Typhoid Diet : Get Typhoid Diet Chart, Know The Foods to Eat & Avoid for Fast Recovery

Typhoid, also known as enteric fever, is a severe illness in some developing countries. It is caused after consuming water or food contaminated by the bacteria Salmonella.

Typhoid can cause symptoms like fatigue, headache, high fever, diarrhoea or constipation, red spots, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Moreover, as the bacteria directly affects your digestive tract, paying attention to your immunity plays a vital role.

Diet modification can not treat typhoid, but it affects the treatment quality and eases symptoms. Therefore, it is vital to pay close attention to your food intake to give some relief to your stomach and promote quick treatment.

 Let’s have a closer look at what food items you should eat and avoid during typhoid. 

Typhoid Fever in a Glance

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection that is caused due to the consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria (S. Typhi or S. Paratyphi). People who consume stagnant water, consume or cook food without hygiene, etc., have high chances of getting typhoid fever.

Patients with typhoid fever face symptoms such as:

• Severe headache
• Fever
• Dehydration
• Diarrhoea or Constipation 
• Red spots
• Abdominal pain, etc.

If you face such symptoms, it is advised to consult a doctor and book a typhoid profile. He will suggest you go through one of the diagnosis tests like the widal test, blood culture test, typhidot test for IgM antibody to confirm the fever. The screening test will diagnose the bacteria that has affected your health and help your doctor choose a treatment plan.

Importance of Typhoid Diet Chart

Patients with typhoid fever face gastrointestinal issues, and the main focus of the typhoid diet is to ease digestive distress. It adds certain food items to give your body enough energy while eliminating other items that are difficult to digest. 

Most typhoid patients either eat bland food or eat anything available on the table. However, if a patient focuses on the food he intakes and avoids, his treatment becomes smooth and quick. 

Today, this blog focuses on typhoid diet plans, i.e., foods to add and avoid. 

Typhoid Diet

A typhoid patient has an upset stomach, so his diet must be modified according to his current needs. At present, a typhoid patient needs a diet rich in carbs and proteins.

Foods To Add

1. Carbs-rich food items: During typhoid, you should increase the intake of food high in carbohydrates. Food items high in carbs give energy to your body while keeping your stomach happy.

For this, add porridge, baked potato, and boiled rice in a semi-solid form to your diet, and your stomach will be able to digest it easily. 

1. High-calorie diet: A typhoid patient loses weight during the infection. To manage or prevent this weight loss, you should eat enough food items to match your calorie requirements.

Taking enough calories in the form of food that is easily digestible reduces stomach distress. For example, you can add bananas, potatoes, bread, cereals, etc., to your diet.

1. Plenty of fluids: Typhoid often results in severe dehydration. Patients with typhoid fever should intake plenty of fluids to give their bodies enough nutrients and maintain fluid balance.

To stay hydrated, add lassi, lime juice, fruit juices, water-rich fruits, buttermilk, glucose water, coconut water, etc. 

1. Omega-3 fatty acids: Food rich in omega-3 helps reduce inflammation and bloating during typhoid fever. The typhoid diet chart should include foods rich in nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids.

To add such food items, you can consume soya beans, eggs, nuts, etc.

1. Dairy Products: Typhoid patients face protein deficiency during the fever. It is advised to consume dairy products like yoghurt, milk, etc., in the diet to get enough proteins. 

Yoghurt is a bifidobacteria that decreases bloating and eases bowel movements during typhoid fever. Apart from the above food items, some other foods are beneficial during typhoid fever. Here are some quick food-related tips below:

• Eat a maximum of semi-liquid food items during typhoid. These food items are easy to digest and relieve digestive distress.
• You can also consume highly nutritious soups such as vegetables, chicken, spinach, carrot, and mushroom.
• To stay hydrated, drink plenty of water after it has been boiled or filtered.
• Add another healthy item, yellow daal, to your diet to get enough nutrients.
• Consume 4-5 small frequent meals instead of 2-3 big portion meals.
• You can consume boiled vegetables as they are easy to digest and highly nutritious.
• You can also consume herbal teas for hydration as they have antimicrobial properties. You can consume a mixture of yarrow, neem, and sage steeped in water.
• At last, you can add honey to your diet to meet sugar requirements in your body during typhoid. Its antimicrobial properties help ease the digestive system when consumed with warm water.

That’s it. You need to note these things while you or someone you know has typhoid fever. Don’t forget these food items don’t act as a typhoid treatment but can affect its quality.

Consuming the above food items will give your body enough energy, nutrients, carbs, and proteins whose levels are affected during typhoid fever. 

Now, let’s have a closer look at food items to avoid during the fever.

Foods To Avoid

1. Foods high in fibre: Avoid all the food items that are high in fibre as they are difficult to digest and put pressure on your digestive system. During typhoid, patients have an upset stomach and eating fibre-rich food items worsens it. Avoid raw fruits, vegetables, oats, barley, seeds, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.

1. Spicy foods: Say a big no-no to spicy food items during typhoid infection. Avoid all kinds of spicy food such as hot peppers, jalapeños, paprika, cayenne pepper, chilli, vinegar, etc., as they irritate the digestive system and increase inflammation.

1. Oily and fried food: Avoid all types of fried and oily food during typhoid. These food items are difficult to digest and put pressure on your stomach. Eliminate chips, pakoras, frames, etc., from your diet.

1. Certain vegetables: Some vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus cause gas and bloating in the stomach. It increases pressure on your stomach and affects your overall health.

1. Dry Fruits: Dry fruits are healthy but have high fibre content. Eliminate dry fruits like walnuts, almonds, and pistachios during typhoid to reduce pressure on your stomach. 

Apart from the above food items, it would help if you remembered a few tips during typhoid. Here are some more tips:

• Avoid butter and ghee as they are hard to digest.
• Avoid legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and kidney beans during typhoid as they cause a gassy stomach.
• Eliminate food items with onion and garlic to reduce inflammation.
• Avoid or limit pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds.
• Say no to fatty foods such as mozzarella sticks, doughnuts, potato chips, fried chicken, onion rings, etc.

If you are a typhoid patient, we can understand your cravings and how overwhelming it can get to eat just bland food for some time. However, on a serious note, it is vital to follow a strict diet so that food doesn’t worsen your condition.

With some attention to diet during typhoid, you will not just feel good but also have a high chance to get better.

If you aren’t yet convinced, here are some benefits

Benefits of Typhoid Diet

As mentioned earlier, the main focus of a typhoid diet is to ease digestive distress by adding and eliminating specific food items from your diet. Therefore, summarising the list of food items to add, remember to intake enough calories, consume carb-rich foods, eat bland and semi-solid food, and drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

The first thing to remember is to avoid eating fibre-rich foods as they put pressure on your digestive tract. Low fibre diets are also used to treat patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes bloating, diarrhoea and gas.

Eating items that are your stomach’s best friends can give your body enough energy. However, it is crucial to understand that diet is part of lifestyle modification and not a complete typhoid treatment.

Side Effects of Typhoid Diet

A typhoid diet removes fibre, dry fruits and other nutritious items from your food. Following this diet for a certain period is okay until you completely recover. After that, however, it is advised to shift back to your normal diet, so your body returns to its normal food intake and digestion routine.

Talk to your healthcare professional about when you can change your diet and shift back to normal. This way, your body will get the food that it needs.

Finally, remember that a typhoid diet can not help treat or prevent typhoid fever, and it just focuses on easing an upset stomach.

Conclusion

Typhoid fever can become a life-threatening illness if it is not diagnosed, treated and managed on time. If you notice any unusual symptoms, book a consultation with a typhoid specialist. He will choose a treatment plan and also suggest some diet changes that play a vital role.

Salmonella bacteria transfer from contaminated food or water and directly attack your stomach, i.e. digestive system. It affects your immunity and shows severe symptoms like headaches, red spots, diarrhoea, constipation, etc.

In such situations, please pay close attention to the food you consume, as it can speed up or halt typhoid treatment. We hope this blog helped you understand all the food items you should eat and avoid during the fever.

In conclusion, book a typhoid profile as soon as you notice any symptoms not to delay the treatment.