Your diet is PERSONAL!
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Maya Feller, joins Karl to explain how knowing our lab work can help us develop personalized eating habits for optimal health!
MAYA
When we’re thinking about the immune system, we wanna make sure that we’re really helping to support it, because with HIV, it is compromised.
KARL
Hello there. Welcome to +TALK on +LIFE where we’re all about turning positive into a plus and eating well. And when I say eating well, I mean eating well and healthy. Joining me today, nutritionist Maya Feller. Hey, Maya. Good to see you.
MAYA
Hello, Karl. Thanks for having me.
KARL
So, when I was first diagnosed, Maya, and I think a lot of people feel like this when they get that HIV diagnosis, you know, we go into this, okay doctor, what do I have to do? Does this mean I can’t drink alcohol anymore? Do I have to give up smoking? Should I become vegan? I think it’s a very natural response that we get this news and what we wanna do is make sure that our bodies and our immune systems are gonna be the healthiest and best they can be. Now, I know a proper diet is important at all times. Why more so for someone living with HIV?
MAYA
So the first thing that I wanna say is, yeah, I hear you 100%. That initial diagnosis really does create this panic around food. The thing that’s interesting is that everybody, regardless of if they have a diagnosis or not, is panicked around food. And so I’m here to say that there’s no one size that fits all. And what I want to remind folks, especially people living with HIV, is that, yes, food is information for yourselves. However, you absolutely can enjoy a wide variety of foods while being mindful and intentional about the choices that you make. When we’re thinking about the immune system, we wanna make sure that we’re really helping to support it, because with HIV, it is compromised. So there are a couple of things that particularly come to mind, like I think about food safety, I’m thinking about protein, especially in times of acute illness or prolonged illness, like, you know, when I’m thinking like, okay, there’s a cold, there’s a flu, something like that. What does that look like? I wanna make sure that you’re maintaining your body weight, that we’re not falling into spots where people are losing weight unintentionally. And I also wanna think about any side effects that are happening as a result of medication. So sometimes there may be a little nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, things like that. Not so sexy, but that does happen, right? And so I wanna think about what are the foods that you’re putting in to really nourish your body around all of that.
KARL
Yeah, it’s interesting you bring up the medication thing there ’cause that was one of my questions. You know, there are some foods we know have negative reactions with medications. I know grapefruit, for example, not necessarily HIV medicine, but they say you shouldn’t take certain meds. Are you aware of anything specific that people who are living with HIV should be maybe more conscious of, perhaps dial back on because of reactions it has with medicine, or is it different for everybody?
MAYA
So, it’s gonna be different for each person. However, what we wanna do is think about your overall lab work. For example, where are your blood sugars? How’s your cholesterol, how’s your blood pressure? And then we actually modify what you’re eating based on those things. So if your blood pressure’s in a great place, then we’re gonna say, okay, you don’t have to be as sodium conscious. If your blood sugars are in a good place, then we’re not gonna be thinking so much about carbohydrate literacy. What is carbohydrate literacy? That’s thinking about the types of carbohydrates that we’re eating, whether or not they’re liquid or solid, the quantity, the time of day. We think about those things, especially when we’re trying to make sure that, you know, we’re thinking about how are your blood sugars?
KARL
We hear a lot about how being vegan is the way to go these days, or the Mediterranean diet. I heard something just yesterday about how the Mediterranean diet is great for keeping cancer at bay. Are there any sort of diets that people living with HIV should perhaps focus on, or is it okay if we like tucking into a steak? Can we get enough healthy protein if we are just vegan?
MAYA
Yeah, so the first thing that I wanna say is you’ve got to listen to your body yourself, right? If you’re vegan and you recognize that you’re actually losing weight, then we’re gonna start to have to think about, you know, do we wanna actually add more food? Do we wanna modify what’s on your plate? You have to listen to your body. There is no particular diet that I would recommend for someone living with HIV. What I would say is you wanna choose foods that are culturally relevant. You wanna choose foods that are affordable and accessible to you. Ones that actually taste good while supporting all of those metabolic parameters, blood pressure, blood sugar, cardiovascular disease risks. So it’s gonna look different for each of us.
KARL
What about alcohol intake? I mean, I’m partial to the odd little cocktail on a Friday once I’ve finished my week, but should alcohol, ’cause I know that, again, with some of these medicines, you know, they work extra hard on your kidney and your liver. Obviously, if we’re drinking a lot, we’re also putting strain on those organs. Where’s your positioning on alcohol consumption for someone who is living with HIV who’s healthy and undetectable?
MAYA
So I wanna be the first to say, like I’m not here to stop the party, right? I totally think that a little Friday night get down is absolutely acceptable. I do think you really have to consider how you’re gonna interact with alcohol. I would prefer for someone living with HIV who’s undetectable that it’s not showing up every single day in large quantities. I really want you to make that mindful and intentional choice. Just as you said, it’s tough on the kidneys, right? And alcohol is a toxin and the body recognizes it that way.
KARL
What about in the case of food insecurity? We know that’s a big thing, especially here in the United States. If someone is HIV positive, they don’t have insurance. So they’re already relying on other programs and systems to help them get that life-saving medicine. Sometimes we go, well, I don’t have that extra money to eat organic and eat blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. What happens then? How can we still make sure if things are tough financially, or we are in a situation of food insecurity that we still get the right nourishment? ‘Cause it’s always confusing to me. Processed white bread and the things that are the most unhealthy for you are the most affordable. And the stuff that’s meant to keep you healthy and alive is always expensive.
MAYA
I mean, listen, I don’t have the perfect answer here and I can say from my experience working in New York with a population who actually was food insecure and living with HIV, really, we looked around a lot for emergency food programs, we looked for meals programs because I do understand that when we’re thinking about whether or not we spend money on medication and if it’s covered or not, that we wanna make sure that we’re also paying attention to what is put into the body. So I say for folks who are food insecure to really get to know your Dollar Store Figure out what you can eat there, ’cause you can make a meal from a things in a Dollar Store. There’s frozen vegetables. You can work with all of that. Figure out how to shop on sale. That can also be helpful. But again, getting to know the meals programs in your area, like where I am in New York, we for sure have programs for folks living with HIV where you can get breakfast, lunch, and dinner that are wholesome, nutritious, packed with all the things that we want you to have. And I say utilize those services ’cause they’re there for us.
KARL
Yeah, organizations like Project Angel Food, I know do a terrific job in making sure that people who may be food insecure are getting the nutrition they need. You and your team provide medical nutrition therapy. What is medical nutrition therapy?
MAYA
So, yes, we provide medical nutrition therapy. It’s kind of what it sounds like a little bit. So we talk about nutrition. There is a therapeutic aspect to it. We’re not your therapist, but we are talking about nutrition from a therapeutic lens and it is from a medical lens. So for people who are living with HIV, people who have cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, that’s really what we focus on from an anti-biased, patient-centered approach.
KARL
Well listen, Maya, this has been great. I really appreciate you taking the time, because as I said at the top, so many of us get this news and we sort of go into that, gosh, I’ve gotta do everything right now. And then I know, as someone who’s been living with HIV for quite a while, you know, where I started is not necessarily where I am now, but I think the key to everything in what I’m hearing you say is that taking care of yourself, a proper diet, whether you’re HIV positive or not, is key to a happy and healthy long life, right?
MAYA
That’s absolutely right. And I’m thrilled to have been here and I thank you for sharing your time with me. Thank you so much, Maya Feller. If you want more information about Maya and what they do and you wanna learn more about medical nutrition therapy, check out the website pluslifemedia.com. We’ll have all the information up on there. And remember, you can follow us across social media platforms too. We are @pluslifemedia. Until next time, eat your vegetables. Be good. See you soon.