TB, or tuberculosis, is a serious infectious pulmonary disease that attacks the lungs. It remains, to this day, one of the leading causes of illness and kills more than 2 million people a year. Tuberculosis can be cured by taking a regimen of many medications over several months' time. The disease makes breathing difficult, which causes your body to spend more energy than it would normally do so, which may result in weight loss and malnutrition. It is important to optimize your nutrition to prevent any complications.
TB Signs and Symptoms
One of the first sign of tuberculosis is unexplained weight loss. Other symptoms include a chronic cough that lasts more than three weeks, shortness or breath or difficulty breathing, chest pain, fatigue, fevers and night sweats, and chills. Feeling ill can also cause you to lose your appetite, further adding to the rapid weight loss.
TB Complications
Untreated tuberculosis can be dangerous and can result in death. The untreated infection affects not only your lungs, but it eventually spreads through the bloodstream to other parts of your body. An untreated infection can also result in serious complications, such as permanent lung damage, severe debilitating pain, abscesses, joint destruction and even meningitis, which affects your brain and your nerves. Thus, aside from following the strict regimen of drugs, you should also carefully monitor your calorie, protein and micronutrient intake to maintain an adequate weight or help you gain weight and keep your nutritional status at its best.
Adding Extra Calories to Your Daily Intake
There are little tweaks you can do throughout the day and during your meal times that can help you add calories and protein to every day. Eating more meals throughout the day instead of only two or three times can help you increase your caloric intake. Also, if possible, try to eat snacks between those meals. Avoid drinking beverages that contain no calories, such as coffee, tea or diet or sugar-free drinks. Instead, have beverages like juices or milk, or a caloric or protein supplement shake. To add calories to your fruits and vegetables, that, although rich in nutrients, are usually low in calories, try adding peanut butter or ice cream to your fruits and cream cheese, butter or salad dressing to your vegetables. Finally, remember to always eat a source of protein with each meal. Sources of protein include meat, poultry, fish, beans, nuts and seeds and eggs.
Foods you Should Avoid
Because, when you have TB, your metabolism is running quite a bit faster, you need all the extra calories and protein you can get. Also, you need all those nutrients to help your body heal and fight the infection. Thus, try to avoid foods that are "light," "diet," "fat-free" or "sugar-free." These foods usually are low in calories and protein and have little, if any, nutritional value. Try to eat whole foods, ones that will add to your daily intake, not those that will only fill you up.
