Eating With Cancer

A nutrition guide for those dealing with the trials and tribulations of cancer.

Cancer changes everything. It changes how you view the world, how your hair grows, and how you relate to people. It also changes your dietary needs.

If you or someone you love is battling cancer, maintaining a healthy diet is vital for making it through treatment and coming out ready for life. How should you eat if you find yourself going through cancer treatment?

Before Treatment

When you learn you're going to require some sort of treatment for cancer, you'll need to examine your daily eating habits. Drop any foods that don't build up your body's strength and immune system and go heavy on the fruits and vegetables. While you may be used to eating low-calorie meals, that will need to change before beginning cancer treatment. Go with healthy, high-calorie foods and fill up on protein-heavy items as well.

Regardless of what treatment you receive, your body will go through some sort of trauma. Building it up to be as strong as possible prior to treatment will help your body recover once treatment begins. You should also talk with your physician to determine if you currently have any nutritional deficiencies. Correcting these before beginning treatment will help your body stay as strong as possible in the coming weeks and months.

During Treatment

There are a few concerns when going through cancer treatment. One is infection, which can affect patients through tainted meats or germy foods that are not cooked properly. Another is a loss of appetite that prevents you from getting the nutrients your body needs. For times when you lose your desire to eat a certain food, try going for another food that offers the same benefits (swap peanut butter for meat, etc). If that doesn't work, you may need to have nutrients injected into your body intravenously or with other techniques. It may be inconvenient, but it is a much better option than not getting the vitamins and minerals your body requires to recover from surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.

You should also talk with your doctor if you're considering dietary supplements during treatment, especially those rich with antioxidants. Though antioxidants are usually smiled upon, many oncologists prefer patients avoid them during treatment, as they can reduce the effectiveness of radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

After Treatment

For the most part, you can expect the side effects of cancer treatment to wear off after treatment is completed. However, in the event you continue to suffer from a poor appetite, dry mouth, or other side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, you'll need to work extra hard to rebuild your body's strength. Being diligent and staying in close contact with your physician about your eating habits will help you regain a healthy appetite and diet.

If you regain your appetite after cancer treatment, be sure to get plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole-wheat foods in your diet, and try adding as many anti-oxidant-rich foods to your diet as possible. As cancer treatment can change how foods taste to you, you may also want to begin experimenting with foods you didn't like before. Pick up a piece of fruit or a vegetable you didn't like before and give it a try. It may just be your new favorite food!

Fixing the Flavor

When you're undergoing cancer treatment, some of your favorite dishes may taste horrible to you and something with a sprinkle of salt will taste like a bucket of salt. If this happens to you, try these tips to improve the flavor of foods and increase your desire to eat them.

• Use a little bit of sugar to cut down the excess salt flavor you may find in some foods.
• Instead of eating meat plain (like in a hamburger or steak), mix it up in spaghetti sauce, casseroles, or soup to make the meat taste a little better.
• Add colorful touches, such as a lemon wedge or orange slice, to enhance the flavors of your foods.
• Ask your physician about mouth rinses or medications that can help reduce bad tastes in your mouth and make eating more enjoyable.