What to Eat After a Cancer Diagnosis

After a cancer diagnosis, it’s normal to feel unsure about what to eat. Nutrition can feel confusing at the best of times, and treatment can bring new challenges. This blog focuses on practical steps to support your body through these new challenges. The recommendations provided are not a cure, but it can help you maintain strength, support recovery, and improve your overall quality of life.

Here, I’ll share guidance to help manage common concerns such as weight loss, low appetite, digestive concerns, and fatigue. The goal is to help you care for your body, reduce the impact of treatment on your overall health, and support your well-being in a safe and sustainable way.

General Recommendations

At any stage of cancer, having eating habits that focus on lean protein, high-antioxidant fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats can benefit most anyone (Chavarria, 2023). The stage and location of cancer, and your body’s unique response to treatment, can all change your dietary needs. If you are able, discuss these challenges with a registered dietitian for more specific recommendations that are unique to you.

Recommendations

• Have a look at the first two blog posts in this series for basic guidelines on healthy eating.
• Listen to your body. If you are having trouble with spices, oily foods, or certain textures, try something else.
• Change and adapt as needed. The foods you tolerate, the energy you have to cook, and your finances may all be different compared to before the diagnosis.
• Keep shelf-stable fruit like applesauce and canned peaches on hand. They last longer and may be safer for your immune system.
• Eating enough is much more important than eating perfectly.

Energy Density

Weight loss, low energy, and loss of appetite are common for people undergoing cancer treatment. There are several reasons for this and they are all connected (Arends, 2018). Having enough energy in your food can help you stay strong during and after treatment. Choosing foods that are dense in both calories and nutrients can give you the energy needed to keep you going through these new challenges.

Recommendations

• Switch to full fat dairy products like yogurt, cottage cheese, and sour cream.
• Add dense condiments with everything you eat, like butter, avocado, and nut butters.
• Use honey in warm drinks like coffee and tea. Molasses is another nutrient-dense sweetener. Try it in ginger drinks or use in baked goods.
• Smoothies are a great way to mix a handful of nutrient-dense foods and get them all at once.
• Green vegetables, beans, lentils, and whole grains are less calorie-dense, but high in minerals and other nutrients.
• Foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial in many ways. Get these fats from walnuts, flax meal, chia seeds, and fatty fish.

Protein Density

Protein is necessary for anyone, though after a cancer diagnosis, it becomes especially important because it helps with healing during and after treatment, and to help fight infections (ACS, 2022). Getting enough protein can keep you strong and prevent muscle loss and weakness. Aim for at least 1.2-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (Arends, 2018). Try these suggestions to get more protein in every meal.

Recommendations

• Focus on lean proteins like poultry, beans and lentils, tofu and tempeh, and fish.
• Check out the first blog post about new ways to incorporate these lean proteins into your meals.
• Protein powders are an easy way to boost protein intake when eating enough is a challenge.
• Dairy products, especially greek yogurt and cottage cheese, are a good source of protein in addition to being energy dense.
• Bulk up your meals with high-protein add-ons like eggs, cheese, nut butters, or extra beans.
• Seeds like flax, hemp, and chia are high-protein and easy to add to cold meal items like smoothies, cottage cheese, and ice cream.

Digestion

Digestive challenges are common for those with cancer or undergoing treatment. They are the most commonly reported side-effect of cancer treatment, and contribute to reduced quality of life. The most common digestive concerns of cancer patients are diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting (O’Reilly et al., 2020). Here are some recommendations from the American Institute for Cancer Research on how to manage some of these cancer-related digestive concerns.

Recommendations

• Drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses a day. Broth, herbal tea, gelatin, and juice all contribute to your water intake.
• Smaller, slower, and cooler. Eat smaller meals more often, eat more slowly than normal, and room temperature or cooler foods can make them easier to tolerate.
• Smoothies are great because they allow you to squeeze in several nutrient-dense ingredients into a drink, and some find the temperature and texture of smoothies soothing. Here are some tips on smoothie-making.
• Remember that a registered dietitian can help you with your unique combination of digestive concerns.
• Your doctor might recommend a high-fiber or low-fiber diet. Here are some recommendations for fiber intake changes.

Planning for When Eating is Hard

Fatigue is common for people with cancer, and it can come from both the cancer and the treatment (Arends, 2018). Because of this fatigue, there may come a time when you’re too tired to cook a meal, shop for groceries, or other activities required to make sure you are fed. Here are some recommendations for making this process easier.

Recommendations

• Keep your kitchen fully stocked with foods that you know you enjoy and tolerate well.
• Meal prep whenever you have the energy or the assistance available.
• Keep frozen meals and other ready-to-eat meals and snacks available at home.
• If you haven’t already, familiarize yourself with meal delivery and grocery delivery services.
• People in your life probably want to help you. Give practical suggestions before the fatigue kicks in, that way they know how to be helpful when you need it most.
• If people in your life offer help, ask for help with grocery items or a cooked meal if you lack the energy.
• Create a meal train for yourself when you know you’ll need help with meals. Check out the website here.

Interested in book recommendations related to cancer?

Check out these Timberland Regional Library recommendations.

References

American Cancer Society. (2022). Benefits of good nutrition during cancer treatment. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/survivorship/coping/nutrition/benefits.html

American Institute for Cancer Research. (n.d.). Treatment Tips: Planning and Preparing. https://www.aicr.org/cancer-survival//treatment-tips/during-treatment/#1579145567081-76132ddf-5402

Arends, J. (2018). Struggling with nutrition in patients with advanced cancer: nutrition and nourishment-focusing on metabolism and supportive care. Annals of Oncology, 29(2), pages ii27-ii34. https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(19)31681-3/fulltext

Chavarria, F. (2023). What to Eat After You’ve Been Diagnosed with Cancer. Keck Medicine of USC. https://www.keckmedicine.org/blog/what-to-eat-after-youve-been-diagnosed-with-cancer/

O’Reilly, M., et al. (2020). Gastrointestinal side effects of cancer treatments. Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease, 11. DOI:10.1177/2040622320970354