A healthful diet helps rebuild body tissues that may be affected by treatment and prevents them from further breakdown.Eating right also keeps your body strong by helping your immune system stay healthy.
During your treatment and recovery, you can help your body to feel its best by giving it the nutrients it needs. One key nutrient that you will need more of during this time is protein. Protein is directly involved in the recovery process, helping your body to heal, rebuild, and fight infection. It is found in foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. To keep up your energy, include plenty of foods that contain another vital nutrient, carbohydrates. Good sources of carbohydrates include fruit, vegetables, and grains. Eating enough fat is also important now. Fat, found in foods like oils, butter, margarine, nuts and seeds, serves as a long term energy source. It also makes foods taste good and keeps us feeling full. And be sure not to forget one of the most important nutrients that your body needs – water, to prevent dehydration and help your body rid itself of waste products that may build up during treatment.
The best diet right now is a well balanced one that is high in calories and contains a variety of foods from all of the food groups, specifically: protein, grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables. This ensures that your body will get all of the building blocks it needs for recovery. Eating frequently throughout the day can help you to keep your energy level up. If you find that certain foods don’t agree with you, just eat what you can keep down.
If you are taking any vitamin and herbal supplements, be sure to mention this to your doctor. While extra vitamins or herbal treatments may sound like a good idea, they may cause more harm than good. In fact, certain supplements can actually interfere with your cancer treatment.
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AUTHOR: Karen Ansel, MS, RD
The Cancer Information Network
Date Modified: 04/20/04
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