How to eat well during cancer treatment

The importance of adequate nutrition during treatment

During cancer treatment and recovery, there’s a lot of focus on your body—and rightly so. As you navigate treatments and side effects (not to mention cancer itself) your physical being is going through a tremendous ordeal, and the way you feed yourself can be hugely impactful during this time. But nutrition for cancer recovery can be tricky, even for those who have their diet super dialed in during normal times.

Consider this: Losing weight and muscle mass is incredibly common during cancer treatment—this is such a frequent occurrence, in fact, that oncological nutrition is a whole subspecialty of dietetics. As you move through your treatment journey, side effects like nausea, oral pain, depression, and plain old overwhelm can cause your appetite to skip town, but it’s important to keep eating if at all possible, because the cells of your body need all the help they can get. 

We’ve put together some ideas to help you navigate this part of your treatment below. If you need additional support or if you’re having trouble getting adequate nutrition, consider speaking with a Jasper counselor—they can customize a meal plan to suit your unique needs and help guide you on how to stay on track with your goals.

Strategies for eating healthfully while in treatment

We understand that getting all of the nutrients and calories your body needs is easier said than done while you’re in treatment—you’re up against a variety of challenges. Among them are side effects like nausea and exhaustion. Show yourself some grace and do the best that you can—if bland foods is the only thing you can keep down, that’s okay. When you’re feeling a little bit better, consider the following strategies, as appropriate for your unique case, to help you:

Loss of appetite and aversions

First things first: if you’re struggling to eat at all, or to meet your caloric needs (which are typically between 1800 and 2400 calories per day, depending on your age, sex, and activity level), your priority should just be eating whatever you can. If it’s not particularly nutritious, that’s okay—a bowl of white rice is better than not eating at all. If you can, sneak in extra calories by adding healthy fat like olive oil.

Consider reframing food as fuel and medicine—once you know you can easily tolerate a food, make it one of your “safe foods,” and eat from a small menu of those safe foods, day in and day out. Is it boring? Sure, but reliability can be soothing.

Think balance over perfection

Macronutrients—protein, fat, and carbohydrates—are the building blocks of your diet, and if you don’t have the bandwidth to get super intricate with your nutrition, keeping your focus on this three-part system is your best bet. Simple meals that incorporate a balance of the three are ideal—think chicken breast, sweet potatoes, and broccoli with olive oil, or black beans with tomato and avocado.

Simplify and stay prepared

During cancer treatment, streamlining the parts of your life that can be simplified may help you cope. You want to remove all obstacles between you and calories, which means that having to cook every time you need to eat is a no-go. Consider asking a family member or friend to help you prep your meals—they’ll be glad to contribute. Streamline like so: Twice a week, pick two proteins, two vegetables, and two carbs to prep. Have them make 3-4 days’ worth at a time, then just eat and serve individual portions throughout the week. Think simple—chicken breasts, hard-boiled eggs, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, and rice. An Instant Pot is helpful with this task if you’re doing it yourself. Consider also meal-prep delivery services like plant-based Daily Harvest and bulk-friendly Trifecta Nutrition.

Keep things simple: aim for recipes that don’t have a ton of ingredients. Consider also skipping experimenting with new ones to avoid unexpected reactions. Try to remind yourself that this isn’t the culinary chapter of your life and while that time will come again, right now is all about giving your body the nutrients it needs to heal and making sure that you don’t make things worse for yourself.

Eating to combat nausea

Nausea and other treatment side effects can significantly impact your appetite. To combat these challenges, consider natural remedies like ginger or acupressure. Additionally, adjusting your eating habits can be beneficial. Opt for smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day to avoid overwhelming your stomach. Additionally, choosing mild, bland foods can help reduce nausea and discomfort.

What foods are best during treatment

While every body and diagnosis are different, there are some general rules of thumb on what is best to eat during cancer treatment. Important to note that in the event that your treatment requires a specific diet, you should always follow your oncologist’s advice on what foods to eat and which to avoid. Outside of that, as a rule of thumb, you will likely be advised to aim for the following:

• Get an adequate amount of protein to help your body repair and rebuild cells
• Load up on antioxidants to fight the free radicals that cause cell damage
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate—chemotherapy can be dehydrating and your body needs to be replenished regularly

Foods to avoid

While labeling foods as “right” or “wrong” isn’t a great practice, there is such a thing as the “wrong” food when you’re going through cancer treatment. While undergoing chemotherapy or other treatment modalities, it’s possible that your body’s immune system is weakened. This can make it harder to fight viruses and infections. Treatment can also cause side effects like nausea and can interfere with nutrient absorption. Given all of this, there is one obvious culprit you’ll want to avoid as much as possible when it comes to your food plate: processed foods. 

Processed foods aren’t a great match for someone undergoing cancer treatment for a number of reasons:

• They often contain preservatives and additives that can further weaken your immune system
• Processed foods that are high in sugar or saturated fats can make side effects like nausea much worse
• These foods are often low in vitamins and minerals, leaving the body vulnerable to deficiencies
• These foods can raise the overall inflammation levels in the body, negatively contributing to side effects of treatment or symptoms of cancer

So for now, just say no to processed foods—especially processed meat, fried food, and refined sugar. These are harmful to your health, even in the best of times.

The jury is out on alcohol—while some research does link moderate consumption of red wine with cancer prevention, it is generally accepted in the scientific community that ethanol (aka alcohol) is carcinogenic. No matter which side of the argument you land on, it’s wise to steer clear of alcohol during your course of treatment, when your liver is already working double time. 

Research and preparation are the key

If you’re finding it difficult to follow the recommended diet for your treatment, ask your oncology team about getting support from a medical nutritionist or registered dietician, who specializes in cancer care. Given that bodies, cancers, and treatment protocols are all so different, getting 1-on-1 advice from a trained dietician can help you dial in a specific eating plan that is ideal for your unique body. 

This is also where your Jasper counselor can be particularly helpful—they’re certified by the American Cancer Society to help with a variety of needs like custom nutrition plans and helping you get the most out of your support team.

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Sources:

Ravasco P. (2019). Nutrition in Cancer Patients. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(8), 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8081211

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015

https://odphp.health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/previous-dietary-guidelines/2015

Ravasco P. (2019). Nutrition in Cancer Patients. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(8), 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8081211

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