Combining treatment with nutrition will bring high efficiency in treating pulmonary tuberculosis. However, most pulmonary tuberculosis patients do not know what a good diet is, what nutrients to supplement and what foods to limit. Below is useful information about the diet for pulmonary tuberculosis patients.

1. Nutritional principles for pulmonary tuberculosis patients

When attacked by bacteria and tuberculosis germs, the patient’s lungs are damaged, causing fatigue, continuous coughing, gradually weakening resistance, and decreasing immunity, causing loss of appetite and malnutrition leading to weight loss. Therefore, focusing on improving the diet of people with pulmonary tuberculosis will help increase the effectiveness of treatment and help patients recover quickly.

It is necessary to pay attention to the following 3 things when building a diet for pulmonary tuberculosis patients:

• Energy intake depends on the physical condition, that is, it must be suitable for the patient’s BMI. If the person is thin, they need to eat a lot to achieve a BMI above 18.5. If the patient’s health is normal, the amount of food intake will not change.
• The food in the meal needs to have all 4 food groups: sugar, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. In addition, priority should be given to providing the amount of sugar in the main fruit to detoxify the liver, limit the side effects of the drug.
• The dishes for people with pulmonary tuberculosis need to be diverse for easy absorption, full of nutrients, and stimulate eating because the patient is prone to loss of appetite due to the side effects of the drug to treat pulmonary tuberculosis.

2. Food for people with pulmonary tuberculosis

2.1 What is good for people with pulmonary tuberculosis to eat?

Pulmonary tuberculosis patients need to prioritize supplementing minerals including:

• Zinc : due to the side effects of tuberculosis drugs in patients causing zinc deficiency leading to loss of appetite, weakened immune system. Patients need to choose foods rich in zinc such as seafood, peas, egg yolks, lean pork…

Zinc supplementation for people with pulmonary tuberculosis

• Iron : Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis often have anemia due to iron deficiency, which reduces resistance and makes them susceptible to infectious and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to increase iron supplementation in shiitake mushrooms, egg yolks, beef, liver, etc.
• The system of vitamins A, C, E, K, group B… helps strengthen the body’s immune system, avoiding oxidation and more severe infections. Chicken, pork, beef, sea fish, beans, potatoes, bananas, etc. are foods that contain a lot of these vitamins, and people with pulmonary tuberculosis need to prioritize supplementation.

2.2 What foods should people with pulmonary tuberculosis avoid?

Spicy, stimulating foods such as mustard seed powder, ginger, and chili because these foods will make the cough worse and last longer, even leading to coughing up blood.
Do not drink alcohol, stimulants, caffeine, strong tea, do not smoke because people with pulmonary tuberculosis are prone to prolonged fever, nervous disorders and night sweats, especially reducing the treatment effect and increasing the side effects of the drug.
The nutrition of people with pulmonary tuberculosis also needs to be consulted directly with the treating doctor, because the doctor is the one who understands the disease condition best and has the most accurate advice for diet combined with effective treatment.