Nutrition

Healthy Eating Before Treatment

A healthy diet is as important for your breasts as it is for the rest of your body. Although, no food or diet can prevent breast cancer, some foods can make your body the healthiest it can be by boosting your immune system and keeping your risk as low as possible. Also, no food or diet can cure cancer, but some may help control treatment side effects or help your body get well after treatment.

It is important to speak with your doctor or a registered dietician before starting a new eating regimen.

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is vital for your body to work its best. Until your treatment actually starts, you won't know what, if any, side effects you may have or how you will feel. A good diet will strengthen your body and help to minimize possible side effects and speed the healing process. One way to prepare yourself is to not only fortify yourself with nutritious foods, but to think of your treatment as a time to concentrate on yourself and on getting well.

The following steps are general guidelines to healthy eating habits:
Reduce unhealthy dietary fat
Eat more produce
Cut out fat
Get plenty of calcium and vitamin D
Sprinkle flaxseed on your cereal
Keep cookouts to a minimum
Imbibe alcohol intelligently
Fill up on fiber

See healthy eating for more details.

Before your treatment begins, stock the pantry and freezer with your favorite foods so that they will be available to you when you want them. You may want to include foods that you may normally eat when you are sick, such as jello, applesauce, bananas, rice, soup,etc. Also, keep foods on hand that need little or no preparation, such as jello, pudding, peanut butter, tuna fish, cheese, and eggs.

Do some cooking in advance and freeze in meal-sized portions.

It can be overwhelming to think about meal preparation during treatment, especially if you have children to worry about. If friends or family offer to help with shopping and cooking take them up on their offers. There are many resources available to help organize helpers. One great on-line resource is Lotsa Helping Hands. It is a free private web community that coordinates family and friends in times of need. The site is easy to use and is based on a private group calendar. People sign up to make a meal on a certain day and deliver it at your convenience.

The following are helpful resources on diet and nutrition:
www.AICR.org
www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/eatingwell
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/eatinghints

References:
National Institute of Health, Eating Hints for Cancer Patients. Revised, July 1997.
Breast Cancer Health Center, Fight Breast Cancer at Every Meal. WebMD. Accessed 1, October 2008.
http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/features/fight-breast-cancer-every-meal

updated 1 year ago