10 Foods To Avoid While Living With HIV/AIDS

Food is the most essential part of life. Nutrition is very important for those living with HIV   and those who are not.

However, there are some foods to avoid while living with HIV to maintain a stronger body immune system.

While living with HIV, you should eat a healthy diet to boost your immune system.

Importance of balanced diet for people living with HIV

  • Eating a well-balanced diet can help boost the immune system, therefore, fight the HIV virus more effectively.
  • A healthy diet may help reduce the symptoms linked with HIV virus
  • A balanced diet also helps reduce the side effects of HIV drugs. HIV medications can have side effects if you don’t eat a healthy diet.
  • A healthy diet can also increase your life expectancy with HIV. You can live for more than 50 years while living with HIV.
  • A balanced diet also helps prevent other health complications.

Foods to avoid while living with HIV Virus

  1. Avoid smoking

The toxic substance from tobacco reduces your blood flow and lowers your body’s immune system.

The smoke from cigarettes affects your breathing system and causes other health complications such as heart disease, stroke, blood pressure, and cancer.

Smoking is one of the foods you need to avoid while living with HIV in order to improve your immune system and effective function of HIV drugs.

  1. Quit alcohol consumption

Generally, alcohol negatively affects your overall health.

It weakens your immune system. while you need to have a stronger immune system to fight off the HIV virus, drinking alcohol, on the other hand, weakens it.

It can cause upset stomach vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and breathing difficulties.

 Furthermore, alcohol can cause severe chronic illnesses such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart complications, and stomach disorders.

Therefore, be smart, and avoid excessive consumption of alcohol.

  1. Don’t eat raw egg

Raw egg is not healthy. It can worsen your HIV symptoms. It contains Salmonella, a type of harmful bacteria that can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, fever, and headache.

Raw eggs reduce the effectiveness of HIV medications. It can also lead to other chronic illnesses, which can be difficult to handle together with the HIV virus.

Click here to grab the foods to eat while living with HIV to boost your immune system

  1. Meat cooked under High temperature

Raw meat or undercooked meat is not healthy especially raw shellfish, poultry, and dairy.

They may lead to other health complications that can lower your immune system. 

That is, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, headache, and other health complications.

You need to eat well-cooked meat.

This will boost your life span and live healthy with the HIV virus.

  1. Unpasteurized dairy products or fruit juice

Unpasteurized milk and fruit juice are not healthy for people living with the HIV virus.  They include soft cheese, ice cream, and yogurt.

Unpasteurized milk can be contaminated with harmful bacteria and other germs that can cause serious illness.

Therefore can lead to other health complications. These are one of the foods to avoid while living with HIV/ AIDs.

  1. Raw seed sprout

You may like raw seed sprouts such as alfalfa sprout, however, these raw seed sprouts are not healthy if you have HIV/AIDs.

Foods to avoid while living with HIV
Image of Alfalfa sprout

Therefore, you need to avoid them with immediate effect for your own benefits.

They may cause health problems, as they are not compatible with HIV medications.

  1. Avoid excess sodium

Salt can lower your immune system when taken excess. It can also lead to stomach disorders.

In fact, too much salt in the body can cause an enlarged heart muscle, and headaches, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, and kidney stones.

All can worsen your HIV condition.

Furthermore, excess salt can dehydrate your body and result in weight loss therefore, it is important to limit salt usage.

  1. Quit drug abuse

Drugs such as miraa, marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs are very harmful to your health. They lower the body’s immune system and reduce the effectiveness of HIV medications.

 Drug abuse can cause other chronic illnesses such as cancer, hypertension, ulcers, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, etc.

Furthermore,  drug abuse can cause flatness, depression, and exhaustion which causes discomfort.

Therefore it is crucial to avoid them while living with HIV/AIDs.

  1. Avoid processed food

Processed food contains hydrogenated chemicals, trans fat, and saturated fats that are very harmful to your health. Especially partially hydrogenated oil is very harmful to your health.

The presence of transfat and saturated fats can lead to other chronic illnesses including cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart diseases.

They lower the body’s immune system and reduce the effectiveness of HIV medications. Therefore, processed foods are not healthy if you are living with the HIV virus or not.

  1. Refined flour

The refined flour are not healthy. They contain certain chemicals that can weaken your immune system. Always avoid consumption of refining flour.

The reality is, refined flour has no fiber, it congests the system, and slows down digestion which creates a sluggish metabolism.

They can also lead to stress, headaches, and constipation. Therefore, void refined flour if you are living with the HIV virus or not.

Carefully read the label on the products before purchasing or use.

Takeaway

Eating a well-balanced diet is the best tip to improve the quality of your life while living with HIV/AIDs.

Actually, life expectancy with HIV is over 50 years alive and kicking.

You need to be careful about what you eat. Be self-responsible for your life. Do not forget which foods to avoid while living with the HIV virus to boost the quality of your life.

In short, good nutrition is the key as it supports overall health. A healthy diet helps maintain the immune system.

 In addition, a balanced diet helps people with HIV maintain a healthy weight and absorb HIV medicines.