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THE FOA/TOPICS/LIVING WITH HIV
Why Is Nutrition Important?
Good nutrition means getting enough macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients contain
calories (energy): proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. They help you maintain your body weight.
Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. They keep your cells working properly, but will not
prevent weight loss. Good nutrition can be a problem for many people with HIV. When your body
fights any infection, it uses more energy and you need to eat more than normal. But when you feel
sick, you eat less than normal.
Some medications can upset your stomach, and some opportunistic infections can affect the
mouth or throat. This makes it difficult to eat. Also, some medications and infections cause
diarrhea. If you have diarrhea, your body actually uses less of what you eat.
When you lose weight, you might be losing fat, or you might be losing lean body weight like
muscle. If you lose too much lean weight, your body chemistry changes. This condition is called
wasting syndrome or cachexia. Wasting can kill you. If you lose more than 5% of your body weight,
it could be a sign of wasting. Talk to your doctor.
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Nutrition Guidelines for People With HIV
Make sure you eat plenty of protein and starches, with moderate amounts of fat.
Protein helps build and maintain your muscles. Meats, fish, beans, nuts, and seeds are good
sources.
Carbohydrates give you energy. Complex carbohydrates come from grains, cereals, vegetables,
and fruits. They are a "time release" energy source and are a good source of fiber and nutrients.
Simple carbohydrates, or sugars give you quick energy. You can get sugars in fresh or dried fruit,
honey, jam, or syrups.
Fat gives you extra energy. You need some -- but not too much. The "monounsaturated" fats in
nuts, seeds, canola and olive oils, and fish are considered "good" fats. The "saturated" fats in
butter and animal products are "bad" fats. A moderate exercise program will help your body turn
your food into
muscle.
Drinking enough liquids is very important when you have HIV. Extra water can reduce the side
effects of medications. It can help you avoid a dry mouth and constipation. Remember that
drinking tea, coffee, colas, chocolate, or alcohol can actually make you lose body liquid.
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Practice Food Safety
It's very important to protect yourself against infections that can be carried by food or water.
Be sure to wash your hands before preparing food, and keep all of your kitchen tools and work
areas clean. Wash all fruits and vegetables carefully. Don't eat raw or undercooked eggs or meat,
and clean up juices from raw meat quickly. Keep leftovers refrigerated and eat them within three
days. Check the expiration date on foods. Don't buy them or eat them if they're outdated.
Some germs are spread through tap water. If your public water supply isn't totally pure, drink
bottled water.
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What About Supplements?
Some people find it difficult to go shopping and prepare meals all the time. Supplements can help
you maintain your body weight and get the vitamins and minerals you need. Don't use a product
designed to help you lose weight, even if it says it contains everything needed for good nutrition!
Your health care provider can help you choose a supplement that's right for you. Vitamin and
mineral supplements can be very helpful.
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Why Is Exercise Important?
Exercise helps many people with HIV disease feel better and might strengthen your immune
system. Exercise cannot control or fight HIV disease, but it may help you feel better and fight many
of the side effects of HIV disease and HIV medications.
What Are the Advantages of Exercise?
Regular, moderate exercise has many of the same advantages for people with HIV disease as it
does for most people. Exercise can:
Improve muscle mass, strength and endurance.
Improve heart and lung endurance.
Improve your energy level so you feel less tired.
Reduce stress.
Enhance your sense of well-being.
Help stabilize or prevent declines in CD4 cell counts.
Increase bone strength.
Decrease cholesterol and triglycerides.
Decrease fat in the abdomen.
Improve appetite.
Improve sleep.
Improve the way the body uses and controls blood sugar (glucose).
What Are the Risks of Exercise?
You can get dehydrated (lose too much water) if you do not drink enough liquids to keep up your
fluid levels. Injuries may take more time to heal. You can lose lean body mass if you exercise too
much. Serious cases can lead to AIDS wasting. You can injure yourself if you use the wrong"form"
in exercises. Exercise can help those with heart disease, but talk to your doctor to make sure that
you are able to exercise safely!
Exercise Guidelines for People With HIV
Don't Overdo It!
A moderate exercise program will help your body turn your food into muscle. Take it easy, and
work exercise into your daily activities. Work up to a schedule of at least 20 minutes, at least three
times per week as long as you are feeling better. This can lead to significant improvements in
your fitness level and you may feel better. People with HIV can improve their fitness levels through
training like those who do not have HIV. However, people with HIV may find it harder to continue
with a training program because of fatigue .Start exercising while you are still healthy. This can
help you hold off symptoms of HIV that make you feel bad. Keep your exercise fresh. Find new
ways to keep yourself motivated to maintain your exercise program. Your fitness level may be
different than it used to be. It is very important that you work your way into an exercise program to
avoid injury.
Eat and Drink Correctly
Drinking enough liquids is very important when you exercise. Extra water can help you replace the
fluids you lose. Remember that drinking tea, coffee, colas, chocolate, or alcohol can actually make
you lose body liquid. Don't eat when you exercise. In fact, it's best to wait up to 2 hours after a full
meal before an exercise session. Also, wait about an hour after a workout before you eat your next
meal. Proper nutrition is also important. With increased activity you may need to eat more calories
to avoid losing weight.
Choose Something You Enjoy
Choose activities that you like. Whether it is yoga, running, bicycling, or another sport, doing
something you like will encourage you to maintain your program. Don't get into a rut! Change your
activities if you need to so that you stay motivated. If your fitness level is good, you can compete
in competitive sports. Taking part in competitive or team sports does not pose a risk of spreading
HIV to other athletes or coaches. If you get hurt and you're bleeding, the risk of HIV being spread
to other people is very small. However, if you bleed during a sport, you should get out of the game
and cover your injuries before returning to the game.
Exercise With Weights
Weight training (resistance exercise) is one of the best ways to increase lean body mass that may
be lost through HIV disease and aging. Working out three times a week for an hour should be
enough if done well. Combining weight training with 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise may
be the best way to improve body composition and keep your blood lipids and sugar down.
Cardiovascular exercise means working large muscle groups continuously for at least thirty
minutes. Activities such as brisk walking, jogging, bicycling or swimming can be cardiovascular
exercise.
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Coping with Stress
Build a strong, supportive, trusting relationship with an HIV/AIDS doctor. You should be able to
freely discuss everything and anything and, if needed, to challenge your doctor's advice.
Develop consistent contact with a health care case manager who can help to make the rocky road
to benefits and services easier for you. One mold does not fit all, so try to find a case manager that
you trust, even if you have to switch to a new one.
Join an HIV/AIDS support group. Find out if they use an ongoing, drop-in format or if they are
time-limited and require pre-enrollment. Also find out about the training and qualifications of the
group leaders.
Get a therapist, preferably a good licensed psychologist or certified social worker. Remember
anyone can state they are a "therapist"; request more information about their background and
experience. Keep looking until your instincts tell you that you have found a good match.
Attend workshops or other HIV/AIDS events so that you can find out as much as you can about
HIV/AIDS. You must be the expert on this disease and be on top of any new developments and
programs.
Stay informed about your HIV/AIDS medications by seeking out information from any and all
sources, including people, Web sites, and periodicals. The more you know about the medication
you are taking and its potential side effects, the more you know what to expect about your
emotions and mental well-being.
Address any substance use issues you may have by looking into substance use programs and
groups. Consider working towards being clean and sober.
Exercise regularly and maintain good nutrition because the mind and the body are closely linked,
and physical health enhances mental health.
Work if you can for income but also work for the structure and well being that employment can
provide. Everyone can benefit from structure, and
we all need to feel we are productive members of this world.
Seek a sense of belonging outside of HIV/AIDS such as by starting a hobby, traveling and
exploring, getting a pet, starting or finishing school, or volunteering. The bottom line is to keep
your stress low; keeping your stress low will help you to keep your immune system high.
HIV/AIDS 101
BAR TIPS
BREAKING THE STIGMA
CHOOSING A DOCTOR
CONDOM COMEBACKS
DISCLOSURE
HIV/AIDS STATISTICS
HIV/AIDS TESTING SITES
HIV TRAVEL TIPS
LIVING WITH HIV
MAKING SEX SAFER
NEWLY DIAGNOSED
NUTRITION EDUCATION
STARTING TREATMENT
BAR TIPS
BREAKING THE STIGMA
CHOOSING A DOCTOR
CONDOM COMEBACKS
DISCLOSURE
HIV/AIDS STATISTICS
HIV/AIDS TESTING SITES
HIV TRAVEL TIPS
LIVING WITH HIV
MAKING SEX SAFER
NEWLY DIAGNOSED
NUTRITION EDUCATION
STARTING TREATMENT