Next to fatigue (arguably the most common side effect), many cancer patients experience nutritional challenges, including appetite changes; mouth and tongue sores; pain with swallowing; and nausea and/or vomiting.
As you can imagine, this makes eating—once an enjoyable experience—a difficult task, which then makes it hard to get the nutrition needed to stay strong and fight cancer.
This leaves many cancer patients malnourished and wondering what they can and should eat to give them their best shot at beating cancer.
Here’s some great chemo nutrition advice. Let’s take a look at which foods are best for cancer patients to eat during chemo, as well as which ones to avoid.
CHOOSE FOODS THAT ARE HIGH IN CALORIES AND NUTRIENTS
The most important thing you can do for yourself nutritionally while receiving chemotherapy is to choose foods that are nutrient-rich and high in calories.
Even though the fatigue you’re feeling prevents you from being as active as you were before your cancer diagnosis, your body needs more calories and nutrients than the average person. Be sure to steer clear of empty- or low-calorie foods.
Focus on choosing heavier, more protein-rich and nutrient-dense foods, such as:
- beans
- breads (e.g., waffles, pancakes, French toast)
- butter
- cheese
- eggs
- fruits and vegetables
- granola
- high-protein meal replacement drinks or milkshakes
- hot cereals
- legumes
- meat
- milk
- nuts
- peanut butter
- pudding
- yogurt
Related: Foods to eat before going to chemotherapy
FOODS TO STAY AWAY FROM DURING CHEMO
Just as there are foods to focus on during chemo, there are foods to avoid during treatment.
These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- cold or undercooked hot dogs
- deli meats
- fried and high-fat foods, as they’re harder to digest
- high-sugar pastries, donuts
- raw or undercooked foods—especially eggs, meat, poultry, and seafood
- raw sprouts
- spicy foods
- unpasteurized cheeses and milk
- unwashed produce
A SATISFYING NUTRITIONAL ALTERNATIVE
The side effects and challenges cancer patients face when receiving chemo can make it difficult to eat even seemingly simple foods like peanut butter crackers, for example.
Keeping down a peanut butter cracker can be problematic for a number of reasons.
Changes in taste buds can make salty foods like crackers highly offensive—and the dry, brittle nature of the crackers can be very painful to those experiencing tenderness or sores inside their mouth.
To help cancer patients overcome eating and nutritional challenges like these, among others, we created OncoBitez: high-calorie, nutrient-rich meal replacement bites full of antioxidants, vitamins, healthy fats, super-foods, herbs that heal and nurture, and a lot of love.
What’s more? These unique nutritional bites are:
- free of gluten, soy, dairy, trans fat and GMOs
- made with organic ingredients
- offer the nutrition you need in just three bites
- soft-textured, making them super easy to eat
Visit our website today to learn more about OncoBitez or get your first order.
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Butch Hunter, founder and CEO of MarivationUSA and Oncobitez.
* This work was originally published in the MarivationUSA.com website on November, 2019.
