Nutritional care is very important in preventing and supporting the treatment of measles to help the body increase resistance against pathogens, reduce the risk of complications or alleviate complications when infected.
1. The importance of diet for people with measles
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is easily spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause serious complications and even death. It can affect anyone but is most common in children.
Measles is spread through the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body. If a woman gets measles while pregnant, it can be dangerous for the mother and can lead to her baby being born prematurely and with low birth weight.
Complications are most common in children under 5 years of age and adults over 30 years of age. They often occur in malnourished children, especially those who do not get enough vitamin A or have a weakened immune system due to HIV and other diseases. Measles itself also weakens the immune system and can cause the body to “forget” how to protect itself against infections, leaving children very vulnerable.
Symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash all over the body.
Nutritional care is very important in the prevention and treatment of measles to help the body increase resistance against pathogens, reduce the risk of complications or alleviate complications when infected. Malnourished children are often susceptible to measles and have severe complications. On the contrary, children with measles are susceptible to malnutrition or even severe malnutrition. Therefore, if during the treatment of measles, if the child is severely malnourished, a malnutrition treatment regimen will be applied. Choosing the right food and proper nutrition will be beneficial in preventing and treating measles.
Therefore, in addition to following the doctor’s instructions in treatment, nutritional care for people with measles is very important.
2. Essential nutrients for the body of people with measles
Measles is a contagious viral disease that causes fever and a red rash, often occurring in young children. High fever is usually the first sign of measles. It begins ten to twelve days after exposure to the virus. The fever will last from 4 to 7 days and may also be accompanied by a runny nose, red eyes, sore throat, koplik spots (white swelling in the mouth) or a rash. The rash starts at the hairline and spreads to the neck, trunk, limbs, feet and hands.
The principle of building a diet to improve immunity for measles patients, especially children, is to eat enough nutritional needs, diverse foods (enough 4 food groups: protein group, fat group, carbohydrate group, vitamin and mineral group with 15-20 types of food), not too abstinent to compensate for lost nutrients (especially energy and protein) due to the infection and disease progression.
The diet for sick people needs to have enough of 4 food groups: protein group, fat group, starch group, vitamin and mineral group.
During the acute phase, a diet rich in fruits will provide the necessary nutrients. During the convalescence period when the temperature reaches normal, consume healthy foods. After recovering from the disease, it is necessary to eat more during the recovery period for at least 2 weeks, especially for children so that they can quickly return to normal nutritional and health status.
It is recommended to supplement multivitamins and minerals that contain vitamins A, E, C, zinc, selenium, etc., of which the most important are vitamins A, C and zinc to help improve immunity.
- Drink enough water
The diet of people with measles needs to pay attention to supplementing enough water, about 8 glasses of water, along with other liquids such as diluted lemon juice, orange juice, coconut water. Adults can also use herbal tea in the measles diet.
The patient must drink enough water, especially during the fever and vomiting stage. You can drink fruit juices such as orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemon juice and other fruit juices and smoothies. When the patient has a high fever, vomits and has diarrhea, you need to drink ORESOL solution to replenish water and electrolytes according to the instructions.
It is necessary to give the patient enough protein-rich foods. Especially protein-rich foods with high biological value such as meat, fish (carp, snakehead fish, basa fish, silver carp, salmon, herring, etc.), eggs, milk, seafood are also sources of zinc and iron to help strengthen the immune system and resistance.
Vitamin A has the function of preserving the integrity of epithelial cells, and also plays a role in growth and strengthening immunity.
Vitamin A deficiency often occurs in children who are inadequately nourished. These patients often have very low vitamin A reserves in the liver when infected with measles, although the exact cause is still unclear.
The effect of vitamin A in the treatment of measles was first reported in 1932. Studies have confirmed that vitamin A supplementation reduces the severity of complications (e.g. diarrhea, respiratory infections) in patients with measles.
It is recommended to increase the intake of products rich in vitamin A such as carrots, spinach, green leafy vegetables, etc. because studies have shown that vitamin A plays an important role in preventing death, pneumonia and serious complications in children with measles.
Vitamin C has the function of fighting allergies, increasing immune function, and improving resistance. Supplementing vitamin C by eating foods rich in vitamins such as grapefruit, oranges and lemons is very useful in the case of measles. It strengthens the body’s immune system to deal with the virus and helps to recover quickly.
Vitamin C is abundant in ripe fruits such as: oranges, grapefruit, bananas, mangoes, watermelons, apples, pears and vegetables such as Malabar spinach, amaranth, jute, Malabar spinach, water spinach…
When children are sick, they should drink ripe fruit juice (1-2 cups/day) to provide enough vitamin C to help improve immunity.
Supplement fruits rich in vitamin C for measles patients.
Zinc plays an important role, necessary for the development and maintenance of the effective functioning of the immune system, necessary for protecting the body against diseases, and helping wounds heal quickly. Zinc deficiency will damage immune function, increase the risk of bacterial and viral infections, thereby reducing the growth and development of children, increasing the risk of malnutrition and death in children. Zinc should be supplemented for both children and adults. In cases where children with measles have complications of diarrhea or pneumonia, zinc should be supplemented orally according to the instructions of medical staff.
Zinc supplement dose: 10mg zinc/day for children < 6 months and 20 mg/day for children > 6 months for a 14-day treatment course. Adults can take 20-30mg/day during measles.
Choose foods rich in zinc: Foods rich in zinc are freshwater shrimp, eel, oysters, clams, pig liver, milk, beef, egg yolks, fish, soybeans, oil seeds (almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc.), sprouted green beans are also rich in zinc and easy to absorb. For infants, to get enough zinc, try to breastfeed because zinc in breast milk is much easier to absorb than in cow’s milk.
For children who are still of breastfeeding age: mothers need to continue breastfeeding, breastfeed more often combined with appropriate complementary foods. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months is the best way to help children grow and develop optimally and contribute to the best disease prevention.
3. Suggested dishes for people with measles
Onset period
During this period, the patient has a fever, sneezes, runny nose, stuffy nose, cough, colds, red eyes and tears. The mucous membranes of the mouth and oral cavity, and the cheeks appear white rashes, with a slightly pink outer edge. Use the following medicinal dishes:
- Gotu kola soup: 200g gotu kola, 50g stewed lean pork, enough water and spices to cook soup.
- Snakehead fish soup: 1 grilled snakehead fish, take the meat, 100g spinach, add cooking spices.
- Sugarcane juice: sugarcane, 100g coriander, squeeze about 1 cup of juice, drink several times a day.
- Shiitake mushroom juice: 25g shiitake mushrooms, 2g mint. Wash the shiitake mushrooms, put them in a pot with 200ml of water, boil thoroughly for 2-3 minutes, remove the shiitake mushrooms, add mint and continue to boil, when it boils thoroughly, strain the water and divide it into 3 times to drink during the day, only drink in the first 1-2 days when you first get sick.
- Coriander juice: 25g fresh coriander, wash and chop the roots, put in a pot, add 250ml of water, boil thoroughly for 1-2 minutes, strain the water and divide into 3 times to drink during the day, only drink the first 1-2 days after getting sick. Tofu soup: 1 piece of tofu about 200g, 25g young coriander, vegetable oil, MSG, and seasoning powder to taste. Cut the tofu into small pieces, fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Wash the coriander, put in a pot, add 250ml of boiling water, simmer, when the soup boils, add tofu, MSG, and seasoning powder, stir well, boil again and it’s done. Eat once a day when hungry, can be eaten with rice, only eat the first 1-2 days after getting measles.
Depending on the stage of the disease, appropriate nutritional care should be provided.
Measles outbreak period
Stage 2: The patient has a high fever that lasts for a long time, cough increases, voice is hoarse, mouth is dry, the person feels uncomfortable, restless, small red rashes appear higher than the skin surface, touching the head, forehead, neck, face. The rash gradually thickens and spreads to the chest, abdomen, limbs, at the end of the fever stage. Use nutritious, cooling and detoxifying dishes:
- Green bean porridge: 200g green beans with the shell still on, cook until soft, add enough salt and sugar to eat.
- Winter melon soup: 200g winter melon, 200g pork leg, clean and cut into pieces, add coriander, green onions, spices to cook soup to eat.
- Carp porridge: Boil carp, take the meat, fry onions until fragrant, good rice, cook until soft, add lots of spices, coriander, green onions, eat hot.
- Snakehead fish sour soup: 100g bean sprouts, 50g pineapple, 30g tomato, 40g okra, 100g cleaned snakehead fish, tamarind, enough spices to cook soup.
- Radish juice: 150g radish, 15g rock sugar. Wash radish, squeeze out the juice, add rock sugar, steam until cooked and all sugar is dissolved, let cool, divide into two drinks during the day. Drink for 1-2 consecutive days.
- Fresh pear juice: 1 fresh pear about 200g, rock sugar 10g. Wash fresh pear, cut near the stem to form a lid, scoop out part of the fruit, add rock sugar, cover with lid, pin tightly, steam. When the pear is ripe, squeeze out the juice, divide into 3 drinks during the day. Drink for 2-3 consecutive days.
- Cogon grass juice: 50g cogon grass root, 100g green sugarcane peel. Pick cogon grass root carefully, wash, chop finely. Wash and cut the green sugarcane peel into pieces. Put both in a pot, add 250ml of water, boil thoroughly, strain the juice and divide into 3 times to drink during the day. Only drink for 1-2 days.
- Carrot juice: 200g fresh carrots, wash, grind, put in a pot, add 250ml of water, simmer until boiling thoroughly, squeeze the juice and divide into 3 times to drink during the day. Drink for 2-3 days.
Measles period
For people with measles, it is necessary to ensure a daily diet with palatable dishes, but the food needs to be cut or ground into smaller pieces and processed more softly.
The measles rash is less red, the high fever has decreased, the measles gradually subsides from the neck down to the feet. The rash subsides in order from the head, face, neck down to the limbs, the fever gradually subsides, the patient has a dry cough with little phlegm, the mouth and throat are dry, the skin on the face peels off like bran dust, the body feels comfortable, the patient gradually recovers, then should eat a refreshing and detoxifying dish.
- Sweet potato soup: 200g sweet potato, 50g pork leg, coriander, onion, enough spices to cook.
- Radish soup: 100g radish, 50g carrot, 20g shiitake mushroom, 50g pork leg.
- Black bean sweet soup: 100g green-heart black beans, enough sugar to cook sweet soup.
- Red apple porridge: 5 red apples, 25g Chinese yam, 50g rice, 15g rock sugar. Remove the seeds from the red apples, crush them, put them in a pot, add 400ml of water and boil. Grind yam and rice, add apple juice and stir well to make porridge. When the porridge is cooked, add rock sugar, stir until dissolved, and the porridge boils again. Eat once a day when hungry, eat for 4-5 consecutive days.
- Millet porridge: 50g millet, 30g lotus seeds with the core, 10g rock sugar. Peel the millet, put it in a pot, add water and cook into porridge. Peel the lotus seeds, grind them into a fine powder. When the millet porridge is cooked, add lotus seed powder and rock sugar, stir well, and the porridge boils again. Eat twice a day when hungry, eat for 3-4 consecutive days to restore health after measles, reduce restlessness and insomnia.
- Carrot porridge: 50g carrots, 25g yam, 10g young mulberry leaves, 50g rice, 15g rock sugar. Wash the carrots. Grind the yam and rice, put them in a pot, add water and cook porridge. Wash and chop the mulberry leaves, when the porridge is cooked, add the mulberry leaves and rock sugar and stir well until the porridge boils again. Eat twice a day when hungry, eat continuously for 4-5 days. Effect: eliminate measles venom, eliminate complications of prolonged cough and phlegm in the throat.
Note: Measles is mostly caused by heat (heat) and long-term fever, loss of body fluids and dehydration, so avoid hot dry foods, fried foods with lots of oil and fried meat, fish, stewed foods, and spicy spices such as pepper, chili, garlic… If you have a high fever, limit eating animal protein and replace it with vegetable protein found in cool, easily digestible beans. If during the measles outbreak, the patient catches a cold, or the weather is too cold and the measles cannot develop, then you should not eat sour and cold foods such as oranges, eggplants, raw fish, water spinach, snails, mussels…
4. Some notes on the diet for people with measles
Do not eat fried foods, grilled foods, smoked foods…
It is necessary to ensure daily meals with dishes that are palatable, but the food needs to be cut or ground smaller, processed softer, and more liquid than when not sick.
Change the dishes and divide into many small meals to help the chewing process better, eat more deliciously and be easier to digest.
Avoid fried foods with a lot of oil, grilled foods, smoked foods, etc.
When processing, avoid crushing vegetables, cut/slice and put vegetables in to cook when the water is boiling, eat immediately after cooking to avoid losing vitamins, especially vitamin C and beta-carotene.
All processing utensils must be clean, wash hands thoroughly before processing food and when feeding the patient.
Patients should drink a lot of warm water to remove toxins from the body. For better results, drink in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening. In the early stages, patients should drink fruit juices such as orange and lemon, because the patient feels loss of appetite, this is enough. Gradually, the patient can start eating fruit and have a balanced diet, including lots of green vegetables and fruits to strengthen the immune system.
When having measles, you should not use hot spices such as chili, pepper, cinnamon, onion, garlic, curry, etc., limit foods containing a lot of saturated fat and animal organs. Absolutely avoid and do not use foods that have caused allergies or strange foods.
