I am giving the link to his blog because it shares valuable information on cancer. You can always refer to his blog/website for different types of cancers, their treatment, HIPEC etc. Its an excellent site.
http://hipecindia.com/diet-for-cancer-treatment-side-effects/
Diet for cancer treatment side effects
by Dr.Sanket Mehta
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| Dr. Sanket Mehta |
Nausea
Nausea is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It may be due to the treatment or the cancer itself. If you experience it after surgery, be sure to discuss this with your doctor or medical team.
- Eat meals slowly.
- Eat small portions of food frequently. Having some food in your stomach may help you feel better.
- Low-fat, bland and salty foods usually work best. Avoid greasy, fried and strongly spiced foods.
- Cool, clear beverages are recommended. Drink liquids between meals rather than with meals. Slowly drink or sip liquids throughout the day — using a straw may help.
- Don’t force yourself to eat your favourite foods when you feel nauseated, as you may develop a dislike for these foods.
- Stay quiet after meals. Try to rest while sitting up for about an hour — you can watch television, read a magazine, talk with a loved one or enjoy the company of your pet. Do not lie flat for at least two hours after eating.
- Keep crackers(biscuits) at your bedside if nausea is a problem in the morning or after a nap.
- Stay away from odours. Have someone else cook if possible. Eat in the dining room or in a room other than the kitchen.
- If the smell of food makes you nauseated, avoid hot foods and liquids. Try colder foods.
- Track your nausea by taking note of any particular food or events that trigger it. See if there is a pattern and if so, try to change that pattern.
- Inform your nurse or doctor about your nausea and ask about medications to control this side effect.
Suggested foods
- Cream of wheat, oatmeal and cold cereal
- Soups
- Cold sandwiches
- Cottage cheese(paneer)
- Rice products like idlis, dosas without spices
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Plain pasta, rice, noodles and mashed potatoes
- Toast, dry Saltine-style crackers (biscuits), natural potato chips
- Canned fruit, applesauce and jellies
- Custard and pudding
- Sherbet, popsicles(icecandy) and frozen fruit bars
- Soda, juice and herbal tea
- Low-fat protein sources such as skinned chicken or tofu that is baked or broiled, not fried
- Peaches or other soft, mild-tasting fruits and vegetables
- Clear liquids such as apple and cranberry juice, low-salt broth, and carbonated drinks without caffeine
- Teas such as ginger and peppermint, served lukewarm or cold
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| Oatmeal |
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| Hard boil eggs |
Vomiting
Vomiting may follow nausea and be brought on by treatment or food odours. If vomiting is severe or lasts for more than a day or two, contact your doctor since there is a likelihood that the patient may get dehydrated. Visualization and relaxation exercises may help. Here are some other tips:
- Do not eat or drink anything until you have the vomiting under control.
- Try tiny amounts of clear liquids such as water, apple or cranberry juice, fruit juices without fruit pieces or pulp, ginger ale or 7-Up, plain gelatin desserts(jellies and jams), kulfi, sports drinks such as Gatorade, vegetable broth, and herbal teas.
- Begin with one teaspoon of liquid every 10 minutes, gradually increasing the amount to one tablespoon every 10 minutes, and then try two tablespoons every 10 minutes or as tolerated.
- Once these liquids are tolerated, try a softer diet with bland foods such as mashed potatoes, rice, pureed fruits, smoothies, fruit nectars, yoghurt and cereals with milk or soy if you have problems with digesting milk.
- Drink and eat more potassium- and magnesium-rich foods when feeling better. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, potatoes, orange juice, tomatoes and apricots.
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| Yogurt |
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| Mashed potatoes |
Constipation
Chemotherapy, certain medications or lack of exercise may cause constipation. Adding more fibre to your diet may help. Here are some easy ways to add fibre to your diet and to help constipation:
- Try including high-fibre foods — such as kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, fresh fruit and vegetables, and dried fruit — to your diet. Try to include some fibre in each of your meals.
- Start your day eating bran cereals or shredded wheat, or foods made with whole grains. Aim for a cereal with at least 5 grams of fibre per serving.
- Add unprocessed wheat bran to hot cereals and yoghurt.
- If you’re not used to eating a lot of fibre, slowly increase your intake, as you may initially have increased flatulence (gas) until your body gets used to more fibre in the diet.
- You can also reduce flatulence arising from eating beans by first soaking the beans in water and discarding the water.
- Drink plenty of liquids — 8 to 10 glasses each day. A high-fibre diet requires plenty of fluids to work effectively.
- Reduce your caffeine intake, as caffeine may promote constipation by causing you to lose fluids.
- Drink a hot, non-caffeinated beverage such as lemon water in the morning upon awakening.
- Add exercise to your daily routine. Check with your doctor first.
Suggested foods
- Whole grain breads and pastas, bran cereals
- Cooked beans, peas and lentils
- Raw fruits and vegetables
- Dried fruit
- Prune juice and hot lemon water
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| Fruits |
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| Lemon water |
Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea can have many causes. You may get it because of chemotherapy, radiation therapy to the lower abdomen, malabsorption, or use of antibiotics. It can also develop because of intolerance to milk or difficulty in absorbing fats. If you experience weight loss from diarrhoea, it may be due to dehydration, which means that your body does not have enough water. Speak with your doctor to try to determine the cause of the weight loss and obtain the proper treatment.
If you have diarrhoea, here are some tips to follow:
- Drink plenty of room-temperature liquids to help prevent dehydration. These might include water, teas, ginger ale, peach or apricot nectar or fruit juices. Limit caffeinated beverages.
- Allow carbonated beverages to lose their fizz or stir them before you drink them.
- Consume more potassium-rich foods such as orange juice, tomato juice, bananas and potatoes.
- Try the BRAT diet, which consists of bananas, rice, applesauce, tea and toast.
- Try frequent, small meals.
- Avoid fried, greasy foods. Have spicy or highly seasoned foods only as tolerated.
- Cut down on high-fibre foods such as whole grains, bran cereals and vegetables.
- Try breads made from oat flour or refined flour without seeds or nuts.
- Avoid raw vegetables and the skins, seeds and stringy fibres of unpeeled fruits.
- Resume your consumption of higher fibre foods, fruits and vegetables once the diarrhoea stops (check with your dietician and doctor first).
- If you are lactose-intolerant, use dairy products sparingly. Instead of regular milk, try Lactaid, yoghurt or soy milk.
- The use of probiotics, l-glutamine and/or digestive enzymes may help to improve symptoms. Please discuss the use of these supplements with a dietician to determine if these products are appropriate and which brands you may wish to choose.
- Avoid milk, ice cream and puddings for now since they can upset your stomach. Yoghurt, sherbet, cheese and custard may be tolerated since these foods contain smaller amounts of lactose.
Suggested foods
- Cream of wheat, oatmeal and plain rice and corn cereals
- Canned fruit juices (Real, Tropicana, etc.), nectars and applesauce
- White rice, pasta and potatoes without skin, idlis, dosas.
- White bread sandwiches
- Soups without cream
- Cheese and biscuits, and peanut butter
- Eggs
- Jellies and popsicles
- Soda and herbal teas
- Nutritional drinks
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| Cheese biscuits |
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| Herbal tea |
Loss of Appetite
Problems such as pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or a sore or dry mouth may make eating difficult and cause you to lose interest in eating. Depression, stress and anxiety may also cause loss of appetite. If your appetite is poor or you are no longer motivated to eat, here are some suggestions to help ensure that you are getting the nutrition that you need:
- Eat three small meals and three snacks per day. Eat by the clock rather than by your hunger mechanism — at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. or whatever your daily pattern becomes.
- Choose high-calorie foods at this time, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, puddings, cooked cereals, dried fruits and vegetables dipped in hummus or prepared with olive oil. Use additional olive oil in food.
- Snack between meals. Choose fruit smoothies,milk shakes with blended ice cream, high-calorie puddings, custard; shakes, high-calorie and protein drink supplements, sandwiches, avocados and nuts. Also, keep snacks by your bedside.
- Plan for special circumstances. If you have to miss or delay a meal for a test or therapy, bring a snack of nuts, dried fruit or cheese and crackers. Ask your dietician if these foods fit into your medical diet.
- Plan your daily menu in advance. Make a shopping list of your favourite foods and beverages and have the food available. You may want to portion out snacks and keep them in the refrigerator in Ziploc bags so that they are readily available.
- Request a friend or relative for help in preparing your meals. Some grocery stores have shopping services that may be accessed through your computer. You are very important — ask for help when you need it, and ideally before you anticipate that you will need it.
- Fix several portions of your favourite foods and freeze them. This can make it easier to decide what to eat when your appetite is poor or you do not feel like cooking.
- Make food visually appealing. Eye appeal is often the first step in eating. Attractive colours and garnishes such as parsley, lemon wedges, olives and cherry tomatoes help enliven the appetite.
- Appeal to your sense of smell. Tap into the sense of well-being that smells can stimulate, such as the smell of fresh bread baking. If, however, you find that you are overwhelmed by smells at this time, stay away from the kitchen, and have someone else prepare the food.
- Make your mealtimes pleasant. Your mealtime atmosphere is important to encourage eating. Set the table, perhaps adding candles, as well as including some wine, if permitted. Whenever possible, eat with family or friends.
- Try milkshakes or supplements when you do not feel like eating.
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| Make meal time pleasant with candle light dinner. |
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| Milkshake |
Mouth Sores, Chewing or Swallowing Difficulties
Soreness and tenderness in the mouth and throat are not uncommon. If your swallowing difficulties are minor, the following suggestions may help. You may need to work with a dietician or swallowing therapist or consider alternative methods of feeding if you have severe problems.
- Eat frequent small meals and snacks to ensure that you are getting enough calories. Choose cool, smooth and bland foods. Soft solids and liquids work best.
- Cut foods into bite-sized pieces or grind them so that less chewing is required.
- Choose soft foods or foods that can be cooked until tender such as mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes,carrots, applesauce, ground beef or turkey and tofu.
- Consume liquid supplements or shakes that can be made in your blender.
- Consider using a blender to puree the foods your family is eating. When adding liquid to process the foods, remember to add high-calorie liquids — such as gravy, milk or soy milk, or broth — instead of water.
- Drink generous amounts of nutritious liquids with meals.
- Be adventurous. Try new sauces, gravies, or different oils on foods to make swallowing easier.
- Try apple, cranberryor grape juices or fruit nectars if you are sensitive to citrus juices.
- Keep some baby food on hand for something quick and tasty.
- Try drinking liquids through a straw.
- Avoid spicy, salty and acidic foods and beverages.
- Use medications like mucaine gel, dologel, sucralfate etc. to coat the ulcers prior to food as well after it to decrease the discomfort and increase the intake.
Suggested foods
- Nectars and apple juice
- Canned fruit and applesauce
- Cream of wheat
- Potato soup, chicken noodle soup and rice soup
- Custard, puddings, yoghurt and jellies
- Popsicles, ice cream and sherbet
- Milkshakes and Kellogs cornflakes, oats
- Nutritional drinks such as Ensure, Resource, Sustacal, Pediasure, pentasure critipep and Boost
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| Potato soup |
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| Ice cream :D |
Taste and Smell Changes
- Avoid red meats if they taste metallic. Eat more chicken, turkey, dairy products and casseroles.
- When foods have less taste, try tart foods such as yoghurt, lemon or orange jellies, or lemonade.
- When foods taste or smell funny, try cold or room-temperature foods.
- Try marinated or spicy foods such as enchiladas, herbed chicken or spaghetti if you do not have nausea, vomiting or mouth sores.
- Use hard candies to take away any bad taste between meals.
- Maintain good oral hygiene.
Contact details of Dr. Sanket Mehta
http://hipecindia.com/
www.facebook.com/hipecindia?fref=ts
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