| Chemotherapy Diet |
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Cancer and Cancer treatments can cause significant changes in a person’s eating habits. There is no perfect chemotherapy diet but chemo patients can focus on a few key goals when planning their diet. First of all, it is very important that a chemo diet maintains plenty of calories and protein. Calories are the basic units of energy that the body uses to keep functioning. While fighting cancer, patients need plenty of fuel. Protein then provides the building blocks of the body as it rebuilds healthy cells damaged by treatments like chemo. Protein also strongly supports the immune system as it battles disease. Chemo attacks all cells in the body and focuses especially upon cells that multiply quickly. Unfortunately, healthy hair follicle cells and cells in the mouth, and along the digestive tract, multiply rapidly. Chemo damages these cells causing a number of side effects like hair loss mouth infections, loss or changes in taste and nausea. The result is often a loss of appetite during chemotherapy. Loss of appetite can also be accompanied by a premature sense of being full. It is very important to not allow a patient to eat sporadically during therapy. Instead, patients should plan their diet and try very hard to maintain it. Aside from the two key goals in a chemo diet, it is also necessary to get a rounded set of vitamins and minerals, if possible. Never take supplements during chemo without consulting your doctor since these might interfere with the chemo medications.        |
