HIV - Healthy Living Recipes


Food Safety - Eating for health - Living with HIV and AIDS.

SELECTION OF RECIPES
Most organisations in South Africa have some form of inhouse HIV/AIDS management programme. Few have considered the benefit of directly addressing the nutritional intake of employees infected with HIV/AIDS.

All client recipes and menus have been reengineered to proactively address nutritional intake with particular attention to a balanced diet for improving immune systems which will benefit all employees, specifically those who are HIV Positive.

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.

Bringing personal experience to the debate - he was diagnosed HIV positive in 1997 and developed AIDS in 1999 - HIV wellness goes beyond the use of anti-retrovirals and must incorporate a growing emphasis on good nutrition which complements and reinforces the effect of any medication taken.

Food Safety and access to clean safe water: Food can be contaminated with harmful bacteria and viruses (called germs), which produce poisonous toxins. If a person eats contaminated foods they may be infected by the germs and become sick from the toxins. Because HIV affects the immune system and the body's resistance to disease, people with HIV/AIDS are more vulnerable to germs and should be careful to avoid eating contaminated food. If an HIV positive person gets food poisoning, they will lose weight and become even weaker, which will lower the body's resistance to future infection. Following some basic rules of hygiene can prevent food poisoning. Food hygiene measures have two aims:

  1. to prevent contamination in food preparation areas; and
  2. to prevent germs from multiplying in food and reaching dangerous levels. The food safety and hygiene practices suggested below will achieve both these aims and ensure maximum protection from the risk of harmful germs.

Here are some tips:

  • Use safe, clean water for drinking and preparing food.
  • Boil water for at least 5 minutes to make it safe.
  • Wash hands with soap and water before and during food preparation or eating.
  • Wash fruit and vegetables with clean water.
  • Cook food thoroughly
  • Avoid storing cooked food for more than 24 hours
  • Cover and store food in containers away from insects, rodents and other animals.
  • Store fresh food in a cool place or refrigerator where available.
  • Cook food thoroughly, but do not overcook vegetables.
  • Serve food immediately after cooking. Do not leave the food standing at room temperature before eating, to avoid germs multiplying.
  • Do not store raw and cooked food together; use containers to avoid contact between them.
  • Avoid storing leftovers unless they can be kept in a refrigerator or a cool place. Do not store them for more than one or two days and always reheat them at a high temperature.
  • Cook meat and fish well; red meat should not be eaten rare.
  • Wash utensils and surfaces touched by animal products with hot water and soap before preparing other foods.
  • Keep meat and fish separate from other foods.
  • Eggs should be hard-boiled. Do not eat soft-boiled eggs, raw eggs, cracked eggs or any foods containing raw eggs.

Key Point: Food poisoning can occur when you eat foods or drink water, which contains large amounts of harmful bacteria. Preventing food poisoning is of special concern to persons with HIV infection or AIDS, because it causes diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting and leads to weight loss.

Drink plenty of clean and safe water
Water is important for life and is necessary every day. A person needs about eight cups of fluid per day. When it is very hot, while working, sweating or suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting or fever, a person needs to drink even more to replace the water that has been lost.

Some key points about drinking water:

  • If drinking water is collected from a protected well or borehole it is important to store the water in a clean container.
  • If the water is from an unprotected well or river the water should be boiled for at least ten minutes and stored in a clean container.
  • In addition to drinking clean water, fluid can also come from juices, soups, vegetables and fruit as well as meals that have gravy or sauces.
  • However, avoid drinking tea or coffee with a meal, as this can reduce the absorption of iron from the food.
  • Alcoholic drinks remove water from the body and should therefore be consumed only in limited amounts. They can also interfere with the effectiveness of medicines.

For useful information on food safety visit the World Health Organisation website at www.who.int/eng