Dietary Tips for Dengue:
- Warm soups and broths, vegetable and fruit juices, soft toasts and steamed vegetables should be provided
- Hot and spicy food should be avoided during fever
- Soft cooked green leafy vegetables and complex carbs in the form of porridge or soups
- Fresh fruits are very important. Fruits high in Vitamin C should be given as they help in the healing process. Orange juice is packed with energy and helps in digestion, increases urinary output, and promotes antibodies for faster recovery.
- Avoid greasy foods, fried food, fast food and junk foods.
- Beverages high in caffeine should not be included e.g. soft drinks/ sodas, strong coffee
- Biscuits with light green tea can be a great snack
The mantra is to give soft, bland and liquid foods, which are high in protein, energy and low in fat, every 2 hours. Start with a liquid diet for the initial two day and slowly graduate to soft and semi solid diet. Once the patient feels good introduce normal foods like rice/ pilafs, lentils/ dhals, milk and eggs.
Prevention from Dengue: There is no vaccine that provides protection from dengue as yet and as mentioned earlier the only method of controlling or preventing dengue virus transmission is to combat the vector mosquitoes. Thus it is of utmost importance to ensure sanitation of places where normally mosquito breeding is rampant. In areas where there is stagnant /contaminated water or ineffective or inadequate solid waste disposal, efforts must be made to prevent transmission to protect the local residents.
Vijayalakshmi Iyengar & Sangeetha Swamy
Sr. Dietitians NutritionVista.com
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