You have found out you have a bacterial infection. Whether it is skin or inside, you need antibiotics to clear it up. But you cannot just take your antibiotics on an empty stomach. All instructions will tell you to take the medication with a meal.
Now you want to figure out which meal to take them with. What are the best foods to eat when you are on medication? Sure, you can take antibiotics with almost everything, but you want to focus on food that will help you heal. Look out for foods that offer natural antibacterial benefits, aiding the medication to do its job.
Antibiotics will also affect your gut and can lead to fungal infections. You will want to stock up on foods that will help to protect your health afterward.
Therefore, you need the following foods when you are taking antibiotics.
Get More Probiotics Daily
Start with the probiotics. While the antibiotics will help to get rid of the bad bacteria in your body, they will also get rid of the good bacteria. The medication cannot distinguish between the two and believes that all need to go. This leads to several health problems.
Those who take antibiotics will find their stools are looser than normal. You may not have increased the fiber to make them so soft. It is all linked to the lack of good bacteria in your gut. All your hormones are out of sync.
On top of that, you expose yourself to more yeast in the gut. This can increase the risk of fungal infections in and around your body.
Probiotics help to add more good bacteria to your gut. You replace some of the stuff you have lost, and it can help to reduce the side effects of taking the antibiotics. At the same time, more good bacteria will help to get rid of the bad bacteria in the body. The good bacteria overpower and remove the bad, increasing the effectiveness of your medication. You can get rid of infections after one course of the medication instead of needing multiple courses.
It is possible to get probiotics in several natural ways. Start with more yogurt in your diet. Greek yogurt is one of the best. You should also add more sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir. It is also possible to take little shots of probiotics in a yogurt drink. They may be worth considering temporarily to increase the effectiveness of your medication.
Stock Up on the Vitamin K
One of the vitamins we tend to overlook is vitamin K. It is necessary for the clotting of the blood, but the levels of it in your body are affected by the antibiotics. Because the medication does not distinguish between the good and bad bacteria, both are killed. The vitamin K requires good bacteria to make more of it within the body.
So, by getting rid of all bacteria, you cannot make more vitamin K to support your blood health. While it does not affect all the levels of vitamin K, it will affect some. You will need to add the loss back into your system through your diet.
Start with some green tea, asparagus, and leafy green vegetables. If you are a meat eater, cow liver will also be beneficial for more vitamin K. You may also be able to take supplements, but make sure they do not interact with the medication.
Add More Onions and Garlic to Your Diet
Garlic and onions are both known for improving the health. They have antibacterial properties, helping to increase the effectiveness of the medication. The best thing about these natural antibiotics is that they only focus on the bad bacteria and leave the good stuff alone. Check out more info on the benefits of eating onion daily here.
Onions and garlic can also be beneficial for preventing yeast infections during antibacterial use. They both have antifungal properties, so will get rid of the vaginal thrush infections that become a problem in many women.
Do not forget that the two vegetables can also help to deal with other symptoms. While the antibiotics deal with the reason for your illness, they do not help to cope with some of the symptoms. Garlic and onion can fight the viral issues, improve your breathing, and support your mental health. When you start to feel better physically, you will help the internal elements of improving your health.
Garlic tea is one of the most popular options for those looking for herbal remedies. You can make your own with garlic and hot water, so there is no need to spend a lot of extra money. The tea offers the heat to relax the muscles and soothe your insides. You can also help improve your breathing with the steam from the liquid.
Add More Vitamin B to Your Diet
There are various B vitamins necessary for a healthy body. They all help to support the brain, nerves, and tissues within the body. You need to stock up on them when taking antibiotics. Like with vitamin K, the medication can affect the storage of B vitamins in the body. This is linked to the removal of the good bacteria as well as the bad.
Stocking up on B vitamins will help to give you more energy and improve the working of your metabolism. It is difficult when your immune system is fighting an infection.
Stock up on more broccoli and other green vegetables, Whole grains are also good for increasing B vitamins and will offer more complex carbs to help support your digestive system and energy levels without increasing your blood sugar.
Keep Eating the High-Fiber Foods
While the antibiotics can cause your stools to get looser, you do not want to stop eating fiber. The antibiotics can cause havoc on your digestive system, so you want to help it as much as possible. Fiber helps with the increase of good bacteria in your gut. You want to restore this to help support the stabilization of your stools and improve the effectiveness of the antibiotics.
More fiber will also help to reduce the number of bad bacteria in your body. Studies show that those with a high fiber diet are less likely to fall ill because of bacterial infections.
We’ve already suggested whole grains, but you can also get fiber from fruits and vegetables. Try to opt for the fruits that are lower in natural sugars. Vegetables tend to be better, as they are also packed with water. Your body is already sensitive to foods, so adding unnecessary sugars (even natural ones) can disrupt the ability to absorb the antibiotics.
Do watch out for the number of fibrous foods you eat. It is best to stock up on fiber after your course of antibiotics to help prevent the bad bacteria from coming back. A major issue is a way your digestive system slows down with fiber, making it harder for the body to absorb all the antibiotics.
Look Out for Probiotics Too
You will likely have heard of probiotics before today, but what about prebiotics. These are foods that will feed the good bacteria into the gut, while the probiotics live in the gut. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise to hear that most prebiotic foods are also those with a lot of fiber. As the fiber is fermented, the healthy bacteria grow.
But you do not just have to rely on fiber foods. Look out for foods that have polyphenols. One example is red wine. While you may have heard that wine is bad for you with antibiotics, one glass may not be as dangerous as once made out.
If you really want to avoid the wine, then opt for cocoa instead. Again, you get the polyphenols. If you choose the dark chocolate or enjoy a cup of cocoa on a night you will reduce the number of sugars, you add.
Focus on An Overall Balanced Diet
One of the best things you can do is vary your diet. When you are ill, the last thing you will think about is cooking but it will be the best thing for you. Ask a friend to help make your meals if you want. Or arrange to bulk make meals so there is always something in the freezer should you fall ill.
You want a diet that is balanced and packed with nutritional goodness. Make sure you get proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. Stock up on your nutrients and pay close attention to get extras of the ones mentioned above.
Not only will you find your antibiotics work better, but you will feel better mentally for it. You will not get bored, but you will know that you are supporting your weight management efforts while you are ill.
It is Not All About the Food You Should Eat
While we’ve focused on the foods that you should eat while taking antibiotics, there are also foods that you shouldn’t eat. You may be surprised to see that the foods on this list are usually classed as healthy, at least in most of cases. So, why cannot you eat them?
Well, there are certain foods that will interact with antibiotics in a negative way. They prevent the body from absorbing all the antibiotic benefits, so everything leaves the system without working.
Surprisingly, one of the culprits for this is orange juice. You may drink the juice for the vitamin C and it is classed as one of the best things for when you are ill, but not when it comes to antibiotic use. The sugars in the juice make it harder for the body to take in all the benefits of the medication. The same applies to other citrus fruits and juices, so you want to avoid lemonade, limes, oranges, lemons, and more.
Also, avoid tomato sauce. It has a similar effect as the culprits above. When you want to get more vitamin C, you will need to find foods that are not acidic. The great news is you can get vitamin C from peppers, leafy greens, and more.
One of the bad foods to avoid is soda. You should already know that soda is not the best for your health anyway. It is packed with stuff that prevents your body from absorbing magnesium and can affect your bone health. But the acidic properties of soda cause problems for the antibiotics.
And what about your calcium and iron intake? Well, while you are taking antibiotics look at decreasing the amount you eat. Do not consume either of them at the same time as popping one of your pills. The minerals will prevent the body from absorbing the antibiotics, negating all the benefits.
Does not this mean you shouldn’t eat yogurt? While it does contain calcium, the probiotics help to prevent the antibiotics from working. It is the only dairy food that does this.
Sugary foods are also a problem for the absorption of antibiotics. Plus, they’re not exactly going to offer you any nutritional benefits. Your blood sugar levels will increase, and you slow your metabolism down. Nothing can digest easily, and you end up suffering from weight gain. You will want to avoid most allergens. Even if you are not allergic, your immune system is compromised. You set off an inflammatory response, making it harder for the body to absorb the antibiotics.
While we’ve mentioned red wine can be good, you will want to avoid other alcohol. The alcohol will prevent your antibiotics from absorbing into your body properly. Your liver will also be affected by extra, unnatural elements in the body. It is got to work out which are the most dangerous toxins and you can completely negate any benefits that the antibiotics are offering.
Improve the Effectiveness of Antibiotics
The next time you need a course of antibiotics, consider your diet. Make sure it is as friendly to the medication as possible. Reduce any allergen foods (even if not allergic) and increase the number of probiotics you get. Stick to a varied diet, packed with B and K vitamins. You will find that not only do your antibiotics work better, but also that you reduce the risk of illnesses afterward. You will find it much easier to avoid fungal infections.
Check out more info on best foods to eat while on antibiotics here:
12 Vegetables With Antibacterial Properties
Everything You Need To Know About Spirulina and Why You Should Include It In Your Diet
7 Food Supplements that Aid in Gut Health
The Ultimate Guide To An Anti-Inflammatory Shopping List
