Dietitians explain the importance of eating the right food when recovering from COVID
As more patients continue to recover from Coronavirus in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, the on-going care, support and advice they receive once they leave our hospitals becomes more important.
The Nutrition Support Team at UHDB has stressed that the correct nutrition and eating well is a vital part in ensuring that patients continue to recover well from COVID-19 at home.
Rhiannon Robinson, Specialist Dietitian based at Royal Derby Hospital, said that in some cases, patients have to eat like they are “training for a marathon they didn’t know they were going to run” after the arduous battle to beat the virus:
“The amount of nutrition needed when recovering from being very unwell with COVID-19 is like eating to support a big physical challenge – like a marathon. It’s not just this way for the really poorly patients who have been in intensive care, the virus can make people feel very weak and there is a real risk of patients becoming malnourished.
“Our team has been working in the Intensive Care Units during the pandemic to think about the nutritional needs of patients as they are often intubated for at least three weeks and fed through a tube for this time.”
Patients who have been in intensive care can be in “a bad place” nutritionally and often need to learn how to swallow food again when they are transferred to a ward, which is an after-effect of being intubated.
Rhiannon explained: “Patients often have to have a pureed diet when they first start eating again, which isn’t the nicest so it is really tough for them. They may also be struggling with a loss of taste or smell.
“There’s also a risk of patients developing post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving Intensive Care; perhaps once they have gone home, and this can have a huge impact on their appetite. Their minds can become occupied with other worries and food becomes an after-thought, so we need to recognise this and provide support for our patients.”
As a result of the effects of COVID-19 is having on patients, the team has adapted their work in order to provide comprehensive support to patients and also the staff treating them, as research has shown that nutritional support in patients with other respiratory conditions significantly improves how patients can function and their nutritional state during their recovery.
Rhiannon said: “It’s vital that colleagues realise how important nutrition is, too. The recovery from COVID-19 doesn’t stop when patients leave hospital. They have a lot of rehab ahead of them, so they need to be fuelling their bodies properly otherwise there’s a real risk of there being a cohort of patients who are malnourished which presents other health complications.”
As a result, the team has pulled together some simple guidance for all colleagues to follow that will allow them to better inform their patients.
Rhiannon said: “The key message to anyone who is recovering from Coronavirus is to eat a good variety of foods, which may be easier to do by eating smaller portions more often. We’re finding a lot of patients have a reduced sense of taste and smell, so we’d encourage patients to try stronger flavours and they may find cold foods more acceptable to begin with.
“Those who have been in hospital need to make sure they are eating food high in energy and protein, avoiding low fat and low sugar options in the short term to help regain some of the weight and strength they may have lost. It may be beneficial to have nourishing drinks between meals and softer, moist foods may also be easier to manage. Supplements of vitamins and minerals can also help in the short term if patients are struggling to eat enough fruit and veg.”
More information about the role of nutrition in recovering from COVID-19 can be found on malnutritionpathway.co.uk and the British Dietetic Association.
Caption: Rhiannon Robinson (centre) with Poly Raskopoulou and Claire Bordoli, General Dietitians