Proper nutrition can help cancer patients feel better
During her fiancé's two-year battle with brain cancer, Maranda Cress fought back with food.
Learning how important proper diet and nutrition was to a cancer patient, Cress consulted dietitians and nutritionists for recipes, or for modifications to her own concoctions.
She threw herself into preparing meals that relied heavily on plantbased, vitamin-rich foods as Joe Mercer went through debilitating treatments.
Cress, a Coshocton resident, also began taking notes during the long ordeal — notes on cancer, on treatments, mental health and on stories she heard from fellow patients and caregivers.
Mercer faced long odds from the start. Cress said doctors told him his cancer had about a 5% survival rate. He died in January 2012 at age 30. The collection of recipes and notes sat on a shelf for many years, Cress said.
“It took me awhile to realize what I was making was a book,” said Cress, 38. “It took me quite a few years to decide to open that chapter back up.”
Two years ago, Cress began putting it together, a project complicated by COVID-19 and the fact that she homeschooled four children for the 2020-21 school year. (She is married to James Cress and has a blended family of seven children overall).
The result was a self-published book released in March, “Cooking for a Cure: A Nutritional Guide for Cancer Patients and their Caregivers.”
It contains plenty of recipes, but also inspirational quotes, lists of resources, and anecdotes and stories from others she met during Mercer's fight.
“I hope it helps people,” Cress said. “When I took (Mercer) to doctor's ap
“When I took (Mercer) to doctor’s appointments or to treatment, I always felt alone. I wanted to change that for other people.”
Maranda Cress
pointments or to treatment, I always felt alone. I wanted to change that for other people.”
Proper nutrition is critical for cancer patients, said Dr. Carolyn Presley, an oncologist at Ohio State University’s Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital.
“I would say that other than physical activity, nutrition is the No. 1 modifiable component the patient has control over during the cancer journey,” Presley said. “What you eat really affects how they feel, and even what side effects you might experience while getting cancer treatment.”
Presley and Colleen Spees, a registered dietitian who is an associate professor in OSU’S College of Medicine, are helping to lead a national study on lung cancer patients in which some patients are receiving medically-tailored diets and nutrition counseling.
Their hope is that it will reinforce the importance of nutrition during cancer care.
“Health care professionals have always known about the importance of nutrition,” Spees said. “But the problem in oncology now is that in most cases, there is not a dietitian that is fully integrated into the cancer-care team.”
At the moment, Spees said, the ratio of dietitians to cancer patients is 1 to about 2,300, when it should be about 1 to 120.
According to the American Cancer Society, tips for cancer patients include to stay well-hydrated and to eat a diet featuring plenty of protein (lean meats, not red meats) and enough calories. Citrus fruits and yellow and leafy green vegetables help provide vitamins and minerals.
Avoid fried and spicy foods, along with saturated fats.
Experts also recommend eating smaller meals more often rather than two to three large meals. Caregivers can have portion-sized entrees frozen and ready to eat for when patients who may be experiencing nausea from treatments feel better.
Presley and Spees say to make sure patients consult their professional care team with any nutrition questions, and to avoid getting information from anyone trying to sell products. Certain herbal remedies or supplements can actually interfere with some treatments rather than help, they said.
The duo say they are encouraged by preliminary results from their study, which launched in 2019 and is about halfway complete.
“Patients are feeling better, a lot better, and are having fewer side effects,” Presley said. “Overall, they are more engaged and feel they have more ownership over how they can contribute to their own health. So that affects not only how they physically feel, but also provides mental health support, as well.”
Cress’ book can be purchased on her Facebook page facebook.com/ Marandacress/. Presley and Spees recommend getting information from either the American Cancer Society at.cancer.org or the American Institute for Cancer Research aicr.org. kgordon@dispatch.com @kgdispatch