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Nutrition Services
If You Have Cancer
Learn why eating high-protein, high-calorie diet is important during your treatment.
You need to keep up your strength when you are being treated for cancer. That’s why it’s important to try to eat as well as possible. Good nutrition will help you:
- feel better
- maintain your strength and energy
- maintain your weight
- tolerate the effects of your treatment
- decrease your chance of infection
- recover and/or heal as quickly as possible
The right foods during cancer treatment are higher in calories and higher in protein.The diet you need when you have cancer may not be the same diet your doctor generally recommends for healthy eating. To make sure you get enough calories and protein, you may need to change what you eat or how you cook. For example, you can start cooking with butter, margarine, or oil and make more sauces and gravies to help increase calories. You can also use whole milk instead of skim milk and eat more cheeses and cooked eggs to increase protein.
To build your strength, concentrate on these essential nutrients:
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Protein. The physical stress of chemotherapy and radiation therapy increases your need for protein. Protein repairs body tissue and helps maintain a healthy immune system. If you don’t get enough protein, you may lower your resistance to infection. Good sources of protein are meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, nuts, dried beans, peas and lentils, and soy foods.
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Carbohydrates and fat. These are the body’s major sources of energy (calories). The number of calories you need depends on your age, size, and activity level. Sources of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, grains, cereals, dried beans, peas and lentils. Sources of fat are butter, margarine, oil, nuts and seeds.
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Water. Water and other drinks are important because they help prevent dehydration. It is especially important to drink more liquids if you are vomiting or have diarrhea.
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Vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are needed to use the energy obtained from the foods you eat. Although a balanced diet provides you an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals, eating a balanced diet may be difficult during treatment. A daily multivitamin and/or mineral supplement may help your body get the vitamins and minerals it needs.
How the Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital can HelpEvery person is different. You will respond differently to your cancer treatment. You have favorite foods as well as food you dislike. You may have other health issues that affect your diet. You may have personal, religious, or philosophical reasons for eating or avoiding certain foods. Our registered dietitian can help you figure out an approach to eating that will help you meet your personal needs to strengthen your body.
This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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