for every day of the week.
Click here to download the Food Intake Monitoring Table
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Project managing this ground-breaking approach to the treatment of HIV/AIDS is Alan Brand, Group National HIV/AIDS manager of Fedics and the Hospitality Sector representative on SANAC.