What Should you Eat During Treatment?

Welcome to this week’s blog post. Today we’ll be talking about nutrition and breast cancer including your diet during treatment and recovery. Breast cancer treatment is often very brutal to the body, and having a healthy nutrition plan is key to successfully recovering.

How Frequent Should Your Meals Be?

First and foremost, it is important to have a balanced meal as the body needs proper nutrition and energy to recover. Chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal therapy etc. affect your diet as they have quite a few side effects, but it is essential to maintain your diet. Treatment causes changes in appetite so during treatment it is better to have short and frequent meals

Radiation therapy might cause nausea and vomiting- however, it is important that you do not stop eating as your body requires the nutrients and energy. Ask your doctor which anti-sickness drug is safe to consume for you. Drink a lot of fluids: water, tea, juices, smoothies to help your body rehydrate at regular intervals.

Which Food Groups Should You Target?

Consume dietary fibres (such as whole wheat bread, bhakri, fruits like banana, vegetables like spinach and broccoli, beans etc.) to keep the rest of your body functioning healthily so that it can support the quick recovery process. Incorporate fruits and vegetables, starchy carbohydrates (potatoes, whole wheat pasta), dairy (milk or yoghurt), protein (eggs, fish, meat, beans) and healthy unsaturated fats (olive oil) while trying to avoid sugary drinks and fatty food as far as possible. Fresh and homemade food are recommended so that overly spicy and acidic, or processed food  can be cut out of your diet. Other simple foods like nuts and dry fruits (e.g. almonds and walnuts) are also highly beneficial as they are nutrient rich.

Breast cancer treatment will also cause you to make some lifestyle changes. Alcohol consumption should be kept to a minimum and gentle exercise should be incorporated into  your daily lifestyle to help with the recovery process and keep you happy and healthy.

Sources consulted:

Cannon, S. (2019). Breast Cancer Diet and Nutrition. [online] Sarah Cannon. Available at: https://sarahcannon.com/for-patients/learn-about-cancer/breast-cancer/nutrition.dot [Accessed 10 Feb. 2019].

Natalie Butler, L. (2019). Breast cancer diet: Foods to eat and avoid. [online] Medical News Today. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316720.php [Accessed 10 Feb. 2019].

Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic. (2019). The Best Foods to Eat When You Have Breast Cancer. [online] Available at: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/the-best-foods-to-eat-when-you-have-breast-cancer/ [Accessed 10 Feb. 2019].

Breast Cancer Care. (2019). Your diet during treatment for breast cancer. [online] Available at: https://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/information-support/facing-breast-cancer/living-beyond-breast-cancer/your-body/diet-during-treatment-breast-cancer [Accessed 10 Feb. 2019].