What the Antibiotics Are?

Willingly or unwillingly one needs to go with things unwanted. Antibiotics for me at least are one of such most hated things, because of the side effects. The most common are stomach disturbance. Whether you like it or not but antibiotics are a blessing able to fight many diseases and cure a plethora of infections. The diet during and after antibiotics is a critical issue that commonly has been ignored by the patients.

It all started with the discovery of penicillin (1928) and still going on. A new generation of more effective antibiotics is being discovered and produced every day. The graph of improvements is pushing up and up.

The Dark Side

Mainly there are two types, broad & narrow spectrum, broad being able to kill a variety of germs, and viruses, and narrow to work on a few of them. The major issue caused by antibiotics is the destruction of your gut microbiota, which is a whole ecosystem balanced with both good and bad bacteria.

Antibiotics kill bacteria but unfortunately are not smart enough so far, to distinguish between good and bad ones, both become the target. This then disturbs your gut microbiome, causing common issues like vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, etc. to jump in. The following foods are good to use when on antibiotics and after. It will help reverse the dark side of the use of antibiotics.

Probiotics rich foods

Probiotics are intestinal healthy microorganism that restores healthy intestinal bacteria. Some of these are listed below. Yogurt is a rich source of active probiotic bacteria, good for many other health issues, and recommended to use fresh. Kefir another by-product of milk has the same level of probiotic bacteria as yogurt and has anti-inflammatory properties too.

Non-dairy Foods

Sauerkrout is a lactic fermentation of finely chopped cabbage. It has a high amount of vitamins B12, B13, C & K.

Vitamin K Foods

Reasonable daily intake of vitamin K has suggested 90 micrograms in adult women & 120 micrograms for adult men. Dark green leaf veggies, spinach, collards, etc. are best to use during and after antibiotics use.

Vitamin B12 Rich Foods

Vitamin B12 stimulates the proper development of red cells, a deficiency that causes anemia. Increase your intake when on and post-ATB treatment. The best source is fish, red meat, and dairy products.

Folic Acid Rich Foods

Folic acid is essential for muscle, brain, and eye health and for improving red blood cell development. Daily use of 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid is suggested. The richest source is spinach, beets, green leafy veggies, broccoli, peanut, etc.  

Vitamin B1

Deficiency leads to nerve damage, heart disease, and muscle weakness. Lentils, sunflower seeds, oats, and red meat are rich in vitamin B1.

What not to take

Following are some of the diets which are prohibited during and after the antibiotics.

• Pure dairy products
• Calcium, magnesium-rich intakes,
• Junk food
• Oily food
• Food supplements
• Protein Rich food like pulses.

Pure dairy products however not absolutely prohibited but can be taken if unavoidable conditions after 3-4 hours of using antibiotics.

Caring is Curing

By the way, caring is better than a cure. We can avoid many health issues if we remain a little careful about our daily routine intakes. Make your choices on the basis of the quality of food, freshness, and nutrient values rather than taste and convenience alone.

Taking a good quantity of raw veggies, (all sorts of salads) and fruits will help to care for your immune system as 80% of it is contained within the gut.