In case of cancer, patients are often prescribed chemotherapy treatment, implying systemic administration of highly toxic antitumor drugs.
These medicines cause a lot of side effects, therefore, all organic systems under such treatment are subjected to serious functional disorders.
To facilitate the condition, oncological patients are prescribed a special diet that provides the body with vitamins and essential microelements, and also reduces the severity of such adverse reactions as nausea and vomiting, problems with defecation, taste changes and aversion to food.
How to eat with chemotherapy?
For specialists with oncology, passing or already undergoing chemotherapy treatment, specialists have developed a special diet.
They identified several product groups, which must necessarily be present in the menu of cancer patients.
- Dairy products. Products in this category are rich in vitamins and calcium, which contribute to the restoration of a weakened chemotherapy and oncopathology of the body. It is very useful several times a day to eat milk, cottage cheese, butter and cheese, yogurt and kefir.
- Protein Products. This includes fish and various types of meat, eggs and liver, nuts and soy. These products in addition to protein are rich in B-group vitamins and iron. Such food should be present in the diet twice a day, at least.
- Seafood. Products from this category must also be included in the daily diet of the cancer patient. A day is enough to consume at least 200 grams.seafood.
- Cereals and bread. The most useful cereals for such patients are buckwheat, yolk, oatmeal and oatmeal. These products are rich in various forms of vitamin B and are easily digestible carbohydrates, which is important for the weakened by the disease and chemotherapeutic treatment of the body.
- Vegetable and fruit products. It is recommended to eat them in dried, raw or cooked form. Especially useful are grapefruits, mandarins, apples and oranges, rich in ascorbic acid. Among vegetable crops, cabbage, carrots, aubergine and beets will be of great benefit. Very useful for cancer patients and different greens - onions and dill, celery, garlic, etc. Particularly noteworthy is broccoli, since it contains isothiocyanate, which suppresses cancer cells. Also useful are yellow vegetables like pumpkin and carrots, because they contain anticarcinogenic substances.
Nutrition of cancer patients after chemotherapy
After chemotherapy treatment it is necessary to eat balanced. It is recommended to include in the daily menu products with antitumor activity.
Usually, after anticancer therapy, gastrointestinal activity is severely impaired, so the food regimen is organized so that adverse reactions to chemotherapy are avoided.
Nutrition rules after treatment with antitumor drugs:
- Distribute meals so that food is fractional. Eat more often, but let the portions be small;
- Try to eat regularly, even when there is no appetite at all;
- Do not combine food and drink. To drink tea, juice or water is allowed half an hour before meals and an hour after it;
- Do not make yourself hungry. Always keep an apple, a whole-grain biscuit, a banana or some other snack, so that when you first demand the body, you can satisfy your hunger.
Many patients after chemotherapy note a taste change or lack of appetite. Cope with this problem can.
It is recommended to eat that food that attracts you both externally and by smell. From food, which is disgusting for you, it is better to refuse. It is better to eat dishes that have room temperature, because their flavor is softer.
Oncological patients complain after chemotherapeutic treatment and on characteristic nausea-vomiting manifestations. You can get rid of them with antiemetic means. And do not forget about the small size of portions, so you can avoid overfilling the stomach.
Can I eat before chemotherapy?
Usually chemotherapy treatment is prescribed by sessions, therefore the nutrition system requires careful organization not only after the procedures, but also during and before, as well.
There are several rules that should be followed before systemic introduction of antitumor drugs.
- Three days before chemotherapy will have to limit the diet.
- Portions should be small.
- The amount of food should be reduced, but within reason, so that the patient does not feel obvious hunger, otherwise you can bring yourself to exhaustion.
- It is necessary to refuse from sharply-salty spices and spices, so as not to overload the stomach.
- Be sure to exclude fatty and heavy food.
Restrictions on food may depend on the type of chemotherapy, so it is recommended to clarify the nuances of nutrition at the doctor.
Alcohol with chemotherapy treatment
Course chemotherapy takes quite a long time, and in fact in every family there are any celebrations and holidays. How to be oncology if a feast with alcohol is planned?
Alcohol, as is known, irritatively affects the tissues, which is accompanied by a vasodilating effect. With spasm of blood vessels in non-oncological patients, such an effect can be beneficial, but for patients with cancer it is dangerous.
In the case of cancer patients, the organic reactivity is highly variable and can be manifested by paradoxical or allergic reactions. Alcohol affects all organic structures negatively, which only distorts their reactivity. Therefore, the use of alcohol soon after chemotherapy can lead to a catastrophic deterioration of the patient's condition.
If there is a question about the use of drugs in the form of alcoholic tinctures, then it is recommended that oncology patients take them in drops.
Sometimes a few sips of light wine help the cancer patient to increase their appetite. But it is worth considering that when interacting with alcohol, the effectiveness of antitumor drugs is reduced, and adverse reactions, on the contrary, are intensified.
Chemotherapy in some oncopathologies has established itself as a very effective method of treatment. It is not devoid of side reactions, but with the observance of medical recommendations and special diet, their severity can be substantially reduced.
The main thing is that chemotherapy gives cancer a chance for a later life.
Video about what food leads to oncology and what is useful for cancer: