Don’t let the medicine affect your health!
In this blog let’s take a look at the best foods to take with antibiotics as well as those to avoid.
Taking medicine to retrieve health is a necessary thing. However, the doses of antibiotics can harm and change the metabolism of our body for a brief time.
So let’s take a look at the best foods to take with antibiotics as well as those to avoid.
WHAT ARE ANTIBIOTICS?
Antibiotics are the medications that are used commonly when the ‘bad’ bacteria increases in our body causing infection.
They help to fight serious illnesses, they work in two ways, either by killing bacteria or by stopping their reproduction.
Some of them are broad-spectrum, which means they act upon a wide range of bacterias that cause diseases whereas the other ones are designed to specifically kill certain types.
Though antibiotics are really effective in fighting diseases, they can cause some negative side effects as well.
SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS
If used excessively, antibiotics can cause negative effects on health.
They might cause a variety of symptoms like
1. Abdominal pain
2. Bloating
3. Diarrhea
4. Nausea
5. indigestion
6. Loss of appetite
7. Liver Damage
These side effects are although not that harmful and tend to quickly resolve quickly, however, some foods are helpful in improving these conditions whereas some foods might worsen them.
So, let’s look at the best foods that should be taken with antibiotics.
BEST FOODS TO EAT WITH ANTIBIOTICS.
1. PROBIOTICS
Antibiotics use kills the microbiota that makes children and adults acquire diarrhea.
The healthy bacterias are again restored in the body by taking probiotics which not only replaces the killed bacterias inside intestines but also help to improve the condition of diarrhea to 50 percent in children and adults as well.
However, the probiotics should be taken a few hours after consuming the medicine because if taken together, the bacteria provided by the probiotics would also get killed.
It is best to take a mixture of different probiotics after the medicine rather than one single type of probiotics for the best restorations of healthy bacterias.
Here are a few examples of probiotics:
1. Yogurt
2. Kefir
3. Tempeh
4. Kimchi
5. Kombusa
6. Mesu
7. Natu
8. Soft aged cheese
9. Green olives.
2. PREBIOTICS
Prebiotics, unlike probiotics, feed on the healthy bacteria in your body.
Most of the fiber-rich foods are prebiotics however a few of them are not that fiber-rich such as red wine and cocoa.
Other examples of the probiotics include:
These are a few examples that contain low levels of probiotics
1. Chickory root
2. Garlic
3. Onions
4. Banana
Manufacturers at times add extra probiotics in some foods such as,
1. Yogurt
2. Biscuits
3. Cereals
4. Bread.
Note: Large amounts of prebiotics consumption can cause gas and bloat, they should be added slowly to the diet so the gut adapts.
3. FERMENTED FOODS
Fermented foods provide a really good source of beneficial bacteria. However, heat or filtration can reduce their effectiveness by killing bacteria.
Live cultures such as microorganisms can’t be found in fermented vegetables or baked items. Thus, the fermented foods must contain ‘live cultures’ upon their labels.
Fermented foods not only help in digestion but also helps to lower down the bad bacteria.
Examples of fermented foods are:
1. Miso
2. Kempeh
3. Kimchi
4. Yogurts
5. A few types of cheese
6. Fresh sour dill pickles.
4. VITAMIN K
One of the cons of antibiotics is that it kills most of the bacterias present in our body among which one important is vitamin K.
Vitamin k helps in making clots in the blood which regulates calcium levels as well as bone metabolism.
Antibiotics also kill them and to reduce this effect, you can have foods rich in vitamin k.
The foods that have high levels of vitamin K are
1. Kale
2. Spinach
3. Parsley
4. Mustard Greens
5. Brussels sprouts
6. Cauliflower
7. Liver
8. Eggs
4. HIGH RICH FIBER
Fibers can’t be digested by the body, but the gut bacteria feed on them which helps in their growth.
During the course of antibiotics, one must avoid high fiber foods as they affect the way antibiotics are absorbed by the stomach, however after the course ends, fiber-rich foods can readily be an excellent source for restoration of the beneficial bacteria and proper digestion.
Top Foods that are rich in fiber are:
1. Bananas
2. Broccoli
3. Lentils
4. Beans
5. Berries
6. Peas
7. Nuts
5. COCONUT OIL
Coconut oil contains a really good amount of fatty acids which helps to reduce the possibility of developing yeast infection caused by antibiotics. It’s especially really helpful for females.
FOODS TO AVOID WHILE TAKING ANTIBIOTICS.
There are also a few foods that must not be taken when on a course of antibiotics. They reduce the effectiveness of the medicine.
They include:
1. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice, stop the body from breaking down the medicine.
2. Foods enriched in calcium such as oranges and milk also affect absorption activity.
3. Alcohol should be avoided as it causes dizziness and disturbing side effects.
4. Yeast and sugars, for women specifically yeast intake during antibiotics can lead to yeast infections by triggering the candida organism. Thus, it should be avoided.
HOW TO TAKE ANTIBIOTICS
The antibiotic course must be strictly followed for killing the infection properly and not letting the disease reoccur.
1. Complete the full course as prescribed by the doctor.
2. Maintain proper duration between the antibiotics.
3. Only take when necessary and the doctor prescribes them.
4. Never double up on antibiotics treatment.
Doctors prescribe the medicine only when necessary. Their consumption might cause drowsiness and some unpleasant side effects, however after 2 to 3 days., the conditions do improve and you may feel better.
Healthy recommended foods should be taken along with the antibiotics so that the body doesn’t face many side effects and remain nourished with the healthy bacterias.
Recommended Read: Foods Helpful In Lower Blood Pressure Treatment
