Diet and Nutrition

Nutrition plays a major role before, during and even after cancer treatment. Nourishing the body with the right kinds of food will provide the required strength and help you make you feel better. Not everyone’s nutritional patterns are affected with cancer and it’s treatment, however, alterations in diet will be necessary.

Benefits of good nutrition

Cancer will alter the way the body will tolerate certain foods and nutrients. The treatment will also affect the intake of food with physical limitations. A healthy diet and eating will benefit the cancer patient:

Feeling better

• Provide the needed strength and energy
• Helps to maintain the weight of the body to store nutrients
• Enables the body to better tolerate the treatment side effects
• Decreases the chances of infection (helps to maintain immunity)
• Faster healing and recovery
• By eating well, it means that a variety of nutrients of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and essentially water must be included in the diet.

It is important to remember to eat for health rather than to eat to fill your stomach. Keep healthy snacks handy and always travel with some food or fruits. It is advised that fruits with thick skin be peeled and eaten. Avoid fruits which have a thin skin. Cook all foods well to prevent any chances of infection.