**2.2 Vitamins and minerals**

Vitamins and minerals regulate body processes and so people who are HIVpositive need extra vitamins and minerals in the diet to repair and heal damaged cells. They need extra vitamins and minerals to boost the immune system. These vitamins and minerals which should be added in the diet include:


Because of the difficulty for HIV-positive persons in getting enough of all the nutrients needed for optimal health from foods, it is recommended that a multivitamin/mineral tablet (without extra iron) but containing 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) should be taken. If at least three servings of high-calcium food such as green leafy vegetables or dairy foods are not eaten on daily basis, calcium supplements could be taken in the diet.

## *2.2.1 Nutrition and HIV: coping with special problems*

HIV-positive persons could have a variety of reactions including side effects from ART medications which should be managed. Here are some of the problems that HIV persons need to control:

## **Nausea and vomiting:**

To manage nausea and vomiting, they need to:

• Eat bland, low-fat foods, such as plain pasta, canned fruit, or plain broth.

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*Basic Principles of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS: Making Improvements in Diet to Enhance Health*

• Add briefly in the diet bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast (B.R.A.T).

• Avoid eating uncooked foods including vegetables but rather eat well-cooked ones.

• Add foods rich in antioxidants such as ginger, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries,

• Increase the intake of dietary iron foods such as lean red meat, chicken, fish, beans, lentils, cashew, spinach, whole-grain bread and others to reduce anemia.

• Eat vitamin C-rich foods during meals to increase the absorption of non-heme iron.

• Add nutrition supplements, such as boost, carnation instant and others in the

• Take calcium carbonate supplements or fiber supplements such as wafers.

• Add ginger in the diet to help stimulate appetite and improve digestion.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84719*

• Eat slowly and more frequently.

• Avoid greasy foods.

**Diarrhea: for diarrhea, they need to:**

• Drink more fluids than usual including diluted juices.

• Limit taking milk, sugary or caffeinated drinks.

**Lack of appetite: for lack of appetite they need to:**

• Avoid drinking too much fluid before meals.

• Take medications that will stimulate appetite.

• Take cereals and add ice cream to desserts.

• Eat dried fruits or nuts for snacks.

• Not eating raw vegetables.

breakfast.

**Too much weight loss: for this, HIV-positive persons should:**

• Take medications that stimulate appetite and also treat nausea.

**Mouth and swallowing problems: these can be controlled by:**

• Eating only soft foods such as yogurt, mashed potatoes, or rice.

• Include enough protein, carbohydrates and fats in the diet.

• Make meals as attractive as possible.

• Take smaller but frequent meals.

walnuts and others.


*Basic Principles of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS: Making Improvements in Diet to Enhance Health DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84719*
