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There are some infections or sicknesses when you rely on antibiotics for the treatment process. Antibiotics are medications used to treat any type of illness. So, you will always have to make sure what to eat with antibiotics. Antibiotics can impact your health in many medical ways.
How well your antibiotics work on your body depends on your diet. You will feel better only when you eat proper and healthy foods.
Here is everything you need to know what to eat with antibiotics but before that let’s look at some important terms.
1. What are Antibiotics?
Medications that fight any sickness or infection are called antibiotics. This antibiotic therapy kills the bacteria in our body and hence is the most helpful method to treat infections.
Taking antibiotics is also most helpful for life-threatening disorders. These antibiotic medications save thousands of life and kill bacteria in the body.
Here is a thing you should know, the course of antibiotics treatment does not include viruses, they are medications for infections caused by any bacteria in your body. This includes urinary tract infection, strep throat or pertussis.
Moreover, taking antibiotics also does not work on some infections caused by bacteria, such as sinus infections. This is because these can be treated on their own, antibiotic usage will not heal these infections. Taking antibiotics in high doses unnecessarily can have many serious side effects, which can be life-threatening.
2. Why is it Important What You Eat With Antibiotics?
Some foods interact with antibiotics easily which helps in absorbing it while there are foods that can even cause gas. Though these antibiotics help treat your infection there are also other side effects caused by them. This can result in gas, killing beneficial bacteria, nausea, dizziness and body pain.
Therefore, eating healthy and advised meals can lead to proper body care. If you are not familiar with your antibiotics, get advice and check with your doctor. Taking antibiotics your doctor prescribes with proper guidelines on what to eat with antibiotics and what not to eat with antibiotics can result positively for your gut.
3. What to Eat with Antibiotics?
Taking antibiotics can treat your bacterial infection, but what you eat with antibiotics can affect how well it works.
Here are the foods, professionals recommend to add to your diet when you are taking antibiotics which are good for your gut microbiota.
3.1. Probiotics
Taking probiotics supplements with taking antibiotics can contribute effective bacteria and is beneficial for antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
You can also take antibiotics and probiotics at the same time without getting spaced out. But you should follow the instructions written on the label.
Taking probiotics can not only help preserve diarrhea but also benefit restoring healthy bacteria.
Before consuming probiotics with antibiotics, get advice from your doctor first. This is because there are doctors who advise you to take probiotic supplements four to five-hour difference after the antibiotic dose. To keep the health of your gut microbiome at bay, follow the prescriptions of your medic.
Probiotic-rich foods are also healthy for your gut. Eating probiotic foods sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and miso are all beneficial bacteria that deliver all sorts of useful aspects for your health. These probiotic foods are not only useful for your gut but also boost immunity and help your beneficial bacteria. You can also get probiotic-rich foods from fermented foods as well.
3.2. Fermented Foods
Fermented foods contain useful probiotics foods supplemented for your healthy gut. They are also useful in removing side effects of certain antibiotics.
Fermented vegetables, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut support the health of the gut and are useful for the digestive system. Fermented foods rebuild the damage caused by antibiotics
Therefore, eating certain foods is not just useful to support gut health but also helps in removing the damage caused by antibiotic treatment.
3.3. High Fiber Foods
Meals which are rich in fiber are useful for bacteria in the gut after a course of antibiotics. Not only this, but high-fiber foods also reduce antibiotic resistance genes.
After the antibiotic course, eating high-fiber meals is beneficial for antibiotic absorption. Fiber is good to digest in your system. It can be absorbed by gut bacteria which boosts your growth.
Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are helpful for the healthy bacteria in your gut. Eating fiber rich foods after setting the time with the course of antibiotics is nutritious for the bacteria in the gut microbiome.
3.4. BRAT Diet
Eating healthy when you are sick is the formula for healthy treatment. Brat diet, which includes- Banana, time, applesauce, and toast is healthy for antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Also, non-citrus fruits are a healthy choice for your system.
3.5. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is essential when your body is weak.
Water is one of the most important and beneficial keys when it comes to staying hydrated.
Water is the key to staying hydrated. Drinking plenty of water will remove the side effect of antibiotics and is beneficial for the digestive system. It helps to fight infections.
4. What to Not Eat with Antibiotics for Healthy Gut Bacteria?
When you consume antibiotics, it is necessary to absorb them to cure your bacterial infection. Preventing any side effects of what you eat with your antibiotics plays a crucial role, especially for your gut bacteria health.
Therefore, you should always avoid foods which will stop the absorption process of antibiotics in your body cells. Space out these meals and don’t eat them till the time your doctor prescribe you.
Here are some of the meals, you should avoid when you consume antibiotics to prevent any side effects caused.
4.1. Acid Foods
Meals with high acid content can decrease the absorption of antibiotics. You should avoid these acid foods at least before and after a few hours of consumption of antibiotics.
These foods include citrus fruits such as orange juice, grapefruit juice and lime juice. Adding on, avoid chocolate, tomato and caffeine to protect your gut health created by these foods.
These foods can make the situation of your gut bacteria worse and increase the negative impact of antibiotics on the body.
Caffeine can affect your sleeping habits, therefore to stay hydrated drink plenty of water and make the absorption of antibiotics easy.
4.2. Alcohol
There are several side effects, alcohol causes to your system while taking certain antibiotics. This includes dizziness, vomiting, headaches and other side effects.
Moreover, avoid medicines which contain alcohol in them, such as for colds and flu, mouth wash with alcohol content in them. Therefore, avoid alcohol to not get and unnecessary side effects.
4.3. Dairy Foods
When you eat dairy food with antibiotics, the calcium in the food will prevent from absorption of antibiotics in your system. Do not use these foods before six hours of your dose.
Dairy foods such as cheese, yogurt, milk, and butter all have calcium which stops the absorption of antibiotics in the body. Therefore, even though yogurt is a probiotic food, still you should avoid eating yogurt with antibiotics since it contains some calcium.
4.4. Multi-Vitamins
Remember if you are taking multivitamins, give maximum time space between antibiotics and multivitamins. Multivitamins consist of minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc are all responsible for your inability the absorption of these minerals with antibiotics.
4.5. Foods with High Amounts of Calcium
Foods high in calcium will probably affect your system with antibiotics.
These common foods such as orange juice, tofu, and chia seeds all create interference with the absorption of antibiotics and result in many side effects.
5. How to Take Antibiotics for Healthy Bacteria?
When you are taking antibiotics in the right way, the results will also be always right. Here are the steps for taking antibiotics in the right way.
To take antibiotics always follow the instructions of either your doctor or the medic label.
If you miss a dose of your antibiotic, consider taking it as early as possible before your next dose timing. Antibiotics should take time to consume the next dose. Taking too many antibiotics together at a time or even at a time gap of two hours can generate too many side effects with no healing.
There are some antibiotics, which should not be chewed, so check the label. If you suffering from some difficulty while gulping your dose, consider calling your doctor.
Since foods help in the absorption of antibiotics in the body, therefore eat healthy foods with antibiotics. There are especially some antibiotic doses which asked for consuming foods before taking the pill.
Now there are also some other foods, that are asked to be taken empty stomach. Therefore, follow the instructions on the label of the dose and take it with proper maintenance, even if it asked for an empty stomach.
In the end, if you couldn’t take your antibiotic or missed it, consider contacting your medic.
Final Words
Eating only foods which are healthy and labelled with antibiotics is a beneficial option. Eating healthy foods with antibiotics is not only able to treat bacterial infections easily but also supports gut health. This will neither create digestive discomfort nor upset stomach.
Taking antibiotics for various bacterial infections is fine but always remember taking them in the long term can also cause various side effects. These side effects also include yeast infections, which are common in women who consume antibiotics.
Consider consuming these drugs according to the prescriptions or consult with your doctor.
There are many side effects of consuming antibiotics in the long term such as diarrhea and changes in your gut microbiota. But there is a treatment and solution for this. Consider taking probiotics as mentioned in the article to reduce the risk of diarrhea or change in gut microbiota.
Also, always remember certain foods should be completely avoided and spaced out for a limited time. This is suggested to avoid any type of consequences during the absorption process.
Before taking any antibiotics consider getting recommendations from your doctor. It is helpful in the treatment process.
FAQs
Q1. Is it better to eat foods while taking antibiotics?
Antibiotics are beneficial in the treatment process of bacterial infection. There are antibiotics like tetracycline, which asked for taking with an empty stomach.
Whereas there are antibiotics like amoxicillin and doxycycline which are asked for taking after eating a proper healthy food for absorption.
Q2. Can I eat meat with antibiotics?
The introduction of chicken into your gut can have a risk to your health. It will create many health-related problems like weight gain, diabetes, asthma, and cancer. Therefore, consider eating meats by spacing time with your dose of antibiotics.
Q3. What are natural antibiotics?
Natural antibiotics include garlic, ginger, oregano, honey, clove and many more. These can benefit your balanced diet but do not change it with your prescriptions. These natural antibiotics also have a lot of health risks such as the risk of too much bleeding caused by garlic.
Therefore, do not consume these feeds regularly, it is not much helpful for your gut.
Q4. Is it true, that antibiotics kill good bacteria?
Yes, this is true that antibiotics eliminate good and beneficial bacteria and this is generally bad since good bacteria help in fighting infections in the bad bacteria.
Antibiotics help in curing bacterial infections and unfortunately, these antibiotics could distinguish between bad bacteria and good bacteria. This is the first main side effect of taking antibiotics.
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