Eating Well After Cancer Treatment 

Tips For Healthy Eating After Cancer Treatment

Good nutrition is particularly relevant for people with cancer. There may be some nutritional changes patients can make now that will prove helpful during treatment. A good start is to eat a healthy diet. This can make you sounder, help you keep your weight, and help you resist infection. It may even help with the side effects of cancer treatment.

Good Nutrition Plan Is Crucial For Post-Treatment Recovery

Most diet-related side effects of cancer treatments disappear following the treatment. Some side effects can last for some time. If this occurs to you, talk to your cancer care team and work out a plan to handle the obstacle.

Recommendations For Cancer Survivors

As cancer patients start to feel better, they may have questions about eating a better diet. Just as cancer patients needed to go into treatment with the best nutrition that they could get, they’ll want to do the best for themselves at this important time, too. Eating well will help regain strength and energy, rebuild tissue, and feel better overall.

After cancer treatment, as a cancer survivor, patients are eager to return to good health. But beyond initial recovery, there are ways to improve long-term health so that patients can enjoy the years ahead as a cancer survivor.

The recommendations for cancer survivors are no different from the advice for anyone who wants to improve his or her health: Exercise, eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, get good sleep, reduce stress, shun tobacco and limit the amount of alcohol you drink.

Anyone who has had cancer understands that they never want to have cancer again. Nutrition plays a role in about 30% of cancer cases. In addition, about one-third of cancer could be prevented through a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and regular exercise. After not smoking, excess weight is the leading preventable cause of cancer. A healthy lifestyle can help you recover after cancer, and help reduce your recurrence risk.

After treatment, eat a balanced diet and include a variety of healthy foods. The American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research offer guidance for a healthy diet, including foods to enjoy and those to limit. A healthy diet can help support a healthy weight and balanced nutrition, as well as recovery after cancer treatment.

But for cancer survivors, the resulting strategies have attached advantages. These simple steps can improve your quality of life, easing your transition into survivorship. Here's what cancer patients can do to take care of themselves after cancer treatment.

Eat A Well Balanced Diet

Cancer patients should vary their diet to include lots of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains. When it comes to selecting  entrees, the American Cancer Society recommends that cancer survivors:

• Eat at least 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day

• Choose healthy fats, including omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish and walnuts

• Select proteins that are low in saturated fat, such as fish, lean meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, and legumes

• Opt for healthy sources of carbos, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables

This blend of foods will ensure that you're eating lots of the vitamins and nutrients you need to help make your body strong.

It's unknown if a specific diet or certain nutrients can keep cancer from returning. Studies examining low-fat diets or diets that include particular fruits and vegetables have had mixed results. Overall, it's a good idea to eat a varied diet that highlights fruits and vegetables.

While it may be attractive to improve your diet with a host of vitamin and mineral supplements, patients are advised to oppose that urge. Some cancer survivors think that if a small amount of vitamins is good, a large amount must be even better. But that isn't the case. In fact, large amounts of certain nutrients can hurt you.

If you're worried about getting all the vitamins you need, ask your doctor if taking a daily multivitamin is right for you.

Vitamin And Mineral Supplements - Are They Any Good?

Patients can get all of their daily recommended nutrients from a well-balanced diet. If your diet is lacking, taking a low-dose multivitamin and mineral supplement can help.

Some people take large amounts of antioxidants, herbs, or extra vitamins and minerals because they think it will help cure their cancer. This hasn’t been shown to help in the fight against cancer. During some kinds of cancer treatments, this can actually harm you. If you’re thinking about taking any vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements, talk with your doctor first. A dietitian or pharmacist can also answer your questions.

What Is Food Safety

During cancer treatment, the patient’s body has a hard time fighting off infection. It’s more important than ever to make sure that the foods cancer patients are eating are safe. This will reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses and other contaminations. Here we have simple steps for food safety:

• Wash your hands and cooking surfaces as often as you can.

• Keep the area of your kitchen clean for preparing and eating food.

• Use paper towels or clean cloths instead of sponges to clean kitchen surfaces.

• Use an antibacterial cleaning spray to clean surfaces. Look for products that have bleach or ammonia.

• Before and after preparing food, wash your hands well with soap and warm water for 15 to 20 seconds.

• Wash your cutting boards, dishes, and utensils with soap and hot water before cooking each food item and before moving on to the next food item.

• Wash all fruits and vegetables well before eating, even if you’re going to peel off the skin.

• Separate raw foods from other foods

• Separate raw foods (such as raw meat, poultry, and fish) from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags, and in your refrigerator.

• Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and fish.

• Cook foods to proper temperatures.

• Don’t eat foods that have raw or undercooked eggs, meat, poultry, or fish.

• Use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods. Measure the temperature at the center of the thickest part of the food.