A medication that causes extreme photosensitivity was recently prescribed for a client. In providing discharge instructions, the nurse should teach this client to increase intake of which foods?

Medications that cause photosensitivity increase the skin's vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation, which can accelerate the breakdown of folate (vitamin B9) in the body. Folate is rapidly degraded by UV light exposure. Therefore, clients taking photosensitizing medications should increase their intake of folate-rich foods to compensate for these losses. Nuts and whole grains are excellent dietary sources of folate as well as other B vitamins. Folate is also found in leafy green vegetables, legumes, and fortified foods. Shellfish and beans are good sources of zinc and iron respectively, but are not specifically indicated to counteract folate depletion from photosensitivity. Fortified dairy products are primarily associated with calcium and vitamin D; while UV-light avoidance may affect vitamin D synthesis, the primary nutritional concern with photosensitizing drugs is folate depletion. Eggs and red meats are good sources of protein, B12, and iron but are not the primary foods recommended to offset folate losses associated with photosensitivity. Increasing nuts and whole grains most directly addresses the specific nutritional risk created by photosensitizing medication use, making this the best answer.