Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by various types of mycobacteria. In order to quickly overcome the disease and restore strength, you need to not only take all the medicines prescribed by the doctor, but also adhere to the recommended diet. In today's article, we will talk about the nutritional characteristics of patients with tuberculosis.
Possible diet options
Usually, people who are diagnosed with tuberculosis are recommended table number 11. It involves the use of a large amount of protein, as well as limiting salt, chemical and mechanical irritants. Since the disease can have different localization and severity, experts have developed several variations of the diet.
The first type of therapeutic nutrition for tuberculosis is indicated for subfebrile body temperature, general hyposthenia, and reduced reactivity of the body. The second option is prescribed for exacerbation of the disease, accompanied by significant tissue breakdown, and for inflammation causing hyperthermia and exhaustion. Also, the patient should drink plenty of fluids. And to normalize oxidative processes and eliminate severe intoxication, it is usually recommended to introduce products with a high content of vitamin C. The third type of therapeutic diet is indicated for exudative phenomena. It involves the complete exclusion of salt and limiting the amount of fluid consumed.
Basic principles
Clinical nutrition for tuberculosis should fully comply with the general condition of the body. It is important that it be diverse and take into account the dynamics of the process. Diets that impose strict restrictions are prescribed only for a short period. As a rule, they are recommended during exacerbation and in case of complications.
Since the patient's body consumes a sufficiently large amount of protein, a lot of milk, eggs, fish and lean meat are introduced into his diet. In addition, the diet should include foods rich in easily digestible fats. As for carbohydrates, they should be about 450-500 grams per day. During the period of exacerbation, the menu is supplemented with products enriched with mineral salts. The energy value of the diet is determined taking into account the patient’s body weight, the presence of concomitant diseases and the course of the underlying ailment. In chronic tuberculosis, it is 3600 kcal, during the half-bed regimen - 2700 kcal, and at the acute stage - 2500 kcal. And you need to eat in small portions every three hours. Products can be baked, stewed, steamed or boiled.
Recommended Duration
How long the diet will last can only be decided by the attending physician. But severe dietary restrictions for tuberculosis are introduced for the shortest possible period. Softer menu options are balanced enough. Therefore, they can be adhered to for an unlimited period.
A return to the usual diet should occur gradually and taking into account all medical recommendations.
Diet focus
Nutrition during the treatment of tuberculosis allows you to solve several problems at once. It is aimed at strengthening immunity and saturating the body with substances that neutralize the negative effects of pathogenic microflora and eliminate foci of inflammation.
Also, the diet helps to normalize metabolic processes, restore the vitamin-mineral balance and improve the digestive tract. It helps the body withstand intoxication and replenishes the deficiency of vital substances arising from increased consumption of vitamins, metabolic disorders and protein breakdown.
What can I eat?
The success of the treatment of tuberculosis directly depends on how balanced the patient’s diet is. The nutrition of the patient should be as useful and varied as possible. The menu must include bakery products from whole grain rye or wheat flour. Such baking stimulates the evacuation function of the intestine. Patients are not forbidden to consume a moderate amount of puff pastry products.
It is also necessary to include soups in the diet. It is better to cook them on the second broth with the addition of cereals, herbs, potatoes, beets and carrots. A mandatory component of such a menu is meat. To reduce the burden on the liver, it is advisable to consume varieties in which toxic substances do not accumulate. It can be rabbit, chicken, turkey or lean lamb.
Sour-milk products play an equally important role in clinical nutrition. Therefore, the patient’s diet is recommended to be supplemented with cheese, whey, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt and kefir. The regular use of these products helps to accelerate the scarring of tuberculosis foci and enhance the natural anti-infection immunity.
An integral component of such a diet is considered cereals, which are a source of minerals, vitamins, amino acids and dietary fiber. Flattened oats, unpolished rice and green buckwheat are best suited for these purposes.
Twice a week, fish should be included in the menu of people with tuberculosis. Trout, pikeperch, pink salmon and herring not only fill the body with many valuable substances, but also help improve appetite.
It is also important that patients consume plant foods. Their diet must have vegetables with a high glycemic index such as potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, corn and legumes. They help improve the detoxification function of the liver and accelerate the excretion of feces. To satisfy the daily need for vitamins, it is recommended to regularly eat berries and fruits. It can be blackberries, strawberries, strawberries, black currants, kiwi, cranberries, gooseberries, orange and lemon.
What can not be eaten?
Nutrition for tuberculosis involves some limitations. So, people suffering from this disease are strictly forbidden to consume white sugar, confectionery, semi-finished products, offal, strong meat broths, black tea, coffee, spices and spicy foods.
Also, it is desirable to exclude tongue, liver, sausages, stew, pastes, balyk and sausages from their menu. Patients ’diets should not contain canned fish, pork, alcohol, duck, goose and pastry with fat cream.
Features of the diet for tuberculosis of various organs
The patient menu is also adjusted depending on what is affected by the disease. So, the diet for kidney tuberculosis involves a complete rejection of canned food, smoked meats, alcohol, radish, horseradish, mustard and pepper. In case of damage to the nasopharynx and larynx, it is necessary to ensure that a sufficient amount of retinol enters the patient's body, which contributes to the healing of damaged mucous membranes. In this case, it is recommended to eat a mushy, mashed, jelly-like or liquid food. Spicy, salty and pickled products, as well as too hot and too cold dishes, will have to be completely removed from the diet. All food should be warmed to room temperature.
Nutrition during treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis complicated by heart failure should include a minimum of salt and fluid. In case of damage to bones and joints, it is necessary to adhere to a slightly different diet. In this case, enrich the menu with products with a high content of phosphorus and calcium. With kidney tuberculosis, you will have to forget about the existence of alcohol, strong coffee, smoked meats, muffins, fatty meat and egg yolks.
Essential Vitamins
To cure this ailment, they use residually strong drugs that affect the functioning of the endocrine and nervous systems. This must be taken into account when considering a diet in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. To improve the tolerability of medicines, it is advisable to take vitamin C, A, B, and E. It is possible to supplement their deficiency not only with the help of pharmacy complexes, but also by adjusting the menu.
A lack of vitamin B 1 leads to rapid fatigue, poor appetite and muscle pain. Overlapping it can be the introduction of rice, meat and egg yolks in the diet.
Vitamin B 2 also plays an equally important role, the deficiency of which negatively affects the condition of the skin, eyes and oral mucosa. Its shortage can be eliminated not only by taking synthetic drugs, but also with the help of food.
Pulmonary tuberculosis is often accompanied by a lack of vitamin E. To eliminate this problem, the patient's diet must include cereals, green parts of plants, as well as soybean, peanut and corn oil.
Features of the children's menu
Unfortunately, tuberculosis does not spare not only the older, but also the younger generation. To make the child easier to bear the disease and recover faster, you need to not only take the medications prescribed by your doctor, but also follow a few simple recommendations regarding the diet.
First of all, you need to adjust the diet. With pulmonary tuberculosis, moderation should be observed. It is advisable to feed an infected child often, but little by little. Food should contain all the vital vitamins and be easily absorbed by the child's body. Experts recommend giving the sick child more fresh vegetables and fruits. And as a useful addition, it is advisable to introduce fish oil in his diet.
Example 1-day menu number 1
Clinical nutrition can be not only useful, but also delicious. So that you can see this, we offer you one of the many options for the daily menu.
You can start the day with fried fish, mashed potatoes, vegetable salad and a drink. For lunch, you can serve low-fat cabbage soup seasoned with a small amount of sour cream, baked meat with porridge and juice. For dinner, you can eat low-calorie cottage cheese and fruit puree. And just before bedtime, it is advisable to drink a glass of fresh kefir or yogurt.
Example of a one-day menu number 2
For breakfast you can cook pudding, buckwheat milk porridge and weak tea. After a few hours, it is advisable to eat fruit mousse and calcined cottage cheese.
Lunch can consist of a broth with dumplings, a steak with vegetables and unsweetened apple compote. As an afternoon snack, a soft-boiled egg and a rosehip broth are quite suitable.
You can have dinner with baked potatoes with low-fat boiled fish, carrot puree and unsweetened tea. And before you go to bed, you should drink a glass of fresh kefir.