Here's What You Should Eat With Antibiotics

Being on medication is never a picnic, and being on antibiotics is certainly not. Antibiotics are known to help fight bacterial infections in the body but the effect of these medicines is not limited to fighting infections only - they may end up taking a strong toll on your health if not taken correctly or coupled with the wrong diet. Yes, side effects of antibiotics can be triggered and worsened when they are taken with the wrong sort of foods.

Also read: Must Know: Important Medication Safety Tips

Here's a list of foods you must take while on antibiotics.

1. Plenty of probiotics

One of the many side effects of antibiotics is that it causes diarrhea. Probiotics help in restoring the balance of the gut bacteria which gets disturbed when on antibiotics. They also help the body in recovering from all the bacterial alterations faster.

2. Fill your body with Vitamin K

When you need to be on antibiotics for a prolonged period of time, you must go for Vitamin K supplements. This is because excess consumption of such medication can disturb the good bacteria in your body and may even harm Vitamin K levels making you deficient in it. So you need to compensate for the loss by taking foods rich in Vitamin K like green leafy vegetables, green tea, asparagus or beef liver. You may also try taking Vitamin K supplements.

3. Vary your diet

Antibiotics may at times trigger or increase the growth of yeast in your body and excess of it can lead to yeast infections and an upset stomach, sometimes even a vaginal yeast infection. You can try onion and garlic to reduce the discomfort. Besides this, antibiotics disturb Vitamin B levels in the body. So to make up for the loss, you can add green vegetables like broccoli to your diet.

Besides these, you must know what kind of food should be avoided when on antibiotics. Take a look.

1. Acidic food and beverages

Taking acidic foods like lemon, oranges, strawberries, Vitamin C foods, high in citric acid, tomato ketchup, chocolates and aerated drinks make antibiotics react on your body. This is because of their ability to prevent the body from absorbing medication.

2. Dairy products other than yogurt and iron supplements

Dairy products are healthy, but not when coupled with antibiotics. This is because of the calcium content of these foods which prevent the body from absorbing medication. But this is not the case with yogurt. Yogurt is exempted from this list because it contains probiotics. Probiotics are strongly recommended for people taking antibiotics because they promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut which prevent the body from the assault of antibiotics and heal faster. It also protects the body against diarrhea which is a common side effect of such medication. So is the case with iron supplements. They prevent the body from absorbing the benefits of antibiotics.

3. High-fibre foods

High-fibre foods are healthy, but not when you are on antibiotics. When on medication, fibrous foods slow the rate of food absorption in the body which is good when you are trying to lose weight but not when the body is becoming resistant to medication. These include grains, beans and lentils. 

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.​