September 2010
| How honey can conquer the kissing disease |
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By JANE CLARKE, Daily Mail, 2nd October 2007
Every Tuesday, Britain's leading nutritionist explains how to eat your way to health. This week, Jane tackles glandular fever. My granddaughter is 25, and in March this year was diagnosed with glandular fever. She has been in a sorry state since then - she has lost her usual sparkle, has headaches, joint aches and feels generally listless and low. It is so upsetting to see her like this. Can you help? Margaret Neale, by e-mail. Glandular fever can be a drawn-out and exhausting illness. The infection is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and is transferred from one person to another through saliva. This is why kissing is one of the commonest ways of catching the disease, although it can also be passed via coughs and sneezes. It's most prevalent in younger people, aged ten to 35. A little kiss can lead to years of fatigue and aching joints if you lock lips with someone who has glandular fever. It can affect people in numerous ways, from aching joints to depression and extreme exhaustion. Symptoms are also erratic in their strength - one day the patient might just feel a little tired, the next they have to take to their bed. Usually the symptoms clear up in two to four weeks, although it can take months or even years before they feel properly well again. First you need to encourage your granddaughter to establish a daily routine. With glandular fever, it can be so easy to fall into the classic fatigue lifestyle of cat-napping, resting and grazing (not eating proper meals); the nights are then not restful and the following day the body feels even worse. Your granddaughter needs a structure of activities, with a set time for getting up, and a time to go for a walk or go into work for a few hours (it's important for her to get out of the house). Building in some structure to the day - even if it's just a time to rest, a time to read and a pattern of eating regular meals - is vital. In terms of nutrition, I'd suggest a small breakfast, lunch and supper, with perhaps some fresh fruit as a snack in between. Snacking throughout the day and not having nourishing balanced meals means she may miss out on immune system-boosting fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins such as fish and chicken, all important to help her recover from her illness. Snacking on biscuits, cakes and chocolate can result in the weight piling on, especially as someone with glandular fever is unlikely to be burning up many calories through exercise because they are so exhausted. Encourage your granddaughter to keep a food diary so that she sees what she's eating to prevent this happening. She should start the day with porridge, or a wholegrain cereal such as Weetabix, Shredded Wheat or unsweetened muesli. Add some fresh fruit such as a banana, grated apple or some defrosted raspberries or blueberries. (Frozen produce can be cheaper than fresh, and can also be bought in bulk on days when she has more energy to shop.) Another breakfast suggestion is wholegrain toast with a little butter and a pure fruit spread (from health food stores and some supermarkets, or websites such as www.goodness-direct.com). No-added-sugar peanut butter is another good spread to have in the morning because it contains protein and zinc, which is good for the immune system. Other zinc sources include lean red meat, chicken, shellfish and pulses. At lunchtime and in the evening your granddaughter should base her meals around the classic healthy balanced diet: lean protein - say chicken, ham, lean red meat, or fish - alongside a rich-in-fibre wholegrain roll, pasta or rice. Combine it with some salad or vegetables, followed by fresh fruit. While it's generally good for everyone to eat plenty of fibre, it's particularly important when we're feeling low - we need foods that will keep us full for a long time so that we feel as satisfied and energised as possible. The best foods for this tend to be the fibre-containing ones as opposed to white refined carbohydrates such as white rice and bread. Sometimes when we're feeling low, energy and mood-wise, we can feel in need of a comfort snack. But while this might give us a sugar 'high' soon after the snack, this can be followed by a sugar 'low'. Many of my patients feel much better sticking to a low/medium glycaemic index type of eating pattern (that is, eating foods that release their energy slowly) rather than one that is full of high GI, sugary, quick-fix foods. Be aware that honey has just as much of an effect on blood sugar levels as sugar, although I would make an exception in the case of Manuka honey from New Zealand, which has been shown to have strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Even taking the lowest strength of Manuka honey (basic factor ten or 15), a teaspoon twice a day, may help your granddaughter's immune system to get over the virus more effectively. Finally, she needs to make sure she's drinking enough fluid. Dehydration can exacerbate the symptoms of glandular fever. Encourage her to have a good 2.5 litres of water a day, with just the occasional cup (two to three a day maximum) of tea or weak coffee. She could also have water, hot or cold, with some lemon in it. |