Nutrition for

People With Cancer

Introduction
Good nutrition is especially important if you have cancer because both the illness
and its treatments can change the way you eat. They can also affect the way your
body tolerates certain foods and uses nutrients.

During cancer treatment you might need to change your diet to help build up your
strength and withstand the effects of the cancer and its treatment. This may mean
eating things that aren’t normally recommended when you are in good health. For
instance, you might need high-fat, high-calorie foods to keep up your weight, or
thick, cool foods like ice cream or milk shakes because sores in your mouth and
throat are making it hard to eat anything

The nutrition needs of people with cancer vary from person to person. Your cancer
care team can help you identify your nutrition goals and plan ways to help you meet
them. Eating well while you’re being treated for cancer might help you:

 Feel better.

 Keep up your strength and energy.

 Maintain your weight and your body’s store of nutrients.

 Better tolerate treatment-related side effects.

 Lower your risk of infection.

 Heal and recover faster.

Eating well means eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients your body needs to
fight cancer. These nutrients include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, vitamins,
and minerals.
 Planning Before Treatment
You can lower your anxiety about
treatment and side effects by taking
action now. Talk to your cancer care
team about the things that worry
you. Learn as much as you can
about the cancer, your treatment
plan, and how you might feel during
treatment.

Planning how you’ll cope with

possible side effects can make you
feel more in control and ready for
the changes that may come.
Here are some tips to help you get ready for treatment:

• Stock your pantry and freezer with your favorite foods so you won’t need to
shop as often. Include foods you know you can eat even when you’re sick.

• Cook in advance, and freeze foods in meal-sized portions.

• Talk to your friends or family members about ways they can help with shopping
and cooking, or ask a friend or family member to take over those jobs for you.
Be sure to tell them if there are certain things you have or might have trouble
eating.

• Talk to your cancer care team about any concerns you have about eating. They
can help you make diet changes to help manage side effects like constipation,
weight

• If your treatment will include radiation to the head or neck, you may be
advised to have a feeding tube placed in your stomach before starting
treatment. This allows feeding when it gets hard to swallow, and can prevent
problems with nutrition and dehydration during treatment.
Eating Well During Treatment
Try to eat well. A healthy diet helps your body
function at its best. This is even more important
if you have cancer. You’ll go into treatment with
reserves to help keep up your strength, your
energy level, and your defenses against
infection. A healthy diet can also prevent body
tissue from breaking down and build new
tissues.

People who eat well are better able to cope with side effects of treatment1. And you
may even be able to handle higher doses of certain drugs. In fact, some cancer
treatments work better in people who are well-nourished and are getting enough
calories and protein.

Try these tips:

 Don’t be afraid to try new foods. Some things you never have liked before
might taste good during treatment.

 Choose different plant-based foods. Try eating beans and peas instead of meat
at a few meals each week.

 Try to eat more fruits and vegetables every day, including citrus fruits and dark
green

 and deep-yellow vegetables. Colorful vegetables and fruits and plant-based

 foods have many natural health-promoting substances.

 Try to stay at a healthy weight, and stay physically active. Small weight changes

 during treatment are normal.

 Limit the amount of salt-cured, smoked, and pickled foods you eat.

 Limit or avoid red or processed meats

Snack as needed

During cancer treatment your body often needs extra calories and protein to help
you maintain your weight and heal as quickly as possible. If you’re losing weight,
snacks can help you meet those needs, keep up your strength and energy level, and
help you feel better. During treatment you may have to rely on snacks that are less
healthy sources of calories to meet your needs. Keep in mind that this is just for a
short while – once side effects go away you can return to a healthier diet. Try these
tips to make it easier to add.

Snacks to your daily routine:

 Eat small snacks throughout the day.

 Keep a variety of protein-rich snacks on hand that are easy to prepare and eat.
These include yogurt, cereal and milk, half a sandwich, a bowl of hearty soup,
and cheese and crackers.

 Avoid snacks that might make any treatment-related side effects worse. If you
have diarrhea, for example, avoid popcorn and raw fruits and vegetables. If you
have a sore throat, do not eat dry, coarse snacks or acidic foods.
Some quick-and-easy snacks

 Cereal (hot or cold)

 Cheese (aged or hard cheese, cottage cheese. etc.)

 Cookies

 Crackers

 Dips made with cheese, beans, yogurt, or peanut butter

 Fruit (fresh, frozen, canned, dried)

 Gelatin made with juice, milk, or fruit

 Granola or trail mix

 Homemade milk shakes and smoothies

 Ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt

 Juices

 Microwave snacks

 Milk by itself, flavored, or with instant breakfast powder

 Muffins

 Nuts, seeds, and nut butters

 Popcorn, pretzels

 Puddings, custards

 Sandwiches (such as egg salad, grilled cheese, or peanut butter)

 Soups

 Sports drinks

 Vegetables (raw or cooked) with olive oil, dressing, or sauce

 Yogurt (low fat or Greek)

Tips to get more calories and protein

 Eat several small snacks throughout the day, rather than 3 large meals.

 Eat your favorite foods at any time of the day. For instance, eat breakfast foods
for dinner if they appeal to you.

 Eat every few hours. Don’t wait until you feel hungry.

 Eat your biggest meal when you feel hungriest. For example, if you are most
hungry in the morning, make breakfast your biggest meal.

 Try to eat high-calorie, high-protein foods at each meal and snack.

 Exercise lightly or take a walk before meals to increase your appetite.

 Drink high-calorie, high-protein beverages like milk shakes and canned liquid

 supplements.

 Drink most of your fluids between meals instead of with meals. Drinking fluid
with meals can make you feel too full.

 Try homemade or commercially prepared nutrition bars and puddings.

High-protein foods
Milk products

 Eat cheese on toast or with crackers. Add grated cheese to baked potatoes,
vegetables, soups, noodles, meat, and fruit.

 Use milk in place of water for hot cereal and soups.

 Add Greek yogurt, powdered whey protein, or cottage cheese to favorite fruits.

Eggs

 Keep hard-cooked eggs in the refrigerator. Chop and add to salads, casseroles,
soups, and vegetables. Make a quick egg salad.

 All eggs should be well-cooked to avoid the risk of harmful bacteria.

Meats, poultry, and fish

 Add cooked meats to soups, casseroles, salads, and omelets.

 Mix diced or flaked cooked meat with sour cream and spices to make dip.

Beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds

 Sprinkle seeds or nuts on desserts like fruit, ice cream, pudding, and custard.

 Spread peanut or almond butter on toast and fruit or blend in a milk shake.
High-calorie foods

Butter

 Melt over potatoes, rice, pasta, and cooked vegetables

 Stir melted butter into soups and casseroles and spread on bread before
adding other ingredients to your sandwich.

Milk products

 Add whipping or heavy cream to desserts, pancakes, waffles, fruit, and hot

 chocolate; fold it into soups and casseroles.

 Add sour cream to baked potatoes and vegetables.

Salad dressings

• Use regular (not low-fat or diet) mayonnaise and salad dressing on sandwiches
and as dips with vegetables and fruit.

Sweets

• Add jelly and honey to bread and crackers.

• Add jam to fruit.

• Use ice cream as a topping on cake.

Food Safety

During your treatment for cancer, there will be times when your body won’t be
able to defend itself very well. This is because you might not have enough
infection-fighting white blood cells for a while. You may be told to try to avoid
exposure to possible infection-causing germs. It's important to know that you can't
raise your white blood cell counts by avoiding or eating certain kinds of foods.
Food-handling tips
 Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds before and after
preparing food and before eating.

 Thaw meat, fish, or poultry in the microwave or refrigerator in a dish to catch

drips. Do not thaw at room temperature.

 Use defrosted foods right away, and do not refreeze them. Put perishable foods
in the refrigerator within 2 hours of buying or preparing them.

 Egg dishes and cream- and mayonnaise-based foods should not be left
unrefrigerated for more than an hour.

 Wash fruits and vegetables well under running water before peeling or cutting.

 Do not use soaps, detergents, chlorine bleach solutions, or commercial

produce rinses.

 Using a clean vegetable scrubber, scrub produce that has a thick, rough skin or
rind (melons, potatoes, bananas, etc.) or any produce that has dirt on it.

 Do not eat raw vegetable sprouts.

 Throw away slimy or moldy fruits and vegetables.

 Do not buy produce that already has been cut at the grocery store (like melon
or cabbage).

 Wash tops of canned foods with soap and water before opening.

 Throw away eggs with cracked shell.

Conclusion
It is very important to maintain proper nutrition before, during, and after cancer
treatment. Such treatments may involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy,
hormone therapy, biological immunotherapy, and/or surgery. These procedures
and medications can cause many individuals to lose their appetite and energy,
putting them at an increased risk for malnutrition.
Your food choices when you have cancer and are undergoing treatment may be
very different from what you are used to eating. The main goal is to try to keep
your weight constant. In order to minimize weight changes, heal properly, and
maintain the energy to cope with all the new challenges treatment may bring, you
should try to eat a wide variety of high-calorie and high-protein foods