Infections, medicines and emotional stress can all cause diarrhea. it can make you feel weak and become dehydrated. If you have problems with diarrhea, these ideas may help.

• Replace fluids lost to your body in the diarrhea. Drink a lot of liquids -- 8 or more glasses per day! See tips in "All About Fluids."
• Replace the potassium lost to your body in diarrhea. If you do not have enough potassium you can feel very weak. These foods are high in potassium: bananas, potatoes, fish and meat.
• Some food can actually help stop the diarrhea. It would be good for you to eat plain white rice, cream of wheat or farina cereal, toasted white bread, plain macaroni or noodles, boiled eggs, oatmeal, ice cream, jello, applesauce, bananas, canned fruit, mashed potatoes, yogurt, and plain crackers.
• Don't skip meals , even though you don't feel like eating. Eat small amounts of food every couple of hours.
• Try eating foods at room temperature rather than very hot or cold.
• Stay away from fatty, greasy foods and fried foods. Do not eat doughnuts, chips, fried potatoes or french fries, bacon, sausages, gravy, bologna, hot dogs, fried chicken, fried fish, or other fried meats. Use only small amounts of margarine, butter, cream or oil in your food.
• Stay away from spicy foods. Do not eat chili, pizza, hot sauce or tacos.
• Avoid foods with a lot of crunchy fiber. They can irritate your intestines. Do not eat raw fruits or raw vegetables or the skins or seeds of any fruit or vegetable. Do not eat corn. Do not eat whole wheat breads. Do not eat nuts.
• If you have cramps, stay away from foods that can cause gas. Do not eat dried beans, canned beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carbonated drinks, or beer. No chewing gum.

Sometimes HIV can give you such bad diarrhea that you won't be able to digest a certain sugar in milk which is called "lactose." This may last for a few weeks, a few months or even longer. Your doctor may tell you to stay away from foods which contain lactose. lactose is mostly found in milk and in many dairy products.

You should not eat these foods:

Regular (whole) milk, Skim milk, Low fat milk, Evaporated milk, Powdered milk, Goat milk, Cheese (unless the label says it has been aged 90 days), Instant coffee, Cocoa or other chocolate beverages, Whipping cream, Sour cream, Pudding and pudding pies, Custard and custard pies, Ice cream or ice milk, Gravy made with milk or cream, Soups made with milk or cream, Party dips made with sour cream, Cream sauce on meats or vegetables.

You might be able to use these foods instead. They have less lactose:

• Sweet acidophilus milk (it will say "acidophilus" on the label)
• Lactose-reduced milk (it will say "lactose reduced" on the label)
• Buttermilk
• Regular milk with "Lact-aid" added to it. You can buy Lact-aid at drug stores. it is a powder to add to milk. It digests the lactose for you and the milk tastes just fine.
• Natural cheese which has been aged for 90 days or longer. Many cheddar and Swiss cheeses are aged for 90 days. Just read the label.
• Yogurt
• Frozen yogurt desserts
• Sherbert
• Powdered coffee creamer such as "Coffeemate." You can use this in place of milk in many recipes.
• Soybean milk. You can buy this canned at drug stores and at many grocery stores. Try soybean infant formulas ("Prosobee," "Nursoy," or "Isomil").
• Special dietetic products that say "lactose free" on the label.
• Kosher foods marked "pareve" are milk-free.

Fat can be hard for your body to digest when you are sick. It can cause diarrhea, nausea, gas and bloating. Here are a list of foods to eat if your doctor says to stay away from fat.

• Low fat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, 1% low fat milk, butter-milk. No regular (whole) milk or regular cheese.
• Hot and cold cereals. No granola.
• Toast with jelly or honey. No butter or margarine.
• Soups with broth. No cream soups.
• Tuna packed in water. No tuna packed in oil.
• Lean meats. No bacon or sausage. No pepperoni. No hot dogs or bologna.
• Foods which are baked, broiled, boiled, stewed, grilled or roasted. No fried foods. No french fries. No doughnuts. No fried chicken or fried fish.
• Pretzels and plain crackers. No chips.
• Plain cooked vegetables. No cream sauce, butter, margarine or meat fat added.
• Fresh fruit and fruit juice.
• Puddings made with skim milk.
• Sherbet, popsicles, fruit ice. No ice cream.
• Angel food cake. No pound cake or layer cake. No cheese cake.
• Hard candy, jelly candy. No chocolate bars.
• Vanilla wafers, ginger snaps, graham crackers. No cookies with cream inside or covered with chocolate.
• Fat-free chili, spaghetti and soups. If you can see pools of fat on top, don't eat them. Try refrigerating overnight to make the fat get hard on top. Then you can remove it easily.
• Sandwiches spread with mustard. No mayonnaise or salad dressing. No peanut butter.

Nausea may be caused by the medicines you are taking or by infections in your body. These are some ideas to try when you have nausea:

• Don't skip meals! Not only does your body need food, but skipping meals will probably make you feel even worse.
• Eat small amounts of food real often during the day. Try watching the clock and eating something every 2 to 3 hours. Eat more food at times of the day when you feel good.
• Don't eat your favorite foods when you are nauseated. This could cause you to be "turned off" by them later.
• Eat salty foods, avoid very sweet foods.
• Eat dry foods such as toast, crackers or dry cereals right from the box. This is especially good to do soon after waking up in the morning.
• Plain, simple foods are best to eat now. Try these: soups, puddings and custards, ice cream, rice, macaroni, noodles, toast, yogurt, soft-cooked eggs, cream of wheat, farina, oatmeal, bananas, canned fruit, mashed potatoes, crackers, cottage cheese and fruit, eggs.
• Stay away from fried and greasy foods. Use only small amounts of margarine, butter, cream or oil in your food.
• Do not drink liquids at the same time that you eat your meals. Drink them 30 to 60 minutes before or after eating.
• Sometimes just the smell of food can make you feel sick. Open the windows for some fresh air. Avoid making foods that will produce a strong smell in your home, like brewing coffee, frying meats or fish, or cooking spaghetti sauce or chili.
• Do not lie down flat for at least 2 hours after eating. If you wish to rest, sit down. If you must lay down after eating, prop your head up at least 4 inches higher than your feet.
• Some medicines cause nausea. If possible, take them at a time of day when nausea will not interfere with meals.

When you have diarrhea or are vomiting, you are losing a lot of fluids from your body. You must replace it or you can become dehydrated. Here are some hints about getting the fluids you need.

• Drink a lot of liquids -- 8 or more glasses per day! You don't need to worry about drinking too much. Any extra will go out in your urine.
• Good fluids for you to drink are water, broth, bouillon, fruit juice, punch. You also might try clear carbonated drinks, like ginger ale or 7-up.
• The bubbles in carbonated drinks may cause cramps. You can get rid of the bubbles by stirring it in a glass. You could also remove the top from the bottle or can let it sit for a couple of hours before drinking.
• Use regular drinks rather than the type without sugar. When you are sick and not eating much solid food, your body can use the sugar in drinks to keep itself going.
• Avoid beverages that contain caffeine. They can make your kidneys lose more fluids than you are drinking in! This causes dehydration. Some beverages that contain caffeine are colas and other carbonated drinks, coffee, tea, cocoa, and hot chocolate. Read the label on carbonated drinks to see if they have caffeine in them or not.
• It is best to sip your beverages rather than drink them down quickly. Using a straw might be helpful.
• Experiment with drinking cold and hot liquids to see which is best for you. Many people can take liquids best when they are at room temperature.
• Other ways to get the fluids you need are by sucking on ice cubes and popsicles, or by eating jello or sherbet. You can freeze your favorite beverage in ice cube trays to make you own popsicles.

Your mouth and throat are some of the most sensitive areas of your body. An HIV infection can allow sores to develop there. These sores can make it hurt to chew or swallow and that makes it hard to eat. Here are some tips to make eating easier for you.

• Eat soft foods that are smooth in texture. Try mashed potatoes, yogurt, pudding, custards, oatmeal, cream of wheat, ice cream, applesauce, mashed banana, cream soups (Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, Cheddar Cheese).
• Put your food in a blender to make it smooth.
• Try baby food. it is smooth and easy to swallow, and comes in single serving containers.
• Use a straw or drink your food from a cup instead of using a spoon.
• Try tilting your head forward or back to make swallowing easier.
• If you are able to handle some lumps, try scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, macaroni and cheese, baked fish, tuna salad, and canned fruits. Most stews, casseroles and hearty soups would be soft enough to eat, too.
• Moisten your food to help it slide down. Cut meats up in small pieces and add gravy to them. Add gravy or cream sauces to vegetables before eating.
• Soak dry foods in milk, coffee or other warm beverage before eating. This works well with toast, crackers, and cookies.
• Do not eat spicy foods. They can sting your mouth.
• Avoid rough or crunchy foods such as raw vegetables, apples. Try cooked vegetables and soft fruits like bananas or canned pears instead.
• Stay away from oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes or their juice. They have a lot of acid and can cause your mouth to sting.
• Avoid very hot foods and beverages. Cold and room temperature foods will be more comfortable to your mouth. If really cold foods feel good, try adding ice to milk and other beverages to make them extra cold. Try eating a lot of ice cream, sherbet or popsicles to numb some of the pain.
• Rinse your mouth whenever you feel you need it. This can moisten your mouth, remove bits of food, and give it a fresher taste.

Some of the medicines you take may cause you to have a dry mouth. Here are some ideas for moistening a dry mouth and a list of foods that are easy to swallow.

• Drink mild beverages such as apple juice or punch throughout the day.
• Suck on hard candy, especially sour candy. This will help keep your mouth wet.
• Talk to your dentist or doctor. They can prescribe artificial saliva drops for you.
• Avoid dry foods like crackers, toast or cookies. you may also try soaking them in milk or other liquids before eating.
• Add gravy, creamy sauces or juice to your foods to moisten before eating.
• Enjoy soups, casseroles and stews, oatmeal or other soft cereals, yogurt, pudding, applesauce and similar moist foods. They are all easy to follow.

HIV infection often causes problems with weight loss. Here is a list of eating hints to help you gain weight.

• Increase the number of times you eat each day. If you usually have 2 meals per day, start having 3 meals per day. if you usually have 3 meals per day, start eating 4 or 5 times per day. You may have to plan your meals something like this:
  Breakfast -- Snack -- Lunch -- Snack -- Supper -- Snack
  (See menus mentioned previously.)
• Don't count on your appetite. Eat even if you aren't hungry. Watch the clock and eat something every 2 to 3 hours, whether you feel like it or not.
• Eat more foods that are high in calories and protein, such as milk, cheese, meats, and peanut butter. There are lists of ideas for using these foods in the section, "Gaining Weight with Extra Milk and Dairy Products."
• Make your snacks count! Eat healthy foods high in calories and protein between meals. See the list of healthy snacks in the section, "Snacking On Healthy Foods Makes A Difference."
• Add extra fat to your food. It can increase calories a lot without your having to eat a larger amount of food. Ideas for adding fat to your food are in the section, "Gaining Weight With Extra Fat."
• Add sugar, honey, syrup, brown sugar and other sweet things to your food. Put jams and jellies on breads, toast, rolls, pancakes and waffles. Put sugar or honey in your coffee and tea. Add it to your cereal.
• Eat dried fruit such as raisins, prunes, dried apricots, dried apples, dried peaches, figs and dates. These are good by themselves or mixed with nuts for a snack. Add them to hot cereal such as oatmeal and cream of wheat.

Gaining Weight With Extra Milk and Dairy Products

• Drink milk as your beverage with meals. It has more calories and protein than juice, tea, water, or soft drinks. If you don't care for regular milk, try chocolate milk, buttermilk, egg nog, hot cocoa or milkshakes.
• Use milk instead of water to make soups and hot cereals.
• Make extra-strength milk by mixing 2 heaping tablespoons of dry powdered milk into every cup of milk that you use.
• Regular milk has more calories than low-fat milk or sweet acidophilus milk. Half and Half has the most calories of them all! It can be used in place of milk for drinking and in any recipe.
• Nonfat dry milk powder can be added to a lot of foods to give them more protein. You'll never taste it in there. Try adding it to raw ground beef before making it into hamburger patties, meatballs or meatloaf. You can also add it to any casserole, macaroni and cheese, tuna or egg salad, hot or cold cereal, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, milkshakes and puddings.
• Have ice cream as your desert often. It also makes a great snack in a bowl or a cone. You might also try adding it to breakfast cereal in the morning. Top your waffles or pancake with ice cream.

Gaining Weight With Extra Cheese

• Mix cheese into your scrambled eggs. Melt it onto fried eggs.
• Have cheeseburgers instead of plain hamburgers. Put cheese into all your meat sandwiches.
• Melt cheese onto your meatloaf and spaghetti.
• Put extra cheese on pizza.
• Put extra cheese in macaroni and cheese and any other type of casserole.
• Put cheese into your mashed potatoes, and on your baked potato. Melt cheese onto other vegetables too.
• Put cheese on top of salads, soups and chili.
• Make melted cheese toast instead of plain buttered toast. Put a piece of cheese inside of hot biscuits, rolls and corn bread.

Gaining Weight With Extra Meat

• Double the amount of meat you usually put on sandwiches. Put two hamburger patties on your hamburger bun.
• Have two or three helpings of meat at meals. Eat less of other foods at that meal if you are feeling full.
• Put chopped, cooked meats into soups and salads, and on top of pizza.

Gaining Weight With Peanut Butter

• Spread peanut butter thickly on your sandwiches or crackers
• Put peanut butter on pancakes and waffles before you pour on the syrup.
• Spread peanut butter on apples, bananas or pears at snack time.
• Blend peanut butter into milkshakes.
• Put peanut butter on hot toast, hot biscuits. It tastes great melted!
• Fill the dent in sticks of raw celery with peanut butter. Makes a good snack.
• Spread peanut butter on cookies, vanilla wafers, and graham crackers before eating.

Snacking On Healthy Foods Makes A Difference

Who says snacks have to be potato chips and cola? Make your snack count! Eat healthy foods like these between meals. They will give you protein, vitamins, minerals and the calories you need.

Frozen pizza, fish sticks, sandwiches, tacos, canned spaghetti, crackers and cheese, crackers and peanut butter, hamburger, cottage cheese and fruit, peanut butter on apples, baby food fruits & desserts, ice cream, pudding, grilled cheese, yogurt, milkshake, nuts, boiled eggs, cereal and milk, creamed soups, dried fruit, sliced meats.

Gaining Weight With Extra Fat

Adding fat to your food can increase calories a lot! It can be hard to digest sometimes, though. Use these tips when you feel well. If you begin to have diarrhea or nausea stop adding so much fat.

• A teaspoon of butter or margarine will add 45 calories. Mix it into hot foods such as soups, vegetables, mashed potatoes, cooked cereal, rice, and casseroles. Spread it on bread, rolls, corn bread and biscuits. You'll use more if these breads are hot when you spread on the butter or margarine.
• Salad dressings are a very tasty way to add fat to your food. Try Ranch, Blue Cheese or Buttermilk dressing on sandwiches. Pour it over baked potatoes, or use it as a dip for vegetables.
• A tablespoon of mayonnaise has 100 calories. Salad dressing looks like mayonnaise, but has only half the calories. Put mayonnaise on your sandwiches. Put a lot of mayonnaise in tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, ham salad. Try it on a peanut butter sandwich.
• Sour cream has a lot of calories, too. Put sour cream on cooked vegetables such as potatoes, beans, carrots and squash. Top your bowl of chili, salad and soups with it. Add sour cream to casseroles. Dip raw vegetables into sour cream. Put it on top of fresh fruit with some sugar for dessert.
• Whipping cream has 60 calories in each tablespoon. Add it to pies, fruit, puddings and other desserts. Top your hot chocolate or cocoa with whipped cream.
• Frosting is made of fat and sugar. You can buy it already-made in cans. Top fruits, cookies, pudding, cakes, and other desserts with frosting.
• Fry your foods rather than baking or roasting them. If you roll your meats and vegetables in flour or crumbs before frying them, they will hold onto more of the fat and calories.
• Put gravy and cream sauces on your meats and vegetables.

Foods Which Will Not Help You Gain Weight

When you are trying to gain weight you must think about eating a lot of calories. The more calories you eat, the more weight you can gain. You should realize that your goal of eating more calories and gaining weight is exactly the opposite of what many people in our country are trying to do.

Many, many Americans are too fat. For this reason, the articles about nutrition that may see in magazines, newspapers and television are often full of ideas about how to reduce calories and lose weight. These articles often have titles like "good nutrition" or "how to eat right." In this country, "good nutrition" has come to mean the same thing as "low in calories."

This can be very confusing for you. Up until now, many of your ideas about good nutrition may have had to do with limiting calories. Without realizing it, your family and friends may also have been giving you advice about eating foods and beverages which are low in calories.

When people become infected with HIV they often decide to make the most of their health. They may begin to pay more attention to nutrition. But if they follow what friends and family and the media say is good nutrition, they may lose weight. And that's not what they need!

Statements which follow are generally considered to be good nutrition advice for people in this country. They are bad ideas for you, though, because they can cause you to lose weight or make it hard for you to gain. A statement is made below each which tells you what you should do instead of following this advice.

Good Advice For Some...
But Not For You!

Number 1: Drink a lot of plain water.

Water may not be the best choice for you now. It has no calories. It would be better if you drank things that can help you gain weight. Good choices are milk, egg nog, cocoa, juice, and punch.

Number 2: Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables won't help you gain weight. They re very low in calories. When you are trying to gain weight, limit yourself to 4 servings per day of fruits and vegetables. Eat more protein foods like meats, eggs, cheese and peanut butter. And eat more starchy foods like bread, cereal and macaroni instead.

Number 3: Hot soups are especially good for you.

In fact, soup may be a problem for you. Soups are mostly water, and water has no calories. In most cases, solid foods have more calories than liquid foods. If you like soup, consider making it from milk instead of water. Also, try adding extra meat, noodles, cheese or chopped eggs to it to increase the calories.

Number 4: Snack on raw vegetables, salad and fruit.

You could find better snacks that fruits and vegetables right now. They are too low in calories. You could get more calories at snack time if you ate sandwiches, pizza, cereal, ice cream or the other foods mentioned in the section, "Snacking On Healthy Foods Makes A Difference."

Number 5: Have sugar-free drinks instead of regular drinks.

Go for the sugar! It has the calories you need right now. You should have regular soft drinks, not "diet" soft drinks. Add extra sugar to them if you wish. And you might add a scoop or two of ice cream to your glass to give you even more calories.

Number 6: Sugar is bad for you. Don't eat it.

Sugar is your friend! Sugar not only has calories itself, but it makes food taste good. You may be able to eat a bit more if you sweeten your food with sugar, jelly, syrup or honey. Put extra sugar in your cereal. Don't be afraid to eat candy bars, cakes and cookies in addition to your healthy food.

Number 7: Fried food is bad for you. Don't eat it.

You need calories and fat has more calories in it than any other food. When you fry foods you just about double the number of calories in them. Unless you are unable to digest a lot of fat, eat fried foods instead of baked, roasted or boiled.

Number 8: Eggs are bad for you. Don't eat them.

On the contrary, eggs are very good for you right now. They have a lot of protein and you need that to keep up your fight with HIV. Forget about cholesterol! If you want to have a half dozen eggs every day for breakfast, lunch and supper, that would be fine!

Number 9: Don't eat between meals.

Eat whenever you can! You may never get in all the calories that you need in 3 meals per day. You need snacks two, three or more times every day. Look at the section, "Snacking On Healthy Foods Makes A Difference" for some ideas on what to eat for snacks.

Number 10: Don't put butter on your food.

Butter and margarine can help you gain weight. They are very high in calories. So are mayonnaise, sour cream and salad dressing. Look at the section, "Gaining Weight With Extra Fat" for some ideas on ways to put more calories in your food using these foods.

Number 11: Drink skim milk and low fat milk instead of regular milk.

Drink the type of milk which has the most calories. Skim milk and low fat milk have too few calories. Drink regular milk, also called "whole milk," instead. And add chocolate or strawberry powder to it if you wish to vary the flavor!

Some days you just may not feel like eating. It can be caused by many different things -- pain, illness, tiredness, worry. It is important to eat well even on days like this. You'll find it helps your mood as well as your body. These ideas should help.

• Eat very small meals many times during the day. How small? Here is a sample menu:
  
  Breakfast: 3 crackers with peanut butter, 1/2 cup apple juice
  Snack: 1 carton yogurt
  Lunch: 1/2 ham and cheese sandwich, 1 cup cocoa
  Snack: 2 oatmeal cookies, 1/2 glass milk
  Supper: cottage cheese, canned peaches
  Snack: 1 bowl of cereal, milk

Feeling tired is normal when you are sick. It is a sign that your body is working hard to fight off germs. Your body needs rest, but it also needs good food. Since it is hard to cook when you are tired, try these simple ideas.

• Fix simple snacks, rather than meals, for yourself. See, "Snacking On Healthy Foods."
• Let family or friends cook or bring you food. Don't be embarrassed to ask for their help. People like doing things for others.
• Try take-out restaurants. Hamburgers, pizza, Mexican food, chicken and Chinese food can all be obtained this way. Some of them are quite low in cost.
• Call a home food delivery service. Many large towns and cities have these. Look in the phone book for "Meals on Wheels." Call your county health department or local AIDS service organization for more information.
• If you are going to spend the day in bed, put some favorite foods and drinks in a cooler with ice beside you. Then you can get your rest but not be without food. A food warmer or crock pot could be used in the same way to keep hot food hot at your bedside.
• Eat canned foods. Try creamed soups, spaghetti, chili, chow-mein and other things. They may not taste the greatest, but they'll get some food in your stomach. And if you eat a piece of fruit for dessert and drink a glass of milk or juice, you've got a balanced meal!
• Eat frozen foods. Frozen dinners, pizza, egg rolls, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken and fish. Just pop them in the oven, and set a timer. Come back after a little nap, and you're ready to eat. Drink a glass of milk or juice, add a piece of toast or fruit.
• Look at the ideas in the section, "Heathy Foods From the Blender and Microwave," on ways to use your microwave and blender to make quick meals.
• Keep a stock of easy-to-prepare foods as suggested in the section, "Foods To Keep On Hand For Quick Meal Preparation."
• On days that you feel well cook extra food and freeze it in little plastic containers. You'll be grateful to have these to heat up on days that you are tired.
• Make as few dirty dishes as possible. Use paper cups and dishes, cook in the foil pans that food comes in.