Nourish Your Body In Preparation For Cancer Treatment
Radiation and chemotherapy can take a toll on your body. If you’re facing cancer treatment, good nutrition can help you gear up for what’s to come.
Research has shown that a healthy diet before and after treatment can aid in recovery by helping patients to:
- Retain their strength
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Better tolerate side effects
- Improve tissue healing
- Maximize quality of life during treatment
A healthy diet has also been shown to help prevent cancer recurrence.
Here are six tips to be at your nutritional best before and during treatment:
- Do not try to lose weight. Maintain your weight, or if you are underweight work to gain a few pounds. Too much weight loss taxes the body, making it unable to perform its normal functions.
- Eat regular meals. Even if you are not hungry, aim for three meals and three snacks per day. If you are trying to gain weight add in snacks.
- Eat protein. Focus on good quality protein sources at meals and snacks. These include fish, lean meat, poultry, milk, eggs, legumes (beans, peas), nuts and nut butters, seeds and dairy.
- Eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, which provide cancer-fighting nutrients.
- Limit processed foods as much as possible. Fresh nature-made food is best.
- Hydrate. Aim for 8-10 cups of non-alcoholic, decaffeinated fluid per day.
Each person’s dietary needs are different, and your intake requirements will change throughout treatment. Talk with your cancer care team about any existing nutrition-related concerns, and the requirements of your treatment. A comprehensive cancer program will offer a chance for you to meet one-on-one with a dietitian to discuss a tailored plan.
Nourish to Flourish
This nutrition class is specifically designed for patients before and during radiation and chemotherapy. Hosted by a registered dietitian who specializes in oncology nutrition, this class will help patients and their caregivers prepare for good nutrition even when they are not feeling well.
The class is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month in Chesapeake Regional Healthcare’s Priority Toyota Cancer Treatment Center. To RSVP or for more information, call 757-312-3132.
