Antibiotics are the drugs used against bacterial infections. They suppress the bacteria or kill them. However, consumption of antibiotics has some side effects as well so in-order to reduce the side effects one should follow the proper diet chart during and after antibiotics.
Pros and Cons of Antibiotics
Antibiotics, also known as antibacterial, work either by killing or inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
There are different types of antibiotics. Some act on a wide range of disease causing bacteria also called broad spectrum while others are just meant to kill certain species of bacteria.
Antibiotics are essential as well as harmful to the body. Harmful in the sense, it kills healthy bacteria and other microbes residing in our intestine. These bacteria are collectively known as gut microbiota.
Some studies have shown that excessive consumption of antibiotics at early age may increase the risk of weight gain and obesity.
Consumption of antibiotics has some side effects such as diarrhea, liver damages, etc. However, proper diet chart can help in the reduction of these side effects.
Consumption of High Fiber Foods
High fiber foods help in the growth of gut bacteria which is essential to digest the fiber. After a course of antibiotics, one should consume fiber foods as it helps to restore healthy gut bacteria. Studies have shown that high fiber food not only restore healthy gut bacteria but also reduce the growth of some harmful bacteria.
Beans, Broccoli, Nuts, Bananas, Peas, Lentils, seeds, Berries, Artichokes, etc. are the food which are rich in fiber.
However, high fiber food slows down the rate at which stomach empties and can also slow the rate at which medicines are absorbed. Therefore, it is best to eat the high fiber food after the completion of antibiotics course.
Eat Fermented Foods
Fermented foods include yogurt, cheese, kimchi, Kombucha, etc. These foods contain a high number of healthy bacterial species, such as Lactobacilli which helps to restore the gut micro biota to a health state after antibiotics. Other studies have found that fermented foods are beneficial even during the antibiotics. Normal or Pro-biotic supplemented yogurt helps in the reduction of diarrhea in people taking antibiotics.
Eat Prebiotic Foods
Prebiotics are foods that feed good bacteria in our stomach and helps in the growth of healthy bacteria like Bifidobacterium. Some of the studies have shown that red wine and Cocoa increases the amount of Bifidobacterium and are also beneficial to our overall health. Thus, eating pre-biotic foods after antibiotic course can help to restore the healthy gut bacteria.
Probiotics during and after treatment
Antibiotics can be useful as well as harmful for our body as it changes the gut microbiota and leads to diarrhea, especially in children.
A number of studies have shown that taking probiotics during antibiotics reduces the risk of diarrhea by more than 50%.
Probiotics are healthy bacteria so they can be killed by antibiotics if taken together. So, probiotics and antibiotics should be taken few hours apart.
One of the study have shown that probiotics helps to restore the microbiota to its original state.
Probiotics can be taken after antibiotics, but it is better to take one probiotics that contains the mixture of different species rather than one.
Discard food that reduces the effect of antibiotics
Many foods are beneficial during and after antibiotics but there are certain foods which should be avoided as well.
Studies have shown that grapefruit and grapefruit juice are harmful while taking antibiotics. One study in six healthy men showed that men consuming antibiotics with grapefruit juice were subjected to increase in the amount of the antibiotic in the blood compared to those who took it with water.
Also, food containing high amount of calcium should be avoided while taking antibiotics as they reduce the absorption of various antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin and gatifloxacin.
For Conclusion,
Antibiotics are needed to fight against bacterial infection. However, they can have some side effects such as diarrhea, liver disease and changes to gut microbiota. So, proper food plan should be followed to avoid these side effects. Fermented foods, high fiber foods, prebiotics foods can help to restore the gut microbiota to its original state. Similarly, taking probiotics during and after antibiotics can reduce diarrhea and help to reestablish healthy gut microbiota. However, some foods like grapefruit and high amount of calcium food should be avoided during antibiotics.