Nutrition
and Cancer: Eating Well with Eating Challenges
From surgery to chemotherapy to radiation, cancer treatments are
harsh and aggressive. They are designed to kill hostile cancer cells. In the
process, they also damage healthy cells. This produces unpleasant side effects
that can cause eating problems.
Good nutrition is extremely important for cancer patients, whether
they are facing a mesothelioma
diagnosis or breast cancer surgery. Cancer nutrition looks different than
traditional healthy eating, though. People with cancer have different dietary
needs, and their meals contain other than normal, healthy foods.
For most people, healthy eating means fresh fruits and vegetables,
whole grains and limited meat, dairy, fats, sugars and salt. People with cancer
eat to keep up their strength. It is the only way to deal treatment symptoms.
However, since this includes eating problems, good nutrition is challenging for
most cancer patients.
Common
Eating Problems During Cancer Treatment
Appetite
loss is a common problem during cancer treatment. Nausea is another common
side effect. They make it nearly impossible to eat enough food to stay healthy.
Vomiting and diarrhea complicate things because they cause dehydration.
Some cancer treatments cause dry mouth, sore mouth, sore throat
and swallowing problems. This can make it hard to eat certain types of food.
Most patients are also concerned with weight maintenance since treatments can
cause severe weight loss or gain.
Common
Nutritional Needs During Cancer Treatment
Cancer patients require extra calories and protein. This applies
to people with breast cancer, mesothelioma symptoms
and other complications. They may need to add more eggs, milk and cheese to
their diets. Unfortunately, lactose intolerance is a common treatment symptoms,
so dairy foods are not always advisable.
People with mouth and throat problems often benefit from gravies,
sauces and other soft, wet foods. Those who struggle with diarrhea may need to
exchange their fiber-rich foods for low-fiber alternatives. Dietitians and
nutritionists can help cancer patients make appropriate changes to their diets.
Vitamins,
Minerals and Other Nutritional Supplements
Some cancer patients may require supplementation to get the
nutrients they need for good health. Taking vitamins, minerals, herbs and other
supplements are a common practice in holistic medicine. No studies prove that
these products prevent, cure or treat cancer. However, they may be good
complementary therapy for some patients.
Herbs and nutritional supplements
may interact with cancer drugs and prescription medications. In some cases,
they may actually change the way certain cancer treatments work. Therefore,
they should only be used under doctor supervision.
