Nutritional recommendations for cancer patients
Recommendations about food and eating for cancer patients can be very different from the usual suggestions for healthy eating. This can be confusing for many patients because these new suggestions may seem to be the opposite of what you've always heard.
Healthy Eating recommendations usually stress eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads and cereals; including a moderate amount of meat and dairy products; and cutting back on fat, sugar, alcohol, and salt.
Nutritional recommendations for cancer patients are different because they are designed to help build up your strength and help you withstand the effects of your cancer and its treatment. When you are healthy, eating enough food to get the nutrients you need is usually not a problem. During cancer treatment, however, this can become a challenge, especially if you have side effects or simply don't feel well.
Nutrition recommendations for cancer patients may focus on eating little and often and helping you eat more higher calorie foods that are rich in protein.
Recommendations might include:
- eating or drinking more milk, cream, cheese, and cooked eggs,
- increasing your use of sauces and gravies,
- changing your cooking methods to include more butter, margarine, or oil,
-
use sugar and sweet foods for energy.
Sometimes, nutritional recommendations for cancer patients suggest that you eat less of certain high fibre foods because these foods can aggravate problems such as diarrhoea. If a sore mouth is a problem for you, you may also have difficulties with high fibre foods because of their rough texture. Talk this over with you healthcare professional as rather than avoiding all high fibre foods, you may find you are able to leave out those that are making your symptoms worse.
Source: National Cancer Institute
