Intro on how to eat during cancer treatment

May 25th, 2024 | Cancer

Keeping Healthy During Cancer Treatments

Cancer, as well as its treatment, can put quite a toll on your body. The most common symptoms of cancer are lack of appetite, fatigue, and weight loss. In addition, your immunity also decreases due to increased white blood cells. Therefore, infections can be a frequent issue.

For this purpose, you need to establish a proper cancer diet to nurse yourself back to health. However, eating difficulties are common, and not everyone can cope easily. The amount of eating also depends on the neoplasm type and the corresponding treatment. Nonetheless, the goal is the same for everyone – a proper and nutritious diet for your body to maintain strength throughout the period.

The importance of healthy eating

In general, the importance of a healthy diet is well-known. In addition to satisfying the feeling of hunger, nutrients are also introduced to help the body function properly. This is especially important when it comes to a cancer diet when the body is weakened.

However, some types of food that are considered unhealthy are actually good foods to eat during cancer treatment! This includes high-calorie and protein-rich foods to maintain body weight and prevent muscle loss. Also, cold cuisines like ice creams are great if you develop oral sores due to therapy.

When undergoing treatments, you need to do your best to improve your weakened immune system. Therefore, a balanced cancer diet with predominantly fresh products, physical activity, resting, and reducing stress in your life. This way, appetite increases, mental health improves, and stress decreases, resulting in better immunity.

Nutrition and fluids must not be ignored. There are days when you won’t be able to eat solid anti-cancer foods, so liquids can help you hydrate and get all the calories you need. Make an effort to take in the required amount of water and other fluids during the day. Moreover, if the weather is warm, if you are active, you are facing diarrhea or vomiting as a result of the treatment.

What if you have to avoid certain foods because of other conditions you have? A professional oncology dietitian can be of great help in this case. They will review your medical history and prepare a specific cancer diet plan for the period you are in.

Your appetite can be affected by your feelings

Coping with cancer is a difficult time that takes a toll on mental health. You can feel exhausted, depressed, anxious, sad, angry, and helpless. All these feelings can prevail during the cancer treatment, which affects your appetite. Some can reduce your appetite and make you not want to put a bite in your mouth, while with others, on the contrary, you find it comfortable to eat. However, strong support is essential when you are on difficult days and cannot prepare food. That way, you won’t have to think about cooking and grocery shopping; you’ll be able to relax and focus on feeling better.

We hope this article has helped with the question of what to eat during cancer treatments. Again, the importance of establishing a cancer diet is vital, so consult with your healthcare professionals to determine the best plan for you.

Nausea is one of the peskiest cancer symptoms that makes the condition twice as challenging – use our Quaeasy products as the best form of help! Also, if you want to learn more about how to keep your health in optimal condition during the treatment, read the rest of our blogs.