Good Nutrition & HIV/AIDS
Good nutrition is critical for people living with HIV/AIDS. Nutrition
should be viewed as an essential co-therapy that can help maximize
medical management of HIV. Eating well can:
- Prevent
or delay the loss of muscle tissue or "wasting"
- Help strengthen
the immune system
- Help reduce
viral mutations
- Decrease
the incidence and severity of opportunistic infections and
hospitalizations
- Lessen the
debilitating symptoms of HIV/AIDS
Protein helps
build muscle tissue and helps your immune system fight off infection.
Studies have shown that HIV weight loss tends to reduce protein stores
more quickly than starvation.
Carbohydrates
and fats are important because HIV can increase the body's metabolic
rate causing us to use more calories to do the same work we did
with fewer calories before becoming HIV+.
Getting adequate
amounts of vitamins, minerals and photochemicals produces energy
and protects against chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer
and high blood pressure.
Depending on
your medication, you may not be eating enough for proper absorption
of these medications.
(Source: http://www.momentumaidsproject.org)
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