Diet Tips For Chemotherapy: What To Eat During Cancer Treatment



Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs to combat the disease. It is a long and tedious process and often takes a toll on the patient’s health if proper precautions and a nutritious diet plan is not maintained. The food intake has a major role in helping you achieve the desired goal. Everyone’s experience and journey during chemotherapy are unique, so a variety of diet tips are provided which are vouched by the best cancer hospital in Bangalore.

Coping with the side-effects-



● Keep your food tasty- Chemotherapy may result in tasteless taste buds, where water and meat have been reported most distasteful. In case you find it difficult to drink plain water, try replacing it with flavored mineral water or adding lemon slices. You may consider switching to alternative sources of protein like eggs, low-fat dairy etc.

● Stay hydrated- While some people suffer from diarrhea during chemo, others deal with constipation. A fiber-rich diet keeps the body hydrated and prevents such extreme conditions.

● Prevent weight gain- One must stick to low-fat meals, snacks, and vegetables to manage weight gain, quite common during chemotherapy sessions.

● Improve appetite- Try including easy-to-digest carbohydrates like toast with different types of nut butter, hot cereals, yogurt, blended soups, or pita bread with hummus.

● Maintain a food and symptom diary- Recording what you eat and drink, and symptoms experienced on a daily basis may ease the process of identifying problem areas and food items.

Staying comfortable-



● Relieve mouth sores- Chemotherapy may lead to mouth sores or oral mucositis. One must avoid high temperature and spicy foods and alcohol and must rinse the mouth with salt water after meals to relieve mouth sores.

● Eat mini-meals- Having smaller-sized frequent meals are more effective and tolerable than larger, less frequent meals.

● Control nausea- Cool foods, crystallized ginger, peppermint or ginger tea can help discourage nausea.

● Consult a dietitian- Dietitians or food and nutrition experts are major support systems in the cancer treatment in Bangalore scene.



Staying healthy during chemotherapy-



● Avoid alcohol- The liver is the most vulnerable and must be duly protected as it helps in metabolizing all the toxins in the blood. Alcohol may have an adverse effect on the functioning of the liver and make it stressful to process anti-cancer drugs. Alcohol may also lead to nausea and other gastrointestinal side-effects.

● Avoid supplements- Top dieticians in the business stand against consuming dietary supplements like vitamins, minerals and herbals during chemotherapy. Possible drug-nutrient interactions suppress the normal flow of effect during chemotherapy.

● Limit green tea intake- Green and white tea contain antioxidant phytochemicals which may interfere with the effectiveness of chemo. Thus, doctors and physicists advise patients to limit green tea intake.

● Soy-based foods- One must consult his oncologist before eating soy-based foods regarding the specific type of cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy generally entails huge suffering on the patient’s end and is often dreaded for the same. However, eating right and following the above general protocols of diet will help a person undergoing chemotherapy to battle the cumbersome process without additional burden on one’s health.