We offer a nutrition and dietetic service at the Brunswick Centre for anyone living with HIV. Our registered dietitian has years of experience of working with adults, children and families living with HIV both in the UK and South Africa.
The service provides individual nutritional support to service users experiencing problems around eating or getting the right food for their health needs.
What Your Dietician Can Offer:
- Advice on eating a well-balanced diet to support you maintain a healthy weight, keep your immune system strong, meet all your vitamin and mineral needs and still enjoy eating;
- Support and advise you on eating well on alternative diets, including vegetarian, vegan and traditional African or South Asian diets;
- Information on eating well when you have a limited budget;
- Advice on storage and handling of food and water to prevent infections if your immune system is low;
- Dietary changes for medical problems, including heart health and raised blood fats, raised blood sugar, weight loss or gain, bowel problems (constipation, diarrhoea, IBS), food intolerances, bone health and vitamin D deficiency;
- Adherence support and managing the side effects of medication, including nausea and vomiting, taste changes, bowel problems, loss of appetite, fatigue and lipodystrophy; and
- Support for a healthy pregnancy and feeding your family.
When You See the Dietician?
The dietician will ask you several questions (including current food intake) in a relaxed manner to get a picture of your lifestyle and diet. This helps tailor advice to meet your needs. You may be weighed and the dietician may use a tape measure to measure your waist and arms. By having this information, the dietician can monitor your nutritional status over time.
If you think you would benefit from seeing the dietician, speak to a member of the HIV Support team at the Brunswick Centre about a referral. Appointments can also be arranged through the Huddersfield, Halifax or Dewsbury HIV clinics.
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