EAT
Eating is necessary for life. We all eat. HOW we eat may alter cancer symptoms and recovery.
On this page we cover general topics. For more details, see chapter 13 of Moving Through Cancer or the trusted resources noted below.
Protein
In the book, we recommend you eat 1.2 g/kg/day. Here’s what that looks like in food for people of varying body weights.
Of course, eggs, chicken, tilapia, and cheese isn’t to everyone’s taste. Here the app we recommend using to track your protein, and the rest of your diet: https://www.myfitnesspal.com
Protein supplements
If the amount of food listed above is beyond what you can currently take in, you might consider a protein supplement. They are not all made equal. Look for products that are low in sugars (fewer than 4 grams) and actually high in protein (>20 grams) in each serving. Examples include:
Powders (to be mixed into milk, water, juice, food)
o Organic Protein and Superfoods by Orgain
Pre Made drinks
o Iconic (lactose, gluten, soy free)
o Boost Max Women (lactose free)
o Boost Glucose Control (contains milk)
Please note that I do not receive any funding from these or any other products recommended on this website.
Supplements
In general, supplements are not recommended during cancer treatment, given the very real possibility that they will interfere with treatment. If you are taking supplements, please tell your cancer doctor.
Tips
There is a full chapter on nutrition in Moving Through Cancer that includes multiple pages of tips. Here we share a few:
Remember you are not going to be doing this forever.
Try to make the best effort you can right now knowing that you will eventually be through cancer treatment. This is especially true if your treatments are interfering with your ability to eat or enjoy food. Eating during cancer treatment can seem like work, especially if you are experiencing some of the treatment side effects we discuss later in this chapter, but remember that it is important to get adequate nutrition during this window of time so that you can get through your treatments successfully and move on.
Use a meal delivery service.
Nutritionists are seeing more and more cancer patients use meal delivery services to supplement home cooking, especially during periods of heavy fatigue. There are now dozens of these services and most them ship to every zip code in the U.S. Likewise, use ready-made foods like take-out or frozen dinners if you are very fatigued or to prevent nausea during cooking, if this is a problem.
Stay hydrated.
It is important to stay hydrated during cancer treatment. Try to pay attention to your fluid intake. Basic water is fantastic, of course, but you can also think about other less obvious options like soup broth, consommé, milk and milkshakes, and fruit and vegetable juices. You can even incorporate it into dessert by eating Jell-O, ice pops and popsicles, or frozen yogurt, sorbet or ice cream.
Meal replacements.
These can be especially helpful if you are having a hard time meeting the recommended amount of daily protein. As one example, Ensure Max Protein has 30 grams of protein per drink, with just 1 gram of sugar.
Keep your weight stable.
While weight loss is very common before and during cancer treatment, weight gain is also quite common. For example, some people with cancer find themselves “stress eating,” often carbohydrates late at night, during periods of higher anxiety. If you are not actively trying to increase your food intake due to a side effect of treatment, like nausea or a sore mouth, then try to keep your weight stable during treatment with common sense approaches like eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and limiting your fat intake and cooking with low-fat methods like steaming and grilling.
If you are nauseous, stay away from favorites.
If you are vomiting frequently, abstain from your favorite foods for a time. If you love spaghetti, but you are nauseated and throw it up, you may never want to eat it again. This can become symbolic as well. When treatment is finally over, you can throw out those meal replacements you never want to see again and instead return to your cherished favorites—letting go of foods and meals that you associate with cancer treatment can be a powerful and symbolic milestone on your journey.
Trusted Resources for Nutrition Information
There is so much information about nutrition available on the internet. How do you know who to trust?
Here are a few of our most trusted resources at Moving Through Cancer.
• The American Institute of Cancer Research is connected to the World Cancer Research Fund and one of the most audacious projects in the field of Nutrition and Cancer: The Continuous Update Project, which seeks to continuously update the best science regarding exercise, nutrition, and cancer. Trust everything they say. www.aicr.org
• The American Cancer Society is a trusted source because of the remarkable quality of the scientists at ACS, and because they turn to published scientists in particular content areas before putting something on their website. (I know because I’m one of those experts to whom they turn before publishing online.) The ACS search engine is remarkable. If you search for something and don’t find it at ACS, it probably doesn’t exist. www.cancer.org
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the professional organization behind every registered dietitian. Their website does have articles relevant to those living with and beyond cancer. More importantly, their website can point you to an oncology nutrition specialist. Click on ‘find a nutrition expert’ in red on the home page. You can choose in person or telehealth options. Once you see the matches, click on ‘specialty’ to choose Cancer-Oncology Nutrition to match to nutritionists near you who are well trained to address your very specific needs. Some will take insurance, some will not. Eatright.org
• A subset of AND is the Oncology Nutrition practice group, which includes even more reliable tips at oncologynutrition.org/home