Weight-Loss nutrition and your immune system

[snow2]

I have a friend who has had mono for the last six months. It is not as bad as it used to be, but she still is weak and tired a lot. I keep thinking a big reason why she hasn't gotten better is because she barely eats anything. She is already thin, but just doesn't eat hardly at all because she is too lazy to cook, doesn't care, etc. She is getting less than 1000 calories a day, and probably averages only 1 meal a day, and doesn't get much nutrition. She also skips meals because she isn't hungry, but I know that is just because her body is so used to not eating. I am trying to convince her that if she starts eating it would have positive effects on her health. I also told her how many calories she should be eating, according to a calculator where I input her weight. She should be eating 1700 cals a day.

Does anybody have any comments about this? I don't know the science behind it, but it seems to me that being in starvation mode and not getting nutrients would cripple any immune system.

 

[maleficent]

years ago... I had gone on the susan powter stop the insanity diet..this was a no fat low protein diet.. lots and lots of carbs.. I lost quite a bitof weight in a short period of time.. one side effect was my hair fell out... and my skin looked like crap.. the other side effect was that I got incredibly sick.. I had pnemonia that I couldn't shake (and of course never stopped workig because i refused to admit i was sick-- until the night i passed out cold on the nyc subway in harlem...) Iknow what i wasnt eating had everything to do with it...

 

[SarahPT]

I think you're right. Our bodies function best when we properly fuel them with the nutrients, vitamins and minerals they need from natural sources. I do think that your friend may find she would feel better if she ate more and better food choices.

It's interesting that you post this. When I was younger I always ate a lot, but I made horrible food choices. I was sick with mono for months. I know now that if I would have eaten whole grains, fruits and veggies, etc I would not have been so sick.

Sarah