Nutrition During and After Cancer Treatment

An overview of nutrition concerns during cancer treatment, including diarrhea, poor appetite, mouth sores, constipation, nausea and weight gain/loss.

Taste changes can be caused by some cancer treatments. This hand-out provides tips for managing taste changes associated with cancer and its treatment.

Food safety is important for everyone, but especially for cancer patients as they may be more at risk of getting sick if handling, preparing, or consuming unsafe foods.

A soft diet is a diet that includes soft, chopped, ground, and pureed foods that can be easily mashed with a fork. They are easily chewed or don’t need to be chewed before safely swallowing them.

Loss of appetite is when you do not feel hungry or have no interest in eating. This can be a side effect of some treatments for cancer or from the cancer itself. This article offers tips for coping with a loss of appetite from cancer and cancer therapy.

Most foods have a Nutrition Facts or “food label” on the package. This label shows you what the nutritional facts are of the food. Looking at the label can help you decide if a food is a good choice for you and how much of it to eat.

This article is an overview of how to keep up your nutritional needs during cancer treatment.

This article provides an overview of calories and protein along with tips to increase your intake during cancer treatment.

This article provides an overview of the benefits of using ginger for symptom management during cancer treatment as well as how to use ginger and recommended amounts of ginger to use daily.

Discusses the importance of protein during cancer treatment, what foods contain protein and how to increase your intake of protein.

Cancer treatments can lead to dehydration in some cases. Water is essential for the body to function properly, so patients should try to maintain hydration. This article provides tips to avoid dehydration and ways to increase your fluid intake.

Dehydration is when there is not enough fluid in your body.

A clear liquid diet is a diet of only clear, liquid foods. You may need to be on a clear liquid diet to help manage symptoms, before having some imaging tests, or before a procedure.

A low fiber diet can help control diarrhea. This article goes over which foods to eat and which foods to stay away from, especially for those with cancer or who are getting cancer treatment.

A high-fiber diet is a diet that focuses on eating fiber-rich food.

Cachexia, sometimes referred to as cancer cachexia or cancer anorexia cachexia, is a wasting syndrome in which both fat and muscle are lost due to the presence of a chronic disease, such as cancer, and malnourishment (not eating enough nutrients).

Iron can help with anemia (low red blood cell count) and this article can help you find ways to increase the amount you get in your diet.

Information about feeding tubes, used to supply nutrition when you are unable to eat or absorb nutrients through your gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Recommendations surrounding soy consumption by breast cancer survivors.

Provides tips to coping with common side effects after esophagectomy, what foods to avoid and what is often well tolerated.

Proper nutrition after surgery can help you heal. This includes staying hydrated, eating a variety of foods, and making sure to get enough protein and vitamin C. Talk to your provider about any special diet you may need to follow after surgery and any dietary restrictions you have.

Many cancer patients take supplements for a variety of reasons. However, some supplements can interfere with your cancer treatment. This article will help guide you regarding the use of supplements and the importance of notifying your provider of all over the counter medications, supplements, and vitamins that you are taking.

A review of the diet changes commonly recommended for patients being treated for head and neck cancers.

Many patients with neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors need to change their normal diet to improve symptoms of their disease. A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) can help you make changes to your diet to manage these symptoms.

Answers frequently asked questions regarding certain foods, diet, and supplements for those with cancer or undergoing cancer therapy.

Pancreatic enzymes help digest fat, protein and carbohydrates in the food you eat. Diseases that affect the pancreas can affect the amount of digestive enzymes being processed which can lead to malabsorption. This article reviews pancreatic enzyme replacement medications and how they are used.

This article provides resources for navigating nutritional concerns during cancer treatment.