really don’t want HOW TO EAT WHEN

Here, Chermaine Kwant, a registered dietician who had PH before undergoing a lung transplant, shares her advice.

Boosting Appetite

Symptoms of PH can reduce your appetite, and fluid retention can make you feel full very quickly when you eat. It can also be a problem when medications cause nausea or digestive problems. What we see very often is also that patients don't have the energy to eat after a very busy day, or even after preparing the meal itself.

A lot of medication requires you to eat something when you take it, and that can be hard when the medication itself can make you feel nauseous.

But although it sounds contradictory, you must eat in order to prevent becoming nauseous with the medication.

It can be tempting to eat unhealthy things when you don't have a lot of appetite, but that won't do your body any good. You may want to reach for a candy bar because it’s easy, but it’s important to eat as healthily as possible so that you make your body stronger.

If you have a reduced appetite, it might be better to eat a few smaller meals throughout the day rather than the three ‘set meals’ of breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Don’t worry about timings, just eat when you have the energy. If it’s better for you to eat your ‘main meal’ during the day, that’s fine. If you’re already tired from a busy day, then eating and digesting a big meal in the evening can be too much.

Sipping a small cup of broth (the ‘stock’ that’s often used as the base of soup, such as the water from boiling the bones of a meat joint) before a meal can help elevate your appetite.

It also helps to avoid very heavy food. For example, choose steamed vegetables over mashed potatoes and gravy. It is important to cook vegetables, as raw vegetables have more fibre, and this make you feel fuller more quickly.