Cancer patients may find it hard to eat enough to stay healthy. Because of your medicine, you may not want to eat, may not be hungry as much, or may taste different. The medicine may also be making you sick or giving you vomiting.
People who don’t eat enough can become weaker and more likely to get sick, among other things. In the long run, cancer treatments could cease to be able to go on or may have to stop. It’s crucial to eat well while getting treatment for cancer so that the body stays in good shape.
People who know what to eat will be able to handle being sick better. You can lessen the side effects of cancer treatment by eating the right amount of calories and foods. While you are getting care, eating well will help your body heal faster.
Foods To Include In Cancer Diet
What you eat will depend on the type of cancer you have and how healthy you are at the time of diagnosis. The main goal is to get enough calories and proteins healthily. There are times when you might only be able to drink clear liquids. In short, a liquid diet can help you deal with your symptoms and side effects, but it doesn’t give you enough food.
Cruciferous Vegetables
They can fight it off and get rid of it. Cancer cells can’t grow or spread because of the plant chemicals found in cruciferous vegetables. It can slow the growth of cells in tumors that are getting too big. There are bioactive chemicals in cruciferous vegetables that help get rid of enzymes that can lead to cancer.
Include cruciferous vegetables like:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Bok Choy
- Kale
- Cabbage
- Arugula
Protein
Eating a lot of protein did help me get stronger, fix broken cells, and have more energy after treatment. Before your treatment, slowly eat more protein so that you don’t lose muscle. A great many people who have cancer and the medicines used to treat it lose their strength. To get energy, try these places:
- Beans
- Chicken and other lean meat Cottage cheese
- Eggs
- Lentils
- Freshwater or fatty fish
- Yogurt
- Tofu
- Paneer
- Oats
- Berries
They have more antioxidants and anthocyanins than any other food. This kind of flavonoid is found in the berries’ skin, seeds, and leaves. Because they are antioxidants, they can help with signs of cancer.
Some berries, like blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and cranberries, may help keep you from getting cancer. Eat berries to lower your risk of getting cancer in a majority of your breast and GI tract, according to a study. There are also antioxidants in berries that may assist with prostate, liver, kidney, and lung cancer, though not as much.
Vitamin C
People know that vitamin C can help the body’s defenses. This is because the immune systems of people with cancer are often not strong. Foods that are high in vitamin C can help keep their health from getting worse.
- One raw red pepper of average size has 226 mg.
- One medium fresh raw pepper has 106 milligrams.
- One medium orange has 69 mg
- 86 mg for 1 cup of cubed papaya
- 58 mg for 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli
- 124 mg for 1 cup of orange juice to pulp
Garlic
If you eat a lot of Allium vegetables, like garlic, your risk of getting stomach cancer goes down. People with cancer can stay healthy by eating just two to five grams of fresh garlic every day, which is about one clove. Allium vegetables, like onions, leeks, and shallots, are also good for you in the same way.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
When omega-3 fatty acids are present, cancerous growths in the breast and prostate may move a little more slowly. Your body does not make omega-3 fatty acids, so you need to consume them or take pills that contain them. If you have cancer, though, you should stay away from omega-3 fatty acid pills.
Instead, here are some things that are high in omega-3 fatty acids and are good for you:
- Flaxseed oil and flour.
- Beans like kidney, Great Northern, and navy beans
- Walnuts
Aim to eat shrimp or cold-water fish three to four times a week.
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Herring
- Tuna
- Lake trout
- Halibut
Cancer’s Worst Food Groups
If you want to lose weight to fight cancer, don’t eat or drink anything that isn’t on the list. These everyday foods are bad for people with cancer.
Organized Meat
Putting salt, dry, smoke, or seasoning on meat that has already been cooked makes it stay fresh longer. Some of these are hot dogs, beef jerky, bacon, and cold foods. To keep prepared foods fresh, chemicals are used, which is not good for your health. A study found that eating a lot of processed meat makes you more likely to get cancers of the lungs, breast, stomach, and rectal area.
Nitrates and nitrites are used to keep meat fresh, but they can also cause cancer. People who already have cancer shouldn’t eat junk food or processed foods. There is a lot of salt in a lot of cured foods. You should cut back on salt while you are getting treatment for cancer so that you don’t hold on to water.
Charred Meat
When beef is cooked at high temperatures, it gives off chemicals known as heterocyclic aromatic amines as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. People already know that HCAs and PAHs can cause cancer. A study found that the HCAs and PAHs in red meat raise the risk of getting colon cancer.
When you desire to cook meat, use low or wet heat, like when you stew, bake, or braise it. When cooked this way, it’s not hot enough for the meat to burn. This will keep chemicals that could cause cancer from mixing.
Sugar-sweetened Beverages
You gain weight, and your blood sugar drops when you drink sweet drinks. You gain weight when you eat more calories than you burn. A lot of people with cancer shouldn’t lose weight or gain weight. It has been found that drinking sugary drinks can raise your risk of getting cancer.
You can take steps to lower your chance of getting cancer if you drink sports drinks. You could eat a lot of whole fruits instead of drinking soda. Your genes can’t be changed, but what you eat can. This can help keep you from getting cancer.
Conclusion
Before, during, and after cancer treatment, it’s important to eat well. If you eat healthy foods after therapy, like chemo, radiation, surgery, and more, your body will feel better. But people with cancer require different amounts of these things. A dietitian can help you make food plans and set nutrition goals that will help you achieve those goals.