Chemotherapy for breast cancer or for a stem-cell transplant will target your fastest-growing cells. Hair, skin, mucous membranes, cancer cells and all types of blood cells will be killed during each drug cycle. Your neutrophils, the white blood cells that fight infection, may be in short supply, so this will be a good time to guard against bacteria, germs and other sources of contamination. Use a neutropenic diet to protect your health while your immune system is low. Here's a list of foods to try, as well as foods to avoid when you have neutropenia.
Practice Food Safety
You probably already keep your kitchen clean, but now it's even more important to keep your cooking area, utensils, pans and all your foods safe and sanitary. Make friends with soap, bleach and water - as well as heat and cold. These will be your weapons against bacteria and microbes that may lurk in foods and on cooking- and serving-surfaces. Load up on bleach wipes and disposable towels for kitchen prep and clean-up. Serve meats, seafood and eggs well-done, and be sure fruits and veggies are well cleaned. Make food safety a routine at your house, and keep yourself and everybody else healthy.
Neutropenic Diet Foods List
| Food Groups | Safe and Healthy Foods | Good Examples | Foods to Avoid |
| Meats, Seafood and Soy |
Thoroughly cooked or canned: Beef, chicken and other poultry, pork, ham, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, lamb, seafood, game meats Hard cooked: eggs and egg white or egg substitutes Commercially packaged or canned: lunch meats and fish - must be refrigerated after opening Packaged and pasteurized: tofu (unfermented only, must be cubed and boiled before cooking) |
Canned chicken, tuna, ham and stews
Well-done meats, poultry and seafood Hard-boiled and hard scrambled eggs |
Raw or undercooked meats and seafoods, sushi
Raw or soft-cooked eggs and egg substitutes Meats, lunch meats, other cold cuts from the deli counter Sausages or salami in natural wrapping Smoked or pickled fish filets Tempeh products |
| Vegetables and herbs |
Precooked frozen or canned: hard and soft vegetables
Thoroughly washed and peeled: fresh vegetables and fresh or dried herbs |
Frozen vegetable mixes
Canned vegetables Fresh vegetables, scrubbed and peeled |
Fresh raw salad greens
Raw sprouts of beans and vegetables Unpeeled vegetables Highly textured vegetables - difficult to clean properly |
| Fruits and Nuts |
Frozen and canned: fruits and fruit juice concentrates
Thoroughly washed and peeled: fresh fruits Tinned or bottled: roasted nuts |
Frozen or canned pasteurized juices
Canned fruits and fruit mixes |
Unwashed fresh fruits
Raw nuts and nuts roasted in their shells Freshly squeezed juices - unpasteurized |
| Grains, Breads, and Cereals |
Ready-made breads, rolls, muffins, pancakes and waffles
Chips: potato, corn, tortilla Snacks: pretzels, popcorn, rice cakes Cooked pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous Cooked oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat |
Whole grain breads
Low-salt chips Instant hot cereals |
Raw grains and uncooked grain products |
| Dairy Products |
Pasteurized: milk, cream, eggnog, sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt
Commercially produced: cheese (non-mold types) Pasteurized: whipped topping - frozen, dry, and refrigerated Canned or powdered: nutritional drinks and supplements |
Extra milk or cream adds protein to soups and sauces
Nutritional drinks |
Unpasteurized or raw: dairy products
Deli cheeses Blue cheese, Stilton, Roquefort - any cheese made with mold |
| Drinks |
Bottled, canned or from the tap: water
Canned, bottled or powdered: tea, coffee, juices, smoothies, sports drinks Made with boiling water: black tea, herbal teas, coffee |
Water with a squeeze of lemon
Hot green tea |
Well water (may contain bacteria)
Cold-brewed coffee or tea Unpasteurized juices, dairy drinks, or smoothies |
| Desserts and Sweets |
Refrigerated cakes, pies, puddings, gelatin cups
Refrigerated pastries and cream-filled pastry Baked cookies (no raw dough) Popsicles and ices |
Prepackaged pudding, gelatin, and fruit cups
Fresh baked goods Homemade fruit juice popsicles |
Unrefrigerated cream-filled baked goods - donuts, pastries, cakes, cookies |
| Sources: ACS. American Cancer Society Guidelines on Diet and Cancer Prevention. 1997/10/09. | |||
