POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Nutrition & HIV => Topic started by: anonymous1985 on July 07, 2012, 10:57:59 am
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I take Atripla and am undetectable with a T-cell count nearing 600. Recently, I've quit smoking cigarettes and have begun taking my dog for little jogs around the neighborhood 2-3x's a day. I've finally been able to get some government assistance with food and start buying healthier things. I've switched to shopping at Whole Foods. I'm cutting out beef, pork, milk, and all things bleached or unpronounceable because the nurse practitioner I see said I have high cholesterol. All-in-all I am feeling much better since making these changes. At the moment, I am not taking a multivitamin because the ones I was taking were seemingly making my stomach cramp and/or messing with my digestive system. The multivitamin I was taking was a knock-off for "Active Adults 50+". My question is...what should I be taking? The care I receive is non-profit so it's kind of crappy. I only continue to go so I can keep my medication until I can find better care. Other than that, I learn more on my own than I do from them. Any tips to improve my mind and body would be much appreciated.
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I am suprised noone has responded to your piost, as there are lots of opinions about nutrition held by folk here.
So, my opinion is that with your CD4 count being 600, you can eat just about anything. That said, its likely that you already know about eating fresh and eating lean. More fruit and veggies. I have developed a love for raw celery. ( Makes good BM's)
There is no need to spend big $$$ on foods, especially if you are financially strapped.
Quitting smoking is the biggest single thing you can do to help yourself maintain health.
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I love celery. My grandma used to make an hors d'oeuvre with raw celery, peanut butter & raisins. There's a variation with cream cheese & green olives but of course cream cheese is high in cholesterol. Thanks for the tip. I'm also interested in vitamins or supplements that are affordable and essential to those living with HIV (and on Atripla). For instance, my sinuses stay dry and I get sinus/tension headaches often and achy muscles occasionally. Even sometimes achy eyes if that makes sense. I've been taking eyebright but I haven't noticed much of a difference.
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Hi Anonymous -
If you look at my signature line, you will see that am also on Atripla. My cd4s have doubled since being diagnosed and cd4 % has also climbed. Viral load has remained UD. I had high triglycerides for a while -
I don't take any vitamins or supplements.
I switched to whole wheat bread; I quit eating fried foods (I may sneak in a fried food once every three or four months); I quit drinking hard liquor (I drink 6-10 Coronas a week - max.); I limit consumption of processed foods (if it comes in a box, I rarely eat it); I limit my consumption of canned foods - I only buy frozen vegetables.... I also only use 2% milk. I don't add salt to anything. I do use other seasonings - but sparingly.
I still smoke (about a pack a day) - this is the one thing that I need to quit.
Triglycerides and cholesterol are all within normal range now.
I think a lot has to do with the individual and their predisposition towards certain things - some people need the extra assistance that comes from vitamins and supplements - others, not so much or at all.
Overall, I am healthy - at least according to my latest labs. The body always requires fine tuning, so I don't think there is any one regimen that can be done consistently.... Everything needs to be adjusted on an ongoing basis - particularly as we get older.
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Hi Phil
Well thank you for the feedback i really appreciate, well at this point in time i have been put on vits and told to eat healthy by my doctor, i dont drink at all i do smoke but very little and i was only told my cd4 count no nothing about vl or % or anything like that is that normal or ai man this is so confussing
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Living a healthier life for those who are positive is the same as for those who are negative. Seems like you are doing it right. I started eating healthier after my diagnosis as well. I still eat meat but have cut out the fast food stuff. I am eating fresh fruits and vegetables. I am not currently taking any vitamins. When my weight dropped and i lost my appetite I did drink ensure twice a day for the nutrition, but quickly got tired of the flavors.
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I am worried though im not sure if eating right and staying on vitamins and all the rest of it is going to help me maintain my cd4 count of 533, i am really so worried about this and what might happen to me,there is really nothing we the hiv can do to live normal if nothing helps us besides the drugs.
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Taking vitamins with a healthy nutritional lifestyle can't hurt.
I take :
Generic multivitamin.
Alpha lipoeic acid
LCarnitine
COq-10
Sometimes I switch some of these out since price wise they add up sometimes and i havent found st to adversely affect my health.
Healthy eating should be fairly easy and cheap to do. My reccomendation start going to farmers markets to buy your fruits and veggies. They are usually locally grown , cheaper, and have gone through less chemicals, and pesticide residue than store based produce.