How to Eat Properly When HIV Positive

Eating properly is an essential part of the overall treatment strategy for anyone who is HIV positive. The best way to make eating properly a priority is to establish a comprehensive nutrition plan with the help of your doctor, nutritionist and anyone with whom you share meals. By sticking to the program, you can enhance your quality of your life and your body's ability to fight off infection.

Instructions

Make Plans to Eat Properly When HIV Positive

• 1

  Meet with your doctor or nutritionist to discuss which foods will do most to help strengthen your body for its fight against infection and which foods, beverages or substances should be avoided.

• 2

  Set up a comprehensive nutrition plan and support it with recipes, menus and shopping lists to make sure your refrigerator and cupboard are stocked with the foods, vitamins and supplements that you need.

• 3

  Stimulate your appetite naturally with a daily exercise plan.

• 4

  Work with others in your household and in your life to make meals and meal routines a special, regular and enjoyable part of your daily life.

Eat Properly When HIV Positive

• 5

  Eat foods that are cooked properly and prepared safely. Your body is especially vulnerable to illness from causes such as salmonella and food poisoning when you are HIV positive, so a clean, safe kitchen is essential.

• 6

  Avoid raw shellfish, pink meat, raw or runny eggs, restaurant salad dressings that may include raw eggs and fruit or vegetables that have not been thoroughly washed.

• 7

  Use clean disinfectant wipes or similar products rather than sponges and dishcloths to wipe down counters in your kitchen.

• 8

  Pay attention to the links between your mind, your emotions and your desire to eat properly. For instance, counseling and treatment for depression may help you regain your appetite. Conversely, depression is also a frequent result of malnutrition.

• 9

  Act immediately to do whatever it takes to meet your nutritional needs if your appetite is missing in action. Strategies for overriding a loss of appetite can range from using nutritional weight-gain supplements and appetite stimulants to the more dramatic step of intravenous or total parenteral nutrition (TPN).