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Adequate nutrition will help strengthen immunity, regenerate the body and regain strength after intensive cancer treatment. It can also effectively support cancer therapy. What should a sensible diet after chemotherapy include?

Therapy with cytotoxic drugs inhibits the growth of neoplastic cells. Unfortunately - at the same time it destroys the body, weakens immunity, and can lead to anemia.

Duringchemotherapythere are also problems with the gastrointestinal tract. This hinders the absorption of nutrients and can lead to severe nutritional deficiencies.

As each organism reacts differently to cytotoxic drugs -dietmust be arranged individually when taking them. On the other hand, after chemotherapy, you need to quickly replenish the deficiencies of nutrients and take care of the regeneration of exhaustedwith cancerand body therapy.

Diet after chemotherapy: protein is essential

The fastest regeneration of the body is achieved by an easily digestible diet rich in protein. The patient should consume 100-120 g of protein every day. This is the total amount of e.g. 2-3 glasses of skim milk, 100 g of lean cottage cheese, 15 g of meat and fish, 50 g of lean sausage and an egg and 300-350 g of processed cereals: bread, groats, pasta, rice.

As much as 2/3 of the protein should be of animal origin, because it contains amino acids necessary for the construction and reconstruction of tissues, antibodies, hormones and enzymes.

Sea fish are especially important, not only as a source of protein, but also as a source of omega-3 acids (EPA, DHA), which help fight cancer cells. Scientific research confirms that EFAs (unsaturated fatty acids): alkylglycerols, squalene and EPA and DHA acids (present in the fat of marine fish) can improve the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapy. Thanks to them, cancer cells respond better to cytostatic drugs, and the body regenerates faster during the course of chemotherapy.

It is worth drinking skim milk every day. You can also reach for natural yoghurt and kefir. They have less lactose (which is often the cause of diarrhea) and contain probiotic bacteria that boost immunity.

To increase the amount of protein in your diet, it is a good idea to use powdered milk for your soups and sauces. It is worth adding to meatballs or meat rouladesegg white, and for salads and desserts - homogenized cheese.

Important

The patient should eat 4-5 small meals a day, preferably at regular times. Small portions do not burden the digestive tract, and the stomach can cope with digestion more easily. Breaks between consecutive meals should not be longer than 2-3 hours. It is advisable to eat dinner 2 hours before going to bed. It is also important to drink a minimum of 2 liters of drinks a day. Recommended: buttermilk, whey, weak tea and cereal coffee, fruit and vegetable juices and milkshakes.

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Diet after chemotherapy: lots of energy

In order for protein to fulfill its regenerative function, it cannot be treated as a source of energy and burned. Therefore, you need to provide the body with an appropriate dose of calories (2000-2400 kcal per day), mainly in the form of carbohydrates. The menu should include rolls, rusks, wheat and yeast bread, biscuits, biscuits, thread noodles, poured noodles, rice, corn grits, semolina, Krakowska, pearl barley. These products do not irritate the sick or less efficient digestive tract and are easily digestible.

The diet should not run out of fat (30-40 g per day). You can eat butter and sweet cream (milk fat is easily digestible), and use vegetable oils for cooking: soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, olive oil.

Diet after chemotherapy: vitamins and minerals

The patient should eat at least 1/2 kg of vegetables and fruit. They include, among others vitamin C, E and beta-carotene, i.e. valuable antioxidants which protect against free radicals, support treatment and largely prevent disease recurrence.

Fruits and vegetables are also a source of mood-boosting B vitamins. They also contain minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium.

Young and juicy vegetables are recommended, such as carrots, pumpkin, squash, patison, beetroot, celery, parsley, peeled tomatoes, scorzonera, asparagus, and lettuce. It is best to steam them or in water with the addition of fat. You should also eat ripe, juicy fruits: berry, citrus, rosehip, peaches, apricots, bananas, seedless grapes, as well as baked and boiled apples.

Diet after chemotherapy: tasty and colorful

Dishes served to people after chemotherapy should be warm (not hot or cold), which protects the gastric mucosa from hyperemia. Dishes should be prepared with fresh, top-quality ingredients and preferably just before serving (do not refrigerate or heat up, especially onfat).

Monotonous and distasteful meals can reduce appetite, which can be impaired anyway. Therefore, you should not give up adding mild spices to dishes, e.g. lemon juice, parsley, dill, marjoram, watercress, lemon balm, a small amount of wine vinegar, s alt, herbal pepper, sweet pepper, tarragon, basil, thyme and caraway. Salads can be seasoned with a weak vinaigrette prepared from lemon juice, olive oil and herbs.

The sweetness can be served with milk and fruit jellies, yoghurts, meringues, mousses, soufflés, jellies, puddings, fruit purees.

If a patient after chemotherapy wants to eat something forbidden, then - apart from hard-to-digest food - he must be allowed to do so. The most important thing is that he should eat at all.

Diet after chemotherapy: be careful with fiber

Dietary fiber prevents the development of certain cancers, e.g. of the large intestine and breast, because it hinders the contact of carcinogenic substances with the walls of the digestive tract and reduces their absorption.

But people treating cancers of the digestive tract should avoid products rich in fiber, because they stay in the stomach for a long time and stimulate the secretion of gastric juice. Fiber can also increase fermentation and worsen diarrhea. To avoid this, vegetables and fruits must be peeled, pitted, boiled, rubbed through a sieve or mixed.

Diet after chemotherapy: prohibited products

Food that remains in the stomach for a long time, irritating the mucous membrane and increasing the secretion of gastric juices, which aggravates digestive ailments and hinders the absorption of nutrients, should be excluded from the menu.

Don't do that

The following products should be excluded from the menu after chemotherapy:

  • alcohol, cocoa, chocolate, sparkling water, carbonated drinks and cola drinks;
  • rye, wholemeal and crispy bread;
  • fatty meats, bacon, canned meat, fish and vegetables, yellow, melted and mold cheeses, hard-boiled and fried eggs, hard margarines, lard;
  • fatty meats (pork, lamb, goose, duck);
  • fatty, thick soups and sauces, including cruciferous vegetable soups;
  • pasta, thick groats, soybeans, lentils, peas, beans;
  • potato pancakes, pancakes, cutlets, croquettes, bigos, baked beans, pizza, hamburgers, fries, chips;
  • hot spices: vinegar, pepper, paprika, chili, curry, mustard, allspice, bay leaf, nutmeg and excess s alt.

"Zdrowie" monthly

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Diets