Foods to Eat While on Chemotherapy

Proper nutrition through chemotherapy greatly increases the chances of a successful outcome. Although nausea is one of the most frequent side-effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients, it should not be allowed to be one of the most harmful. There are many things cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy can do to increase the amount of nutrients they receive. While guidelines can be drawn and a listof certain foods can be given to aid the patient, a lot of it will be up to the individual patient. One of the most important parts of maintaining proper nutrition through chemotherapy is understanding when to eat. Nausea in cancer patients is much less severe in the morning, and increases as the day goes on. For this reason, a healthy, well-rounded breakfast is vital. Get your nutrients early in the day while you still have an appetite for food.

As far as which types of foods to eat, and which to avoid, here is a list that helps to avoid some of the common problems found in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

1. Avoid salt - A very frequent symptom of chemotherapy patients is sores in the mouth. Salty foods will only aggrevate the sores and make eating an unpleasant experience.

2. Eat even if you aren´t hungry - This is vital because your normal sense of hunger might be overridden by your nausea. If you aren´t full, eat, even if you don´t have hunger. By the time you are actually hungry, there is a good chance you will be too ill in the stomach to eat.

3. Bland foods - Follow the BRAT diet often associated with an upset stomach. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. These foods will antagonize your nausea the least.

4. Nutritious foods - While this may seem obvious, during chemotherapy when your eating opportunities are limited by nausua, make sure you are eating healthy foods when you can eat. Pay special attention to protein, as this is difficult for chemotherapy patients to keep up with. Keep unsalted nuts at hand for a frequent snack.

5. Avoid your favorite foods on treatment days - Realize that despite your best efforts, your brain will start to associate the food with the extreme sickness that follows. Many chemotherapy patients like to ´prepare´ themselves for a treatment by eating their favorite foods beforehand. It is not uncommon for that patient to hate that food by the time treatments are finished.

Nutrition is absolutely vital for increasing the chances of successful chemotherapy. The best way to obtain your nutrients is to plan and prepare large, well balanced breakfasts. Nausea is least powerful in the morning and it is a good time to get your vitamins, minerals and most importantly protein.