Nutrition & Diet for Cancer |
| A nutritious diet is essential for normal functioning of the human body.
For a cancer patient it is even more important to eat well. |
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Why Nutritious Diet for Cancer Patients |
Proper and adequate nourishment will help the body be strong
so that it can cope with the side effects, which may occur as the treatment
progresses.
Cancer weakens one’s immune system. A healthy diet enables the cancer
patient to strengthen the body’s defenses and fight back infections.
A healthy diet will also hasten healing of the body tissues that may be
damaged during the course of the disease and its treatment
A registered dietitian can be one of the best sources of information about
your diet. When contacting a NutritionVista dietitian, be sure to write
down any questions before your appointment so you don't forget anything,
and do ask the dietitian to repeat or explain anything that is not clear.
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Cancer Diet - Pre-Treatment |
You may need to change your diet to help build up your strength
and withstand the effects of your cancer and its treatment.
All cancer treatments kill cancer cells. But in the process quite a few
healthy cells also become damaged. The side effects are a result of the
negative impact on healthy cells and tissue. |
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| A pre treatment diet is critical to build up strength and
immunity and will: |
| 1. |
Improve current nutritional & health status. |
| 2. |
Educate the patient on what side effects to expect
and how to prepare for them. |
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Cancer Diet - During Treatment |
| Diet during cancer treatment is as important as before and
after the cancer treatment. This must be individualized to address personal
and cultural preferences and symptom-related needs of the individual patient.
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| This is what the NutritionVista dietitians excel at. They
can customize your meal plans to suit your personal preferences and dietary
requirements. |
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| Purpose of Nutritional Care During Cancer Treatment |
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To ensure, conserve or restore nutritional status |
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To minimize food related discomfort associated with
cancer and/or its treatment |
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To improve strength, well-being and quality of life |
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| Sometimes, depending on how your body reacts to the
treatment, the doctor may ask you to eat a clear liquid, soft or a regular
diet. The chart below gives examples of foods included in these diets. |
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| First Step - Clear liquids |
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Gelatin |
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Sports drinks |
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Juices/ coconut water |
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Clear citrus juices |
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Fruit ices |
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Popsicles |
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Strained lemonade |
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Clear, carbonated drinks |
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Weak tea |
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Clear, fat free broth |
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Bouillon |
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Water |
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Strained vegetable broth |
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| Second Step - Easy to Digest foods |
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Plain crackers |
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Instant hot cereal |
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Soft, angel food cake |
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All juices |
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Canned, peeled fruits and vegetables |
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Fish, skinless chicken |
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Strained blenderized, creamy soups |
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Milk, all types |
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White bread rolls |
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White rice, noodles, |
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Custard pudding |
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Plain milkshakes |
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Smooth icecream |
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Frozen yogurt |
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| Third Step - Regular diet |
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All foods you eat regularly, except those that cause
gas, constipation, diarrhea, etc. |
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Try to eat more frequent, but much smaller portions. |
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Eat when you are hungry, even if it is not your regular
mealtime. |
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Cancer Diet - Post Treatment |
Most side effects disappear shortly after cancer treatment.
The patient should gradually be able to resume a normal diet.
If all side effects subside and a healthy body weight is maintained, you
may start looking into adopting a healthy eating habit. Get on to foods
that will ensure you are not only getting a balanced diet but a diet that
is rich in nutrients, with adequate servings of fruits, vegetables, dairy
and healthy fats to provide the necessary vitamins and minerals. |
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| CAUTION: |
Many studies show benefits with higher intake of some antioxidants.
Despite this, most randomized controlled trials have not found antioxidant
supplementation to be effective.
NutritionVista recommends
that cancer patients focus primarily on a balanced diet of recommended servings
from each food group. We do not advocate cancer patients taking vitamin
and mineral supplements, as these can often trigger negative responses if
not taken appropriately. Often these very supplements are not approved
by the CDC or the NIH, and as such must be avoided. If and when
you need multi vitamins or minerals to address a specific condition, your
oncologist may or may not prescribe them on an as need basis ONLY. |
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| How do you achieve a balanced diet? |
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Choose a variety of foods from each food group. Try
to eat at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, including
citrus fruits and or juices and dark-green and yellow vegetables. |
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Eat plenty of high-fiber foods, such as whole grain
breads and cereals. |
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Avoid salt-cured, smoked, and pickled foods. |
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Decrease the amount of fat in your meals by baking
or broiling foods and not frying. |
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Choose low-fat milk and dairy products. |
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Avoid alcohol |
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If you've lost weight during cancer treatments and
need to gain weight, include calorie-dense foods or high energy and
high protein foods in the diet. Use the NV Nutritional Adequacy tool
to monitor what you are eating, and how to improve your food intake
for bettering your health. |
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| This is where the NutritionVista dietitians can assist
you, by working with your likes and dislikes, symptoms, physical needs,
cultural preferences and carefully addressing any restrictions you might
have and then personalizing menus that are best for you. |
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Cancer Diet - Treatment interactions |
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Therapeutic diets for co-existing
diseases such as diabetes or coronary artery disease often need to
be liberalized during cancer treatment in order to achieve adequate
energy and protein intakes. Talk to your oncologist and the NV dietitians,
so that the side effects of the treatment do not jeopardize your pre-existing
conditions |
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Drug-nutrient interactions: Cancer
patients may be treated with multiple drugs during the course of their
care. Some foods or nutrients or nutritional supplements do not mix
safely with certain drugs. As a result, the combination of these foods
and drugs may reduce or change the effectiveness of the therapy or
even cause life-threatening side effects. Discuss any pre-existing
conditions so your oncologist and dietitian can work with you to create
the most appropriate plan to cover all health issues. |
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| What kind of foods should I eat to maintain my health
and build immunity - |
| There is no single super food that contains all nutrients.
It is a good idea to eat a variety of foods to ensure you get adequate nutrition.
Every day include foods from all the food groups: |
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Grains: Include whole grains every day in your
diet. Grains provide you with carbohydrates, soluble fiber and B vitamins.
Carbohydrates give you the energy to carry on the daily tasks of living. |
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Meats/pulses: These foods will help you build and
repair body tissue and also help you to fight infections. Lentils,
legumes, eggs, poultry and fish give you protein. They also provide
the body with energy and a variety of minerals and vitamins. |
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Fruits and Vegetables: Raw, cooked or as juices
fruits and vegetables provide your body with vitamins, minerals and
phytochemicals that your body needs. |
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Dairy: Milk, yogurt and cheese give your body proteins
and carbohydrates. They are also the best sources of calcium in your
diet. |
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Improtant:
You may be asked to eat high calorie and high protein foods like meats,
puddings and milk shakes by your doctor/ dietitian. The single most
important thing for you to do is to EAT. There may be days when
your appetite is poor and many foods do not appeal to you. Try experimenting-
change the form of the food e.g. if fruits are difficult to eat, puree them
and add to yogurt; if the taste of milk is unappetizing, try eating cheese
or add milk to soups to disguise the taste. You may have to cut back on
intake of raw vegetables and whole grains if you have diarrhea. Include
cooked, bland and soft vegetables or even add simple carbohydrates like
rice and white flour (maida) to the cooked food during this time. In case
you are unable to tolerate many foods, ask your oncologist about food supplements
(such as Ensure or Resource) to meet the need for vitamins and minerals. |
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| Use the chart below to help you choose a good variety
of items from the different food groups |
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| Food
Group |
Suggested
Daily Servings |
Example
of a serving |
| Grains: Whole grain Breads/ Cereals/ Rice/
Chapattis |
6-11 servings from this group. |
1 slice of bread Or 1 chapatti (6”
dia) Or ½ cup cooked rice/ pasta Or 1 idli/dosa Or ½
Cup cooked cereal Or ¼ Cup muesli Or ½ - ¾
Cup of other ready-to-eat cereals Or One 1-oz. muffin |
| Meat/ legumes/ Pulses |
3 servings |
½ Cup cooked dal (thick) Or 1 Cup
cooked dal (thin) Or ¾ Cup cooked lentil Or 1 oz of cooked
meat/poultry/fish Or 1 hen’s egg Or 1 tbsp peanut butter
Or ¼ Cup cottage cheese Or 1 oz of other cheese (Mozzarella/Cheddar/feta/Swiss) |
| Fruits and Vegetables |
5-9 servings |
½ Cup 100% fruit/vegetable juice
Or 1 medium fruit (Apple/Pear/Guava/yellow banana/Orange/sweet
lime) Or 1 Cup cubed fruit (Papaya/musk melon/watermelon) Or
½ Pomegranate arils Or ¼ Cup dried fruit Or ½
Cup canned fruit Or 1 Cup raw vegetables Or ½ Cup cooked
vegetable |
| Milk/ Yogurt/ Cheese |
2-3 servings |
1 Cup (240 ml) milk Or 2/3 cup yogurt Or
1 glass (250 ml) thin buttermilk |
| Fats/ Oils/ Sweets |
Use sparingly. Use to increase calories
in the diet. Use oils that are liquid at room temperature since
they are a source of good fats. Beware sugars will give calories
but very little else- it is better to use in small quantities
only to improve taste. |
1 tsp oil/butter/ghee Or 1 tbsp mayonnaise/salad
dressing Or 6 Almonds Or 2 tbsp sour cream/cream cheese Or 2
tbsp avocado
1 tbsp sugar/jaggery/honey/ jam/jelly/pancake syrup/maple syrup
Or 1 cookie (3”) |
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| We recommend you refer to the NV
Recommended Menu Plans for Cancer on your dashboard for more
specific suggestions for consuming high quality calories, and nutrients.
These NV plans follow basic CDC dietary guidelines by food groups. However,
they have been adapted to be more practical by addressing portion sizes,
meal times, as well as to counteract debilitating side effects. The NutritionVista
dietitians will help you customize these plans further. |
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| EXAMPLES
OF ENERGY DENSE FOODS. |
Energy
(cals) |
Protein
(g) |
| cheese & lettuce and tomato sandwich
with whole wheat bread |
286 |
7.5 |
| roast chicken with potato & fresh veggies |
198 |
6.8 |
| fruit yogurt low fat 1/2 cup |
125 |
4.5 |
| vegetable kichidi (rice, lentils and vegetables)
1/2 cup |
240 |
4.2 |
| chicken or lamb soup |
48 |
7.8 |
| grilled fish with potato, brocolli &
tomato salsa or sauce |
195 |
7.5 |
| mushroom, tomato, capsicum omelette |
182 |
8 |
| soy wrap - roti with soychunks in tomato
gravy |
200 |
5 |
| dried fruits - figs, raisins, dates |
180 |
4 |
| cold cereal with nuts & fruits |
260 |
4.4 |
| stuffed roti's with minced veggies/chicken
or fish |
210 |
3.8 |
| egg or tofu with tomato, spring onions and
capsicum scrambeled |
205 |
6.3 |
| bread pudding/ walnut & date pudding |
198 |
4 |
| drinking chocolate/hot chocolate |
260 |
4 |
| fruit custard |
125 |
4.3 |
| avacado smoothies |
280 |
4.2 |
| banana smoothie |
400 |
6.5 |
| potato / cauliflower.corn pureed in a soup |
230 |
3.8 |
| rabri/shrikhand/rice pudding |
375 |
6.5 |
| dried fruit laddu/ flax, sesame and peanut
laddu |
470 |
8.4 |
| peanut butter & jelly sandwich with
milk |
555 |
10.2 |
| cheese toast 1 slice |
205 |
5.6 |
| buttered popcorn 20g |
107 |
1.1 |
| peaches and cream 1/2 cup |
90 |
7.25 |
| honey & banana on buttered toast 1 slice |
326 |
2.2 |
| Ensure plus *(consume only if recommended
by oncologist) |
360 |
12 |
| Resource plus* |
355 |
7 |
| Boost plus* |
355 |
7 |
| Nutritical* |
380 |
10 |
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| * consume only if recommended by oncologist |
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