Cancer and Nutrition

Home » Cancer and Nutrition » Nutrition for Adults

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Cancer
(Free Handout)

Nutrition for Adults

Nutritional needs may vary during cancer treatment. Diet not only affects physical health, but also the ability to handle emotional stress. Eating right can help patients cope with the physical and emotional challenges of a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

For patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, good nutrition is important for many reasons. Eating well can help patients:

• Avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies
  
• Better tolerate side effects of treatment
  
• Feel better
  
• Heal and rebuild tissue
  
• Keep a healthy weight
  
• Lower the risk for infection
  
• Maintain strength and energy
  
• Recover as quickly as possible
  

Before treatment, patients should focus on taking care of themselves and make sure to eat a healthy diet. Follow the general guidelines for good Nutrition. To prepare for possible changes in nutritional needs:

• Ask a health care provider or a registered dietician about what to eat during treatment.
  
• Choose foods that need little preparation. Foods such as pudding (milk- or soy-based), peanut butter, and eggs are easy to have on hand and prepare. They also contain protein, vitamins, and minerals.
  
• Prepare well-liked foods in advance and freeze them in meal-sized portions for quick, ready-made meals.
  
• Keep foods on hand that are appealing.
  

Avoid high-risk foods, such as under- and uncooked meats or fish. Limit alcohol to 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. Talk to a health care provider about how alcohol may affect treatment.

Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish due to potentially high levels of mercury. Talk with a health care provider about the safety of fish and seafood during cancer treatment.

Information and advertising about vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements that may help during cancer treatment can be overwhelming. Large doses of some vitamins and minerals may interfere with treatment and most herbal supplements have not been tested for safety or effectiveness when used by people undergoing standard cancer treatments. Always talk with a qualified health care provider before taking any vitamin, mineral, or herbal supplement.

During treatment, diet should help patients build strength and maintain a healthy weight to withstand possible side effects. Treatment plans vary, and patients should follow the advice of a health care provider about what to eat and what to avoid. Some patients are referred to a dietician. It often is helpful to write down any questions ahead of time and ask for clarification about anything that isn't made clear.

Diet recommendations during cancer treatment may be very different from a normal diet. To maintain a healthy weight, patients may be advised to add extra calories (e.g., from butter, cream, and salad dressings). Patients may be encouraged to drink milk shakes or liquid meal replacements, or to eat pudding, ice cream, or nutrition bars to help supply necessary calories.

Because some healthy cells may also get damaged during cancer treatment, the body may need extra protein to help rebuild itself. Good sources of protein are meats, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, beans, and nuts. The following suggestions can help add protein to the diet:

• Sprinkle sunflower seeds or nuts on fruit, ice cream, or pudding.
  
• Add peas, beans, or chickpeas to soups and salads.
  
• Eat milk-based soups and add cream sauces to vegetables.
  
• Add chopped, hard-boiled egg to soups and salads.
  
• Add peanut butter to fruit or blend it into a milk or yogurt shake.
  

© 1998-2008 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Cancer and Nutrition Resources

	Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Cancer The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to make decisions about your cancer treatment. Print this free handout to take with you on your next office visit.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Join Our Cancer and Nutrition Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted. In honor of National Cancer Survivors Day on June 1, 2008, we asked you to share your stories about surviving cancer. Read the inspiring stories we received or share your survival story and help others in the fight against cancer.
To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer