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The importance of good nutrition for people living with HIV/AIDS, part two

Various dried legumes.

 Good nutrition helps the body process the medications people living with HIV/AIDS take. Good nutrition can help their immune system stay strong and help their body to fight the HIV/AIDS virus. Most importantly, a healthy diet can improve their quality of life.
A high quality diet consists of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, legumes, along with low-fat protein. For high quality diet:
· Eat 5 or 6 servings of fruit and vegetables per day or the equivalent of 3 cups. Eating a variety of colors will add a full range of nutrients to the diet.
· Try to have at least 50% of your carbohydrates come from whole grains.
· Eat lean meats such as skinless chicken breasts, fish; extra lean cuts of beef and pork, and low fat dairy products.
· Restrict added sugars, sweets, and soft drinks.
· Try to eat a serving of nuts or legumes each day.
· When eating, whether it is a regular meal or snack, try to include protein, carbohydrates, and some fat (3 macronutrients).
Calories are energy foods, and they provide the body with the fuel it needs to keep going. HIV positive persons need to increase the amount of food they are eating to maintain their weight. You can usually calculate the amount of calories by multiplying 17-20 calories per pound of your body weight to get the daily caloric intake. During times of infection or fever, your caloric intake should be even higher. Remember that calories from sugars and fat do not provide nutrients and they are essentially empty calories.
Also practice food safety. Keep your kitchen clean, wash foods, and be careful about food preparation and storage. If your tap water is not pure, then drink bottled water.
If you are an agency or a group that provides food to people living with HIV, you should read the Association of Nutrition Services Agencies’ (ANSA) guidelines for foods and preparation. Basically good nutrition for people living with HIV/AIDS is the same for anyone, it is a basic healthy diet. The difference is that people living with HIV/AIDS may lose their appetites or be unable to eat due to medications or opportunistic diseases and fall prey to the wasting syndrome.