Proper Nutrition

There’s a grape diet, a cabbage soup diet, which is fun for all concerned and an eat anything you like but stop at 4pm diet. We’re all heard of the Atkins diet and we’ve probably all heard of the low GI diet, both are quite popular at the moment. There is, however, one diet that no one should ever like to be on and that is the eating for cancer diet. The obvious prerequisite is that you should have cancer of some kind and be about to undergo treatment.

The right kind of food and proper nutrition can help a cancer patient feel better, stay stronger and even cope with the side effects of treatment. It is best to seek the advice of a registered dietician before undergoing treatment for cancer but below are a few handy tips for you to consider.

Patients need to build up a stock of bodily reserves so they need a diet high in calories and high in proteins such as milk, cream, cheese, eggs, sauces, gravies and to have their food cooked in more butter, oil or margarine. They may need to eat less fibre as this might aggravate upset stomachs or sore mouths. This is the time to treat the patient. Food is pleasure and should be treated as such.

Make meal times as fun as possible, if there are children present include them in the preparation of the meal. Prepare everyone’s favourite meal once a week; include at least one of the patient’s favourite dishes in each meal. Think positively and keep an optimistic attitude, this increases the appetite, at the very least it will stop the appetite from decreasing.

Even though it has been said that you must eat food high in calories and fry the hell out of it, it must now also be added that you need to try to eat as healthily as possibly. It seems very contradictory but if you include your daily 5 portions of fruit and veg and get all your fats your should be doing ok. This will help build up your reserves to prevent body tissue from breaking down during treatment and to maintain your defenses against infection.