Important Vitamins and Minerals
for a Person with HIV

Minerals and vitamins are important for a person with HIV. Of course, they are important for everyone. We can’t make these vitamins they must come from the nutrients we absorb via our diet. If we are healthy and eat a good quality diet we can meet most of the need for these vitamins and minerals. But that is often not the case for an ill person or a person with HIV. Sometimes we need a supplement.

Even though there are RDA values for vitamins and minerals this is not based on an ill persons needs. We can do better by adding a multivitamin mineral to our daily diet but an HIV infected person might consider boosting things up a bit. Here we will look at the sources of some necessary vitamins in a good diet.

First let us look at some vitamins that might be a good supplement for an a person with HIV.

* Beans, potatoes, whole grains are some of the foods that supply thiamine known as vitamin B1.
* The B2 Riboflavin vitamin obtained from dairy, meat, green leaves and whole grains
* B6 obtained from meat, fish, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
* B12 obtained from eggs, meat, fish, not in veggies
* Folate obtained from organ meats and leafy vegetables

However the vitamins that probably can all be absorbed in from the food in an adequate supply for an HIV affected person are:
* Vitamin K
* Niacin
* Biotin
* Vitamin D
* Pantothenic Acid

Did You Know? 

The AIDS epidemic is a horrible disease but it has given us a silver lining. Scientists and researchers have a new awareness of how important the immune system is to our body. The public knows about the immune system and cares about the health of lymph nodes, vessels, and the rest of the system. Because there is a new awareness of the importance of the immune system, more research has been done on how to build it up so it can fight the advances of AIDS. People are aware of the danger of infectious diseases and are taking steps to stay healthier. They are eating healthier diets, exercising, and taking better care of their bodies. The medical community has focused on researching vaccines and cures but has failed to explore the possibilities of bolstering the immune system. The best defense we have against infection is our body. The tragedy of that fact is that most drugs have serious side effects and only prolong life for a few more months. Strengthening the body’s immune system is our best defense against opportunistic infections. One way to do that is to use homeopathy medicine. There is not one treatment or drug that will help every HIV infected person, but homeopathy is helping people with various stages of the disease. This is a different way of looking at the disease. Instead of fighting the pathogens that cause the disease through conventional drug treatment, doctors are looking at alternative and complimentary ways of treating patients with HIV or AIDS. Doctors in the Netherlands are supporting the use of homeopathic medicine in treating AIDS patients. Natural therapies, and alternative methods of treatment cannot only prolong the life of the AIDS patient, it can improve the overall quality of life they have. They do not provide a cure.

Antioxidants are important for everyone and especially people living with HIV as it is thought to reduce the free radicals that actually help to make HIV grow. Sources of these antioxidants are as follows but additional supplementation might be good.

* The Vitamin A can be obtained from carrots, liver, dark green leafy veggies, dairy products, saltwater fish, yellow root veggies, meat, fruits and vegetables yellow in color.
* Vitamin C obtained from yams, plantains, citrus, cabbage, tomatoes, green leaves
* Vitamin E sources are egg yolks, whole grains, butter, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and some in veggies.

Minerals that might be considered for supplementation are:
* Magnesium sources obtained from dark green vegetables, nuts, and legumes but if there is kidney problem then magnesium would not be good.

Some trace minerals that might be good to supplement are:
* Selenium sources are milk, carrots, liver, seafood, whole grains

So, eat a high quality nutrient dense diet and consider supplements like:
* Antioxidant supplest
* Trace element supplement
* A multivitamin without iron
* Selenium
* Magnesium
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin B stress complex
* Vitamin A

AIDS Facts A healthy immune system may be able to fight off the HIV virus far longer than one that is already damaged. Being exposed to the virus does not mean you will get it, and having the virus does not guarantee you will develop AIDS.

By eating well and assuring that you have the proper nutrients going into your body you can increase your body’s ability to fight the war against HIV. Talk to your doctor and do your research. Since you have been reading up on nutrition and doing your research you can probably see that it is important to eat healthy for everyone. It is also important to have variety in a meal and to supply the body with any supplement it might need. A person who lives with HIV might have different requirements than what a basic diet can supply as such talk to your doctor and devise a daily routine.

Important Information in AIDS and HIV Issues

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