DIET AND FITNESS:
Ideal Diet for Chemotherapy
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September 22, 2010, Last Updated May 8, 2012
By Muireann Prendergast, Contributing Columnist
You have been diagnosed with cancer and now, if that isn't
enough, you face the prospect of prolonged chemotherapy.
Understandably, you are concerned that the chemo may
destroy your taste for food. You may have no desire to eat.
The smell of a chicken roasting in the oven, the sweet taste of
strawberry jam, the feel of a crisp meringue melting on our
tongue, these are some of the food pleasures that most of us
take for granted. However, depending on your chemo
treatment, you may lose the ability to fully enjoy these
sensations, making it doubly hard to keep up your strength
and your weight.
Nausea after chemo treatment can make you lose the desire
to eat. Sore mouth, mouth and tongue ulcers, dry mouth and
difficulty swallowing can lessen your ability to taste the
flavors and feel the textures of food while a metallic taste in
your mouth after certain treatments can alter the flavor of
some foods. After effects such as constipation and weight
loss can take the enjoyment away from eating. However,
despite these challenges, can food still be an ally if you are
undergoing chemotherapy? Can food help you in your fight
against cancer? Is there an ideal diet for chemotherapy
patients which can help you to keep up your strength?
Canada’s British Colombia Cancer Society reminds
chemotherapy patients that during treatment they might lose
their appetite --- proper balanced nutrition is a must during
treatment. The Association asserts that good nutrition can
help and prevent weight loss, help fight infection and provide
energy to better manager therapy-related side effects and
most importantly, speed recovery. Indeed, a 2008 study
carried out at University of California found that apigenin, a
naturally occurring dietary agent found in vegetables and
fruit such as apples, grapes, parsley, celery and even nuts,
can improve the response of cancer cells to chemotherapy.
Bearing all this in mind, we’ve combined a list of 10 meals to
help you keep your strength up during chemo treatment. The
suggested foods are intended to be quick and easy to
prepare, keeping in mind that during treatment patient’s your
energy levels are far from optimum as regards standing for
hours in the kitchen over a stove. They can also be re-heated
or kept for later if you’re not feeling the best after preparing
them.
They are also intended to be small meals. The National Cancer
Institute recommends 5-6 small meals a day rather than three
big meals during treatment as a way of keeping up energy
levels and minimizing the effects of nausea.
1. Pomegranate Salad
A side salad of pomegranates, cucumber, olive oil (and even
feta cheese if you fancy) is as colorful as it is healthy. As you
go through your chemotherapy treatment, pomegranates are
an excellent addition to your diet. A 2001 Israeli study
discovered that pomegranate seed oil triggers what is called
apoptosis – an auto-destruct mechanism in breast cancer cells.
2. Black Raspberry Salad Dressing
A 2007 study carried out by the University Of Pittsburgh
School Of Medicine found that the anthocyanin antioxidant
found in black raspberries, responsible for their dark color,
killed cancer cells in several leukemia and lymphoma cell lines.
What an excellent excuse to cover your salads at lunch and
dinner time your day with a simple black raspberry salad
made with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar.
3. Beef Broth
A 2008 Austrian explains that chemotherapy patients can
develop anemia during their treatment. A good way to keep
up iron levels in your diet during treatment would be through
a beef broth. For best result this could be homemade using
high quality meat. Bones should be roasted in the oven and
then boiled in a large pot with carrots, celery, peppercorns,
garlic and seasoning of your choice. Not only is this meal
nutritious, but its liquid form means that it is easy to eat,
important if you don’t have much of an appetite or energy
during your cancer treatment.
4. Carrot Soup
A 2007 study carried out by the University of Georgia found
that pectin, a fiber found in fruits and vegetables kills
prostate cancer cells. Pectin is found in high quantities in
carrots. This lunchtime treat yourself to a simple, homemade
carrot soup made with vegetable stock, ground pepper, one
onion and some rice to give it some body.
5. Spinach Tart
Spinach tart made with low fat cheese, onions and even a
boiled egg, if you feel like it, is a delicious and original choice
for lunch or dinner, but did you know it also has cancer-
fighting properties? A 2008 Japanese study found that, in
studies with mice, the glyconutrients in spinach killed cancer
cells and prevented the growth of new cancer cells.
6. Rice pudding
A 2008 German study found that Vitamin K2 not only could
help reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 35% but killed
cancer cells in the prostate at an advanced stage. Vitamin K2
is found in high levels in dairy products so if you are looking
for an easy-to-prepare and easy-to-eat dessert, rice pudding
using low fat milk and eggs, another rich source of K2 is a
great option.
7. Whey Protein Smoothies
Gluthathione is an antioxidant that helps protect the body
from toxic compounds. A 1995 Canadian study found that
whey protein helps lower glutathione levels in cancer cells but
enhance the concentration of glutathione in normal cells. For
a sweet treat, patients can use a teaspoon of whey protein to
make a simple smoothie using your favorite fruits and yogurt.
8. Apple Pie
Six studies published over the 2008-2009 period at Cornell
University revealed that fresh apple extracts noticeably
inhibited the size of mammary tumors in rats. Another option
for dessert is homemade apple pie with cinnamon and cloves.
9. Mandarin Orange Juice
A great and healthy way to start the day is with orange juice,
but this time, make your juice from mandarins. Two Japanese
studies published in 2006 found that participants in studies
who regularly consumed mandarins had lesser risks of
developing liver cancer than those who did not. Blend the
mandarin juice with some apple and carrot juice to make it
even more tasty and nutritious.
10. Fish Pie? --Maybe Not
A fish pie made with salmon or cod, potatoes and peas is an
excellent meal for chemotherapy patients. A Colorado State
University study published in 2000 found that the
polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids found in fish oil inhibited the
growth of tumors in a study carried out in dogs. It also helps
that fish pies don’t require much chewing or digestion making
them a good choice for patients suffering from mouth sores
or having difficulty swallowing.
But there are serious reasons you should avoid fish while you
are undergoing chemotherapy. New research casts doubt on
whether cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy should
eat fish at all. Scientists at the University Medical Center of
Utrecht University in the Netherlands published a study in
September 2011 that showed that mice, when fed a diet of
fish oils, became resistant to chemotherapy. Why? When you
undergo chemotherapy, your body secretes a special type of
fatty acid called platinum fatty acids (PIFA). These fatty acids
fight the effects pf chemotherapy.
So, for now, lead researcher Professor Emile Voest is advising
that you avoid fish: "Where resistance to chemotherapy is
concerned, we usually believe that changes in the cancer cells
themselves have occurred. Now we show that the body itself
secretes protective substances into the blood that are
powerful enough to block the effect of chemotherapy. These
substances can be found in some types of fish oil. Whilst
waiting for the results of further research, we currently
recommend that these products should not be used whilst
people are undergoing chemotherapy."
Update:
11. Add Tamarac to Improve Chemo's Effectiveness
A new report has found that adding tamarac spice in your
meals improves the effectiveness of chemotherapy. The spice
that turns curry yellow, variously called curcumin or tamarac,
has been found in early studies to increase the body's
receptiveness to chemotherapy.
You're just getting started. Learn more about the relationship
between your diet and your risk for other diseases and
conditions: Foods That Fight Cancer / How Does Cancer
Actually Kill You / Coffee Fights Cancer -New Study / Beets
Lower Blood Pressure-But There's a Big Catch / How Much
Is Too Much Salt? /Sugar-The Disease Connection / Are Diet
Sodas Bad for Your Health? / Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics /
Ideal Breakfast for Arthritis /Healing Foods Links / Foods
That Shrink Your Waist / Foods That Lower Cholesterol/
VLDL-The Other Cholesterol/ Foods That Reduce Blood
Pressure
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