Table 4.

Quotes relating to preferences for food and eating habits among study participants: adult people living with HIV, rural Chilomoni, Blantyre district, Malawi (n 24)

Breakfast

4.1.‘Our food is natural. I boil water to make some tea, sometimes coffee and drink it with sweet potatoes, cassava or potatoes.’

4.2.‘I make some coffee to eat with nsima, sometimes I eat porridge instead.’

Lunch

4.3.‘I eat 1 piece of nsima * with pumpkin leaves and sometimes I put groundnuts on my nsima. I can also eat beans as relish.’

4.4.‘My sister boils mustard leaves, sometimes she mixes them with amaranths leaves, or blackjack leaves. We cook them with onions and tomatoes and we serve this as relish with 2 pieces of nsima.’

4.5.‘I like to eat natural foods. I just add a little bit of salt. I don’t like the flavour of food with condiments. When flavours are to strong I feel like puking.’

4.6.‘I don’t like fried foods. They are too greasy. It makes me nauseous.’

4.7.‘Oil is very expensive. Sometimes I buy a small bag in the kiosk.’

Dinner

4.8.‘When available, we eat leftovers of lunch. Otherwise, just a coffee or tea with some bread, cassava, or a sweet potato.’

Snack†

4.9.‘I tried to eat oranges. They have vitamin C that helps to fight the virus.’

4.10.‘The HSAs [health surveillance assistants] recommend oranges for the vitamin C.’

4.11.‘I like to eat papaya. It refreshes my mouth and has the vitamins.’

4.12.‘Sometimes I drink malambe juice. It is sour and helps to cure the colds.’

4.13.‘I tried to eat mbwemba [tamarind] for the sores. That is cheap and helps to keep my mouth dry.’

^*1 cup.

^†Occasional consumption of fruits as snacks was indicated for nine of the twenty-four participants living with HIV.