178 chapter 8: Sexual health
Foods with vitamin C include red and green peppers, dark leafy green vegetables
(such as kale, cassava or manioc leaves, collard, turnip, mustard greens, and
spinach), orange, yellow, and red fruits.
Foods with vitamin E include eggs, and oils made from almonds, corn, palm
nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and olives.
If you lose your appetite, you may find that eating a larger meal in the morning
works best for you. Or you may prefer to eat 6 to 8 small meals throughout the day.
Drinking cold liquids with meals can make food easier to swallow.
Living positively with HIV/AIDS
You will stay healthier if you can:
• drink and prepare food only in clean, safe water.
• avoid uncooked vegetables—they are hard for the body to
digest and may have germs.
• drink a lot of liquids and watch for dehydration.
• rest whenever you are tired and sleep at least 8 hours every day.
I have AIDS. But I
am able to get good
food, clean water, and
medicines. I am doing
very well and I am
able to keep doing my
job sorting mail at
the post office.
• spend time with friends and family.
• do things you enjoy. Feeling good is part of being healthy.
• try not to worry too much. Stress can harm the immune system.
• try to keep active by doing your daily work.
• exercise as much as possible (see pages 89 to 95).
• avoid tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
• prevent infection by washing often.
• practice safer sex to prevent new infections and unplanned
pregnancies that could weaken the immune system (see page 180).
• take care of medical problems early. Each infection can weaken your immune
system more.
• take cotrimoxazole to prevent diarrhea (see page 339).
• sleep under a bed net if you live where malaria is common.
Fight against the conditions that
lead to the spread of disease and
not against the people who are
infected. Discrimination is an
obstacle to care. It may stop people
from learning how to prevent the
spread of infection.
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007