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1 year ago

Dear Aravind Gopalakrishna Hegde, Thank you for the question

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the axial spine. Chronic back pain and progressive spinal stiffness are the most common features of this disease. Involvement of the spine, sacroiliac joints, peripheral joints, digits, and entheses are characteristic. Therefore, it is important to take care of calcium and vitamin D requirements for bone health, maintain bone mineral density and prevent the risks of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, etc.

Some of the calcium sources include milk, cheese, paneer, Ragi, curd, yogurt.

Recommended daily allowance for Calcium is 1000mg per day for men.

Sunlight is the one of best sources of vitamin D, exposing yourself to the sun or sunbathing for 10-15 minutes can help maintain bone health and vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium in the bones. Other sources of Vitamin D include eggs, fatty fish, fortified cereals etc.

Recommended daily allowance for Vitamin D is 15mcg per day for men.

For further assistance and management please contact a specialized health care professional such as an orthopaedic.

For general wellbeing, you can begin by consuming a balanced diet which provides all the nutrients in required amounts and proper proportions. It can easily be achieved through a blend of the four basic food groups. The quantities of foods needed to meet the nutrient requirements vary with age, gender, physiological status and physical activity. A balanced diet should provide around 50-60% of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably from complex carbohydrates, about 10-15% from proteins and 20-30% from both visible and invisible fat.

As a general dietary guideline, for an apparently healthy individual/ with no specific health or nutrition needs and/or metabolic condition it is recommended to consume 2000kcal/d and the RDA for protein requirement is 54g/d for men.

Here are few guidelines for healthy balanced diet that can be considered:

• Have a Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning.
• Try to incorporate the My plate Concept by dividing your plate into 4 quadrants, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, the other two quadrants with cereals and protein. A small quantity of dairy intake is recommended.
• Some of the good sources of protein include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, eggs, lean meat, nuts & seeds, etc.  
• Begin your day with a well-balanced breakfast as it is an important meal of the day.
• Avoid skipping meals. Also, try to avoid fasting and feasting too often.
• Consume small frequent meals, with healthy snacking options.
• Consume minimum 5 servings of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit as they are rich in Fiber, essential minerals & Vitamins as well as they give you a feeling of satiety.
• Try to consume more of Whole grains, Millets and Multigrain foods as they are a good source of fiber.
• Limit intake of deep-fried foods. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
• Have your last meal at least 2-3 hours before sleep time.
• Drink adequate amount of water (minimum 8 glasses) of water daily to keep yourself well hydrated
• Engage in at least 30-45 minutes brisk walk/physical activity of moderate intensity at least 5 days a week.
• Try and follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and Quality.

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions, please contact your Health care professional.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead

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