10 Best Food & Diet Meal Plan for Ibuprofen Use

It has been a widely-held and longstanding belief that taking medications with food is a healthy practice that could otherwise cause certain conditions to arise because of the consumption of a substance aimed at treating a medical condition. Of these medications, painkillers like Ibuprofen make for a common case as many people suffer from a form of pain. Years of study have established that prolonged consumption of painkillers, particularly Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID), can cause patients to suffer from digestive system-related maladies because of the damaging effect of the drug, in addition to other factors. Commonly, this comes in the form of either gastric ulcerations or gastric bleeding.

Food & Nutrition Diet (Meal Plan)

#1 Recommended Breakfast Diet

A pain reliever like Ibuprofen works best in an acidic environment. This meant that its effect on pain relief is at its peak following a fast. Recent discoveries had shed light that consuming the drug is okay on an empty stomach, which means that a glassful of water alone will suffice. However, safety in consumption under an empty stomach does not necessarily rule out the harm that comes with taking the drug. In such cases, medical experts encourage patients to pair their drug intake with food.

Food, in this case, however, can be a vague term that could mean anything from dairy, meat, veggies, or fruits. Each food is unique, not only in the consistency of its nutrients but also in how they interact with other substances. Take, for example, grapefruit, which is known to greatly enhance the efficacy of painkillers—sometimes, to a point of an overdose.

While a fruit like a grapefruit can easily make anyone’s dining table for breakfast, those who take Ibuprofen would do themselves service by refraining from it. Instead, they would want to opt for something neutral like bread and peanut butter. Being neutral foods, these grubs do great in protecting the stomach lining as well as facilitating good digestion.

#2 Recommended Lunch Diet

Whatever you had eaten for your morning meals, will all be fully digested by the time supper comes over. Whether you had been eating a snack in between meals, you would never want to skip your noon meal if you are taking Ibuprofen. Like previously, you would want lunch to comprise neutral foods to facilitate not only the good absorption of the drug but also good digestion. In this case, you would want something like rice. Other foods to consider would include dairy, like raw cow’s milk and unsalted, fresh butter.

#3 Recommended Dinner Diet

Dinner is the last meal of the day. This means that out of all the meals in the day, it poses the least significance, though not something to be skipped. Remember, it takes a level of satiety for a person to get good sleep. But while dinner is not a time anyone would wish to feast, a sufficient night meal could mean a good night’s rest for the patient. With that said, you would want to go for yet another neutral food (any from the aforementioned, but only an ample amount). Possibly, a pair of a glass of raw cow’s milk as well as a few slices of bread.

#4 Recommended Snacks Diet

Sticking to a neutral diet can be limiting. But while the issue of fluctuating glucose can be a concern, this can always be addressed by eating the right snacks between meals. If your time for taking medication drops to any of these periods, the type of snack you consume will matter more than when it is not. Recall that it takes an hour after consuming food to consider the act of ingesting medicine as one with food. If this is the case, you will want something like crackers for snacks.

#5 Recommended Drinks

Water alone will suffice as an accompanying drink for many medications, including Ibuprofen. But if there is a drink you would be forbidden to consume with your medication, it would either be alcohol or drinks based on fruit like grapefruit.

#6 Recommended Herbs

There is no herb recommended in addition to the intake of a pain reliever like Ibuprofen. The drug alone will suffice in doing its job for the patient. Conversely, refrain from using marijuana when taking the drug as doing so will increase the chances of gastric bleeding. The same is true with garlic.

#7 Recommended Fruits

There is no fruit recommended for consumption with Ibuprofen. But to reiterate, stay away from fruits like grapefruit to avoid interaction.

#8 Recommended Vitamin/s

There is no vitamin recommended for consumption with Ibuprofen.

#9 Recommended Mineral/s

There is no mineral recommended for consumption with Ibuprofen.

#10 Discouraged Foods

Avoid foods like garlic to offset the possibility of gastric bleeding as well as fruits such as grapefruit to prevent boosting the efficacy of Ibuprofen.

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