The right foods to help fight off TB
Food plays a vital role when it comes to the treatment of TB. The right food can help speed up the healing process. We bring you a list of foods that could help and which ones could hamper your healing process.
TB (Tuberculosis), a disease caused by bacteria that is spread through the air, is one of the leading causes of deaths in South Africa.
About 1% of the population of about 50 million develop active TB disease each year, tbfacts.org reports.
Although TB is curable, many people do not know they are infected and do not take treatment or care for themselves in the right way.
Symptoms of TB include; a persistent cough, coughing up blood, fever, constant fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, and night sweats.
When diagnosed with TB, the kind of food you eat is very important because they can strengthen or weaken your immune system.
Below are the foods that if taken with treatment, can help you on your journey to recovery:
- Two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables a day. Ensure that you have antioxidant-rich, brightly-colored vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach. For fruits, eat plenty of berries and cherries.
- Whole-grain foods
- Milk
- Lean meats and chicken, fish, soy, and beans
Foods to avoid:
- Foods that are hard to digest
- Foods that are high in unsaturated fats
- Fatty foods such as bacon and potato chips
- Caffeine and alcohol