How to eat well with cancer
Renowned dietitian Jane Clarke has helped cancer patients to eat well for 30 years. Here, she reveals how best to nourish your body
‘If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, the food you eat can make a huge difference to your experience. But it’s not easy to know exactly what to eat, especially when you’re dealing with side-effects such as loss of appetite, fatigue, a sore mouth and weight loss,’ says Jane. ‘Food can improve how you get through treatment, how strong you feel, how you manage the side-effects and how you live with the disease. Taking control of what you eat and how you eat can be extremely important when it feels as though you have no control over your body and your life. If you’re helping a loved one through cancer, learning about the best foods to help them could be a wonderful way to offer support. It can seem like there’s very little we can do to help practically, but knowing we can give someone the best nourishing foods is a way of doing something positive, caring and loving.’ Here are Jane’s top tips…
QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY
People often think that when you’re diagnosed with cancer, you should eat a lot of food in order to build up your strength. But the shock of diagnosis can result in a loss of appetite, and a common mistake, particularly from loved ones, is to put a big plate of food in front of you, saying, ‘You have to eat it.’ It’s far better to eat small dishes of beautifully prepared food so it’s not overpowering and daunting but titillates the taste buds and inspires you to eat. Try serving in little ramekins or on small side plates to build up confidence again around food.
PROTEIN POWER
When your body is dealing with cancer treatment, it becomes catabolic, meaning it breaks down muscle. So to maintain muscle strength, eat protein-rich foods such as fish, eggs, beans, lentils and meat. Make sure you eat enough other calories so the protein is used for muscle.
How much should I eat? The average person needs one gram of protein per kilo of body weight daily, but when you’re living with cancer, you should eat three times that amount.
GO WITH YOUR GUT
One of the main effects of cancer treatment is its impact on the gut, which is responsible for digestion, absorption of nutrients and the excretion of waste. Any cancer treatment will hit the gut hard, especially chemo- or immunotherapies, which target rapidly dividing cancer cells, as unfortunately the gut is also full of these types of cells. That’s why you may feel sick, get constipation or diarrhoea, and why your appetite can disappear. Make sure you nourish your gut by eating plenty of soups, broths and stewed fruit.
FRUIT AND VEG APPEAL
Eating plenty of nutrient-rich fruit and veg during treatment is crucial. They can give a psychological boost because you know you’re taking in antioxidants that can fight against cancers: vitamin C, betacarotene and riboflavin. They’re also important because they’re full of fibre to help with constipation. Try soups, broths and colourful roasted vegetables, but avoid eating raw fruit and veg when undergoing treatment, as they can be hard to digest. Stewing or poaching fruit helps with digestibility and absorption.
FIGHTING FATIGUE
If you’re feeling particularly tired, this is often due to lack of iron. Make sure you eat iron-rich foods such as green leafy veg, eggs, chickpeas, lentils and red meat. Hydration is important, but avoid sugary drinks because you crash afterwards, leading to more fatigue.
CAN SUGAR MAKE CANCER WORSE?
You might have heard that sugar makes cancer grow more quickly, but this is a myth and not something you need to worry about.
However, we do know that it’s better for your body if sweetness comes from a natural source. Eat lovely Medjool dates, stewed fruits and berries because they don’t disturb the microbiome, which is the good bacteria in your gut. Studies have found that a good microbiome can positively influence the efficacy of any treatment, as well as making your gut more stable. Veg, fruit, wholegrain foods, lentils and organic dairy are great for nurturing a good microbiome, too.
WHAT IF I’M NEUTROPENIC?
Neutropenia is common after chemotherapy and increases your risk of infections. It happens when drugs used to kill cancer cells also kill disease-fighting white blood cells, so you’re at greater risk of food poisoning. Avoid foods such as raw fish, honey and unpasteurised dairy.