Diet and nutrition are important at every step
Whether or not you have cancer, eating right can help.
Eating right means getting enough key nutrients into your body—nutrients such as
protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals.
Staying active and eating better may help in reducing your risks for certain types of cancer. And patients with cancer can reduce their risk of getting other cancers
by eating well—before, during, and after treatments.
Why is it important to eat right during cancer treatment?
When you’re eating a healthy diet, you can go into treatment with the energy to
keep up your strength, prevent your body’s tissues from breaking down, build up
new tissues as needed, and keep up your defenses against infection.
Your body will have more energy both to fight cancer and to cope with any side effects
of cancer treatment. In fact, if your body is well nourished, you may be able to
handle higher doses of certain therapies.
As you finish treatment, the right diet may also help you retain weight and recover
more quickly.
Everyone’s needs during treatment are different.
The nutritional needs of people being treated for cancer vary.1 Your doctors, nurses,
and other health experts can help you figure out what your nutrition goals should
be, and how you can meet them. Talk to them about what diet may work for you.
While you’re working out your nutrition plan, here are some general tips that you
can start to follow:
- Don’t wait until you’re hungry: Eat every few hours.
- Try something new: You never know—foods you never liked before
may taste good to you now because chemo has affected your taste
- Get milk: Use dairy products as a source of protein and calories
- Low on energy? Drink up: Drink high-calorie beverages such as milk
and nutritional drinks instead of tea or coffee
- Eat lots of plants: Try eating beans and peas instead of meats
- Eat with an eye to color: Colorful fruits and vegetables such as
citrus fruits, and dark green and deep yellow vegetables are rich in nutrients
- Foods to avoid with cancer—avoid what’s bad for your body.
This means high-fat foods, foods high in salt, and foods that have been smoked or
pickled
- If you're having trouble eating—snack up: Eat small, nutritious
snacks throughout the day. Good high-protein foods include milk products, eggs,
beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds
- If you can eat normally-avoid snacks: Eat healthful meals instead
- Avoid snacks that could possibly worsen side effects from cancer treatment:
For example, if you sometimes have diarrhea due to treatment, you might want
to avoid such foods as popcorn or raw fruits and vegetables. If your throat is sore,
stay away from dry, coarse, or acidic foods
- Limit alcohol: Cancer and alcohol don’t mix. If you choose to drink,
do so moderately
- Cancer and exercise-work out if you can: Try to maintain a healthy
weight and be physically active
- Relax: Even if you are not able to do any of the above during this
time, don’t worry about it right now
Keep in mind that some people who undergo cancer treatment for cancer have few or
no side effects that affect how they eat. There are also drugs available to help
control some side effects. Either way, many side effects go away after treatment.
Enjoy a variety of healthy recipes
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