(LifeWire) - Just when you most need to bolster yourself with good nutrition, your appetite drops off. Or maybe you feel too queasy or too sick to eat. Here's how to get the best nutrition in your diet during breast cancer treatment:
Follow Basic Dietary Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have set daily dietary guidelines for all Americans as follows:
- 2 cups fruit
- 2 1/2 cups vegetables
- 3 ounces of whole grains (minimum)
- 5 1/2 ounces of meat or legumes
- 2-3 teaspoons of fats or oils
In order to maintain your current weight, you'll need to get a certain number of calories per day. You can figure out your daily calorie needs by multiplying your weight by 15 calories per pound.
Before attempting to gain or lose weight during breast cancer treatment, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian. She or he can help you decide whether weight gain or loss makes sense for you and what sort of calorie count you should aim for on a daily basis.
Also, don't forget that you need to drink adequate water and fluids -- most sources recommend about 6 to 8 glasses of water per day. You'll need this amount to replace any fluids lost through vomiting or diarrhea and to help flush the toxic by-products of various treatments from your body. If you continue to have problems with vomiting or diarrhea, check with your doctor to see if you should increase your daily fluids.
The Most Important Nutrients for Cancer Recovery
Cancer treatments typically destroy some healthy cells and tissues, so you need particularly good nutrition in order for your body to repair itself, produce healthy new cells and improve immune system functioning. Some of the nutrients that can help in these tasks include:
- Proteins are crucial for healing and repairing tissue, producing important body chemicals and boosting the immune system.
- About 10 to 35% of your daily calorie intake should be in the form of proteins.
- They are best obtained through eating lean meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, dairy products, legumes and nuts.
- To determine your target protein intake in grams, multiply your body weight by 0.5 to 0.6.
- Carbohydrates supply most of your body's energy needs.
- About 45 to 65% of your daily calorie intake should be carbohydrates.
- Best obtained from minimally processed, whole-grain breads, pastas and cereals.
- Fat is important for the production of new cells and absorption of vitamins.
- No more than 30% of your daily caloric intake should be fats.
- They are best obtained through eating oil-containing plant foods, such as nuts and some grains, or from seafood.
- Fiber helps maintain healthy blood levels of cholesterol and sugar and helps prevent constipation.
- Aim for about 21 to 25 grams of fiber per day.
- They are best obtained through whole-grain foods, vegetables, fruits and legumes.
- Vitamins and minerals are important for the functioning of your body's cells and tissues.
- They are best obtained through a varied diet. (For example, make sure you choose fruits and vegetables of various colors.)
- Check with your doctor before trying to bolster your vitamin and mineral intake by taking pills or supplements. Research generally indicates that vitamins and minerals from your regular diet are better than those taken as supplements.
But I Just Can't Eat ...
Unfortunately, appetite loss, nausea and vomiting are common side effects of some cancer treatments. Chemotherapy and radiation attack fast-growing, fast-dividing cancer cells, but they're not targeted enough to avoid affecting normal cells that share these same characteristics. In particular, cells from the mouth, nose, stomach and intestine can all suffer during cancer treatment, affecting your sense of smell and taste, impairing your enjoyment of food and making you feel queasy and nauseated. The fear and anxiety caused by cancer diagnosis and treatment can also take a toll on your appetite.
It's frustrating to try to force yourself to eat when you feel miserable, but eating is crucial to maintaining your overall health, strength and well-being. In short, it's worth making an extra effort.
Here are some ideas to help:
- Keep an eating schedule. Make sure you sit down with something healthy at usual meal and snack times. Don't go by appetite, since you may not ever feel very hungry.
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
- Tune in to any new rhythms. For example, you may feel better in the morning and become more nauseated as the day wears on. If so, make your breakfast particularly nutritious.
- Take healthful snacks with you wherever you go, in case you suddenly feel hungry. Good choices include cheese sticks, peanut butter crackers or nuts.
- Avoid empty calories, that is, foods and beverages, such as desserts, candy, alcohol, salty snack foods and soda. If you feel well enough to eat, make sure the food really counts nutritionally.
- Don't drink just before or during your meals. It's better to fill up on more nutritious solid foods.
- If you're having difficulty eating solid foods, consider drinking your nutrition by blending up shakes or smoothies with healthy ingredients, such as yogurt, whole fruit, flaxseed and liquid or powdered nutritional supplements.
- Check with your doctor before you start adding vitamins, minerals, antioxidants or herbal supplements to your diet. Most doctors don't recommend a megadose of vitamins, minerals or antioxidants while patients are receiving cancer treatments. You should also check before using herbal treatments. Some are all right to use, but others could interfere with your cancer treatments or put you at risk in some other way.
- If you're experiencing nausea, ask your doctor about medications to combat it.
- If you still can't bring yourself to eat, ask your doctor whether an appetite-boosting medication, such as Megace (megestrol acetate), may be appropriate.
Emotional factors can also play a significant role in appetite. Here are some points to keep in mind:
- Exercise when you can. It's a great natural booster of appetite -- and mood.
- Find other avenues to help relieve stress. Yoga, meditation, support groups and breathing or relaxation exercises can all help lower your stress level, which could improve your appetite.
- Evaluate your mood. Sometimes the stress and anxiety of a cancer diagnosis can lead to actual depression, which can significantly impair appetite. If you notice that you're stuck in a low mood or feeling much bluer than usual, ask your physician to evaluate you for possible depression.
Sources:
"Dietary Guidelines for Americans." Health.gov. 2005. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Agriculture. 26 Jun. 2008.
Doyle, Colleen, Lawrence H. Kushi, Tim Byers, Kerry S. Courneya, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Barbara Grant, Anne McTiernan, Cheryl L. Rock, Cyndi Thompson, Ted Gansler, Kimberly S. Andrews. "Nutrition and Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment: An American Cancer Society Guide for Informed Choices." A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 56:6(2006): 323-53. 26 Jun. 2008.
"Nutrition." Breastcancer.org. 19 Jun. 2008. Breastcancer.org. 26 Jun. 2008.
"Nutrition for the Person With Cancer." Cancer.org. 2008. American Cancer Society. 26 Jun. 2008.
"Nutrition Problems and Their Solution." Clevelandclinic.org. Cleveland Clinic Center for Consumer Health Information. 26 Jun. 2008.
