Nutrition tips to fight fatigue and boost strength.
By R. Morgan GriffinWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Healthy eating when you're sick is a challenge -- Diseases and their treatment can sap your appetite or leave you nauseated.
It's natural to let good nutrition slide when coping with an illness. But it's also dangerous. Everyone needs to get enough vitamins and nutrients. And that's truer than ever when you're sick.
By learning what to look for, and making smart choices, you can get the nutrition you need without a lot of extra effort.
Healthy Eating When You're Sick: Protein
When you're sick, dietitians agree that protein is key. "Protein is crucial for building and repairing cells," says Paula Charuhas, RD, nutrition education coordinator at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Protein can help you prevent the loss of muscle mass. It also helps maintain fluid balance and improves your body's ability to heal.
Some of the best sources of protein are obvious, Chicken, lean beef, fish, and lamb are all good. Eggs and cheese are also easily digestible forms of animal protein.
What if you're a vegetarian?
Good non-animal sources of protein are beans, soy products like tofu, and nuts. Adding more peanut butter or almond butter to your diet is one easy way of getting more protein.
Healthy Eating When You're Sick: Getting Enough Calories
When you're sick, you may need more calories than normal because your body is working harder. But just when you need to eat more, your appetite is gone. Unintentional weight loss can become serious. It can leave you exhausted, weak, and interfere with your treatment.
Healthy Eating When You're Sick: Fiber
Fiber is good for you both in the short and the long term. It helps keep you regular and prevents constipation. In the long run, it may lower the risk of intestinal problems, diabetes, and other diseases.
Healthy Eating When You're Sick: Supplements
Vitamins and minerals are important for health; calcium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, D and E are just a few of them.
Healthy Eating Goes Hand-in-Hand With Treatment
Your ability to eat healthy depends on how you feel when you're sick. If your symptoms -- such as pain or nausea -- are overwhelming, you won't be able to eat well no matter how much you want to.
"In order to improve your appetite, you need to control your symptoms and side effects.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
What’s in a Name?
When you’re scanning a food label, don’t just look for the word “salt.”
Watch out for various forms of sodium or other names for the same thing:
sodium alginate
sodium ascorbate
sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
sodium benzoate
sodium caseinate
sodium chloride
sodium citrate
sodium hydroxide
sodium saccharin
sodium stearoyl lactylate
sodium sulfite
disodium phosphate
monosodium glutamate (MSG)
trisodium phosphate
Na
...
Watch out for various forms of sodium or other names for the same thing:
sodium alginate
sodium ascorbate
sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
sodium benzoate
sodium caseinate
sodium chloride
sodium citrate
sodium hydroxide
sodium saccharin
sodium stearoyl lactylate
sodium sulfite
disodium phosphate
monosodium glutamate (MSG)
trisodium phosphate
Na
...
7 Pains You Shouldn't Ignore
No. 1: Worst Headache of Your Life
No. 2: Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or Abdomen
Chest pain could be pneumoniaor a heart attack. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. "Don't wait for pain," says cardiologist Jerome Cohen, MD. "Heart patients talk about pressure. They'll clench their fist and put it over their chest or say it's like an elephant sitting on their chest."
The discomfort associated with heart diseasecould also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder or arm, or abdomen and might be accompanied by nausea. "I'm not too much worried about the 18-year-old, but if a person has unexplained, persistent discomfort and knows they're high risk, they shouldn't wait," says Cohen. "Too often people delay because they misinterpret it as [ heartburn] or GI distress. get to an emergency room or physician's office. If it turns out to be something else, that's great."
No. 3: Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades
Most often it's arthritis," says Brangman, chief of geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Other possibilities include a heart attack or abdominal problems. These would include high blood pressure, a history of circulation problems, smoking, and diabetes."
No. 4: Severe Abdominal Pain
Gallbladder and pancreas problems, stomach ulcers, and intestinal blockages are some other possible causes of abdominal pain that need attention. Also possibility of a rupture.
No 5: Calf Pain
One of the lesser known dangers is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can occur in the leg's deep veins. "The danger is that a piece of the clot could break loose and cause pulmonary embolism[a clot in the lungs], which could be fatal," says Fryhofer. Cancer, obesity, immobility due to prolonged bed rest or long-distance travel, pregnancy, and advanced age are among the risk factors.
No. 6: Burning Feet or Legs
"It's a burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs that can indicate nerve damage."
No 7: Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains
"Various painful, physical symptoms are common in depression," says psychiatrist Thomas Wise, MD. "Patients will have vague complaints of headaches, abdominal pain, or limb pain, sometimes in combination."
No. 2: Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or Abdomen
Chest pain could be pneumoniaor a heart attack. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. "Don't wait for pain," says cardiologist Jerome Cohen, MD. "Heart patients talk about pressure. They'll clench their fist and put it over their chest or say it's like an elephant sitting on their chest."
The discomfort associated with heart diseasecould also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder or arm, or abdomen and might be accompanied by nausea. "I'm not too much worried about the 18-year-old, but if a person has unexplained, persistent discomfort and knows they're high risk, they shouldn't wait," says Cohen. "Too often people delay because they misinterpret it as [ heartburn] or GI distress. get to an emergency room or physician's office. If it turns out to be something else, that's great."
No. 3: Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades
Most often it's arthritis," says Brangman, chief of geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Other possibilities include a heart attack or abdominal problems. These would include high blood pressure, a history of circulation problems, smoking, and diabetes."
No. 4: Severe Abdominal Pain
Gallbladder and pancreas problems, stomach ulcers, and intestinal blockages are some other possible causes of abdominal pain that need attention. Also possibility of a rupture.
No 5: Calf Pain
One of the lesser known dangers is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can occur in the leg's deep veins. "The danger is that a piece of the clot could break loose and cause pulmonary embolism[a clot in the lungs], which could be fatal," says Fryhofer. Cancer, obesity, immobility due to prolonged bed rest or long-distance travel, pregnancy, and advanced age are among the risk factors.
No. 6: Burning Feet or Legs
"It's a burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs that can indicate nerve damage."
No 7: Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains
"Various painful, physical symptoms are common in depression," says psychiatrist Thomas Wise, MD. "Patients will have vague complaints of headaches, abdominal pain, or limb pain, sometimes in combination."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)