Please help me welcome Jillian McKee to Life with Karen. Her blog, Center Yourself, focuses on living the best possible life during treatment of various cancers. Thank you for joining us Jillian!
How Do Strong Dietary
Habits Help During Cancer Treatment?
Good nutrition is important throughout every stage of a person's life. However, there are points where nutrition becomes even more beneficial to someone's well being. If you or someone you know is fighting cancer, you'll be interested in learning that eating well can make fighting the disease a more manageable experience.
One of the main reasons that good eating habits during a fight with cancer are so critical is that cancer can have a severe effect on a person's appetite. Most people, once they begin treatment, will notice that the foods they eat and when they want them are very different from before diagnosis. For example, some treatments such as chemotherapy can drastically reduce a person's hunger. Yet, the need for good nutrition hasn't changed - only the appetite has. There are a few reasons for this.
According to The American Cancer Society, maintaining proper nutrition during cancer treatment can be very advantageous for people going through cancer treatment. Some of these benefits include general characteristics of well being, such as improving your strength and energy. Others are more directly related to winning the fight against cancer, such as being better equipped to handle the side effects of treatment.
None of this should come as a surprise, obviously. The correlation between proper nutrition and maintaining energy levels has been well documented for years, it just becomes more important when battling cancer. If you or someone you know is battling cancer, there are a few basic steps to ensure proper nutrition.
The first and most critical part is to make sure that basic caloric needs are met. A person's base metabolic weight can fluctuate wildly depending on their weight: A 5'4" woman might have a base metabolic rate of 2,000 calories per day, while a 6'2" male's will be closer to 2,500. It's important to note that, due to the toll that different treatments take on the body, this calorie need increases during cancer treatment. Consulting with a doctor will give you the best idea of how many calories are necessary. A proper balance of protein in the diet is also a necessity during cancer treatment, as well as adequate fluid intake.
Of course, the specific food a person eats during cancer treatment is also important to consider. Although consumers see most foods with organic labeling as healthier, they don't provide any benefits beyond what other foods do. Some beneficial foods include avocados, grapes, and nuts. Some of these foods help to prevent cancer while others are believed to slow the growth of existing cells and tumors.
Overall, most of this is easy to grasp. Whether you're eating healthy to fight mesothelioma or for another disease; good nutrition is good nutrition. Eating healthy won't work as a miracle cure, but it can certainly improve a person's quality of life regardless of where they are in treatment.
Good nutrition is important throughout every stage of a person's life. However, there are points where nutrition becomes even more beneficial to someone's well being. If you or someone you know is fighting cancer, you'll be interested in learning that eating well can make fighting the disease a more manageable experience.
One of the main reasons that good eating habits during a fight with cancer are so critical is that cancer can have a severe effect on a person's appetite. Most people, once they begin treatment, will notice that the foods they eat and when they want them are very different from before diagnosis. For example, some treatments such as chemotherapy can drastically reduce a person's hunger. Yet, the need for good nutrition hasn't changed - only the appetite has. There are a few reasons for this.
According to The American Cancer Society, maintaining proper nutrition during cancer treatment can be very advantageous for people going through cancer treatment. Some of these benefits include general characteristics of well being, such as improving your strength and energy. Others are more directly related to winning the fight against cancer, such as being better equipped to handle the side effects of treatment.
None of this should come as a surprise, obviously. The correlation between proper nutrition and maintaining energy levels has been well documented for years, it just becomes more important when battling cancer. If you or someone you know is battling cancer, there are a few basic steps to ensure proper nutrition.
The first and most critical part is to make sure that basic caloric needs are met. A person's base metabolic weight can fluctuate wildly depending on their weight: A 5'4" woman might have a base metabolic rate of 2,000 calories per day, while a 6'2" male's will be closer to 2,500. It's important to note that, due to the toll that different treatments take on the body, this calorie need increases during cancer treatment. Consulting with a doctor will give you the best idea of how many calories are necessary. A proper balance of protein in the diet is also a necessity during cancer treatment, as well as adequate fluid intake.
Of course, the specific food a person eats during cancer treatment is also important to consider. Although consumers see most foods with organic labeling as healthier, they don't provide any benefits beyond what other foods do. Some beneficial foods include avocados, grapes, and nuts. Some of these foods help to prevent cancer while others are believed to slow the growth of existing cells and tumors.
Overall, most of this is easy to grasp. Whether you're eating healthy to fight mesothelioma or for another disease; good nutrition is good nutrition. Eating healthy won't work as a miracle cure, but it can certainly improve a person's quality of life regardless of where they are in treatment.
3 comments:
Thanks for sharing this, many will really find it very useful.. Hope you have a wonderful weekend..
I have had a few friends who have fought various caners successfully. One of the most important parts for them was eating healthy. One of my friends made herself special fruit and veggie blend smoothies to get extra vitamins. She continues this to this day and is still cancer free!!! This is a great, very informative article.
That's great news Susi. Thanks for sharing!
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