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CANCER
Eating Well
A healthy diet is vital for a person's body to function at its best. This is even more important for people with cancer. With a healthy diet, you'll go into treatment with reserves to help keep up your strength, prevent body tissue from breaking down, rebuild tissue, and maintain your defenses against infection. People who eat well are better able to cope with side effects of treatment. And you may even be able to handle higher doses of certain drugs. In fact, some cancer treatments are more effective in people who are well-nourished and are getting enough calories and protein.
Don't be afraid to try new foods. Some things you may never have liked before may taste good to you during treatment.
Choose a diet with many types of plant-based food. Try substituting dried beans and peas for meat at some meals each week.
Try to eat at least 5 colorful servings a day of fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits and dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables. Colorful vegetables and fruits and plant-based foods contain natural health-promoting substances called phytochemicals.
Limit high-fat foods, particularly those from animal sources. Choose lower-fat milk and dairy products. Reduce the amount of fat in your meals by choosing a lower-fat cooking method such as baking or broiling.
Limit the amount of salt-cured, smoked, and pickled foods that you eat.
Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.
Try to maintain a healthy weight and be physically active.
If you are not able to eat any of the above during this time, do not worry about it.
Plan Ahead
* Stock the pantry and freezer with your favorite foods so you won't need to shop as often. Include foods you know you can eat even when you are sick.
* Cook in advance and freeze foods in meal-sized portions.
* Talk to your friends or family members about how they can help with shopping and cooking, or ask a friend or family member to take over those jobs for you.
* You can also talk to your doctor, nurse, or a registered dietitian about any concerns you have about eating well. She or he can help you plan meals and develop a grocery list in case you have side effects such as constipation or nausea.
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