Signs and symptoms of fever and its dietary management

Fever is a common symptom which is associated with a
host of infections and chronic conditions. Below are signs and symptoms of
fever.

1. An increase in body
temperature

2. Chills and shivering

3. Headache and body ache

4. Excessive sweating

5. Dehydration

6. Loss of appetite

7. Fatigue and weakness

8. Watery eyes.

Dietary Management

There are various dietary measures that have been
suggested to improve and hasten recovery after a fever. Although the dietary
modalities may differ depending on the cause of the fever, the following are
some basic dietary management of fever.

1. Fluids: The diet should be more of
fluid and at frequent intervals during the first two to three days of fever.
The fluid intake must be liberal to compensate for the loose from the sweat and
to permit adequate volume of urine for excreting the waste. For example milk,
glucose, water, soups, fruits juices etc. can be included to meet the demand.

2. Energy: The calorie requirement
may be increase as much as 50% of the temperature is high. It may be difficult
to meet the calorie needs during the peak of the fever but a high calorie diet
with frequent feeding should be given as soon as fever is controlled.

3. Carbohydrate: Carbohydrate should consist
of glucose, sucrose and starch. Glucose is less sweet and readily absorbed into
the blood stream is preferred. For starch, cereal should be given to patient
(cereal gram).

4. Fat: Fats in the form of butter, vegetable oil and
fried foods should be avoided

5. Protein: Protein intake is also
increase to 50% in excess of the daily requirement due to the increased loss of
tissue proteins during fever. The protein should be of high nutritive value and
easily digestible such as milk, egg and protein beverages are preferred to the
regular meals.

6. Vitamins and minerals: Fever increases the
requirement for vitamin A (ascorbic increase acids), calcium, phosphorous,
sodium and vitamin B complex. Liberal intake of milk, fruits, fruit juice and
two on three eggs will meets the nutrient requirement.

As soon as the temperature comes down rapidly,
digestible bland food should be given to the patient for better digestion and
rapid absorption. These depend on the
patient need for the food, which can be soft or normal in consistency.

Initially, the interval of feeding should be 2 hours,
later on improvement, it can be made into a 4 hours interval meals a day.

During an acute fever the patient’s appetite is often
very poor or small feedings of soft or liquid foods as desired should be
offered at frequent intervals, sufficient intake of fluids and salt is
essential. If illness persists for more than a few days, high protein, high
calorie foods need to be emphasized.

Foods that should be included

·
Fruits juice

·
Glucose water

·
Milk

·
Coconut water

·
Barley water

·
Custards

·
Eggs

·
Soups

·
Tender meat

·
Baked fish

·
Boiled leafy vegetables

·
Orange and yellow fruits (citrus fruits)

Foods that should be avoided

·
Butter

·
Vegetable oil

·
Irritating fibrous foods

·
Fried foods

·
Rich puddings

·
Strongly flavoured beverages.

Dietary guidelines for
fever

·
Drinking plenty of fluids is very essential if
you have a fever, water, juice soups are all easy to increase your fluid intake
when you don’t have appetite.

·
Fever tends to lead to loss of appetite, so
don’t force feed a patient. If he/she is hungry, some soft bland food is the
best option. Try boiled or steamed vegetable clear chicken or vegetable soups
and fresh fruits.

·
Soft boiled rice, barley water and small amount
of milk, can be consumed during the day.

·
Whole grain, crackers and bread in small
quantities may be added to diet for fever.

·
Avoid heavy foods that are high in fat oil, spices
and sugars. The digestive system cannot handle such meals and this may cause
further problems such as indigestion and vomiting.

·
Increase the intake of fresh vegetable, fresh
fruits and low fat dairy products. Vegetables should be steamed, vegetable
soup, fruits like carrots, bananas and peas.