Nutritional Recommendations for Oncology Patients

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells. Among the nutritional factors that cause this; wrong food selection and malnutrition, being overweight and insufficient physical activity.

What Nutritional Problem Develops in Cancer Patients?

In cancer types treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, depending on the treatment feeding problems may develop. These problems are;

• Anorexia
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Pain in the mouth or throat
• Intraoral sores
• Odor or sensitivity to taste changes
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea and constipation
• Drug-food interaction
• Sensitivity to allergenic foods
• Fluid balance
• Changes in blood findings.

Cancer patients need a sufficient and balanced diet. For this, the following general recommendations should be followed.

• Ideal body weight should be maintained.
• Fat and sugar consumption should be reduced.
• Processed meats (such as sausage, salami, sausage) should be avoided. ) and offal should be avoided.
• Boiling, steaming or cooking in the oven should be preferred as cooking methods.
• Excessive salt consumption should be avoided.
• Conditions for the storage conditions of foods Attention should be paid.

How Should Nutrition Be While Receiving Cancer Treatment?

Before the treatment, the body should be strengthened with healthy foods. Plenty of vegetables and fruits should be consumed. Many people lose weight during treatment (other than hormone therapy). Therefore, body weight should be kept at a "normal" level or even slightly above normal before treatment.

There are no definite and fixed diet and nutrition rules in any cancer treatment. Physicians or dietitians should be asked about nutritional recommendations during or immediately after one of the treatment methods is applied.

It should not be forgotten that some patients can continue to eat normally. Some patients lose their appetite and do not want to eat anything. Others feel hungry and want to eat but cannot eat. The desire to eat or not to eat and the appearance of good or bad food may vary according to different treatment methods. Treatment can take days or weeks. The reactions of the body may vary according to the treatment applied.

Try to consume these five basic food groups every day during the treatment.

• First Group: Legumes such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, chickpeas, lentils, and dried beans. We recommend that you consume fish 2 days a week, red meat 2 days, chicken 2 days, and legumes such as chickpeas, dry beans, lentils 1 day.
• Second Group: Vegetables
• Third Group: Fruits (except Grapefruit)
• Fourth Group: Cereals, breads, rice, pastas
• Fifth Group: Yogurt, ayran, cheese, milk and dairy products

When you can eat, take foods that contain enough protein and calories. These will help you maintain your strength, prevent the deterioration of body tissues, and regenerate tissues that may be damaged by treatment. Pay attention to breakfast. Although loss of appetite is usually encountered, food consumption is better at breakfast.

In order to evaluate this, you should consume fruit and freshly squeezed fruit juices, eggs, cheese, honey, molasses, and bread. If you do not feel well and you only want to eat one or two things, eat them until you can eat other foods.

Make sure to drink plenty of water on the days you receive chemotherapy. Water is essential for your body to function properly. Drinking enough fluids ensures that your body gets the fluid it needs.

For most adults, 6-8 glasses of water a day is enough. Carry a water bottle with you during the day. This can help you get into the habit of drinking lots of water. If you don't want to drink water, drink whatever you want. Don't worry when you have a very poor appetite.

Do whatever you can to make yourself feel better. Start eating as soon as you can eat, if your inability to eat does not improve in a day or two, tell your doctor. Do not consume grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice during chemotherapy treatment. Avoid foods with excessive salt and excessive sugar.

How to Solve Problems

Loss of Appetite
Anorexia or loss of appetite is the most common problem encountered during treatment. Indeed, cancer cells secrete a substance that convinces the body that it is not hungry. normal eater but it is common to suspect that a person who is weakening or suddenly losing all interest in food and starting to lose weight is ill. But do not forget that fear or depression can also cause a loss of appetite. During the treatment, side effects such as nausea, vomiting, different smells or tastes of food may cause the patient to lose appetite. Anorexia may last for only a few days or may continue throughout the treatment or even after the treatment has ended.

If your appetite has decreased;

• Even if you are not hungry, you should force yourself to eat. You should eat small amounts often. Thus, it will be easier to get more nutrients.
• Keep fast food on hand, so you can easily reach it whenever you want to eat something. Cheese and crackers, fruit, yogurt, pudding are some of them. Take foods such as biscuits, crackers or raisins with you when you go out.
• Sometimes changing the shape of foods makes them more appetizing. For example, if eating fresh fruit whole is problematic, you can eat fruit as compote, puree, compote. If you add crushed walnuts and hazelnuts to milk desserts, the volume will not change, but the energy and protein value will increase. You can eat it by adding honey and molasses to milk and/or yogurt.
• Make your mealtimes as calm and pleasant as possible. It can help you eat if you prepare food in an attractive way.
• Regular exercise can whet your appetite. Talk to your doctor and find out if you can exercise. You should be fed solid foods first and then liquid foods.

Pain in the Mouth or Throat
Pain in the mouth, tenderness in the gums and sore throat are often caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. You should still try to eat. But salty, acidic, hard and dry foods will be difficult to chew and swallow. Therefore, you should choose soft and nutritious foods. For example; Yogurt, banana, mashed potatoes, mashed soups, vegetable puree, salep, ripe fresh fruit, cooked eggs a, you can eat cooked meat, applesauce, soft cheese, pasta, custard, rice pudding. It is better to consume prepared vegetable and fruit purees. Baby foods are excellent foods for those with mouth or throat problems and are often very nutritious. Many baby foods are also fortified with vitamins and minerals.

If you have painful mouth problems;

• You should rinse your mouth with various cleaning agents before and after meals.
• You should avoid hot, spicy, acidic foods, raw fruits and vegetables, salty foods.
• If you have difficulty in chewing, you should consume juicy, semi-watery or all kinds of food in the form of blenderized foods.

Smell or Taste Change
Your sense of taste and smell may change during treatment. Food, especially meat and other high protein foods, begins to taste bitter or metallic. Many foods become less or less flavorful. These changes may be caused by the disease itself or by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Dental problems also lead to changes in taste and smell. These changes usually return to normal after treatment is completed.

If your sense of taste has changed;

• Do your own shopping, choose and prepare foods that look good and smell good.
• Make your own choice of meat. Enhance the flavor by investing the meat in fruit juices or sauces you like.
• Use aromatic herbs and spices such as basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, and add onions or garlic to your meals to change the taste and smell of your meals.
• Try to eat sweets and pudding flavored with citrus.
• You should consume the food cold or at room temperature.
• You should consume foods with different looks and colors.
• Avoid food odors or bad you should avoid smelly foods.

Nausea is a common side effect of many treatments. Nausea; may occur during treatment, immediately after treatment, or a few days later. It usually goes away a week or two after treatment is completed. Some drugs that can control nausea There are drugs. Consult your doctor to take these drugs.

Vomiting may be accompanied by nausea and may occur due to some cancer treatments. Vomiting may occur without nausea.

If you have nausea and vomiting;

• Eat foods that will relax the stomach. For example, you should eat dry foods such as toast, crackers, cereals, bagels, pasta, lean muffins or sweets, baked or boiled skinless boiled chicken, feta cheese, dried fruits.
• When you are sick, you should eat fatty foods. Avoid fried foods, spicy or hot foods, and heavy-smelling foods.
• You should not go to bed after eating. You should eat your meals little by little and slowly.
• Eat between meals if you feel hungry. Eat foods that appeal to you. If your favorite foods are nauseating, don't eat them.
• If you have nausea when you wake up in the morning, eat crackers or toast before getting out of bed.

Do not eat or drink anything before the bouts of vomiting. After the vomiting is under control, try to eat light foods gradually. Once your nausea and vomiting have subsided, start a normal diet.

Diarrhea is common during treatment, especially during chemotherapy and radiotherapy to the lower parts of the body, stomach and intestines. Infections, food sensitivities (may be caused by medications) and emotional problems can also cause diarrhea.

During diarrhea, vitamins, minerals and water in foods pass into the large intestine and are excreted quickly without being absorbed into the blood. This causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and also leads to water loss and a decrease in water in the body.

If you have diarrhea;

• You should consume low-fat, low-sugar foods as bowel activities will increase in high sugar and fat consumption.
• You should drink plenty of room temperature fluids to replace the water you lost.
• You should consume vegetables and fruits cooked. You can eat fat-free rice, pasta, skim toast, skim milk, fat-free yogurt, and peel-free apples.
• Skinless chicken or turkey, a

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