Good nutrition is very important. Why?
Good nutrition helps you cope with your disease by keeping your energy levels up and stopping or slowing down unplanned weight loss. This will allow you to stay on schedule with the treatments, maximizing the effect of treatments and assisting in your recovery.
Dietitians can help you eat well, despite your illness and treatment by adjusting your diet to cope with any side effects of treatments. As well, dietitians are a reliable source of information on all food and nutrition related issues.
Managing Side Effects
Although everyone responds differently to their cancer treatment, some people may experience a few side effects.
You may experience:
- sore mouth, dry mouth, swallowing difficulties
- constipation, diarrhea, nausea, possibly vomiting
- taste changes, poor appetite adn fatigue
- unplanned weight loss
Adjusting Your Eating Habits
If you do experience some side effects, our dietitians can suggest meal plans so that you or your caregivers can adjust your diet or eating habits to lessen the side effects. In addition, they can provide tips on how to make meal-time and meal preparation easier.
Suggestions might include:
- new meal or snack ideas to try when your favorite foods have lost their appeal
- soft and liquid diets, if chewing or swallowing is a problem
- how to control diarrhea or constipation
- special nutritional products or supplements if you are not eating enough regular food
Nutritional Advice and Information
There is so much advice that you will get at this time, that it will be difficult to decide what to do. The problem is, some advice will be helpful and some might be harmful.
For example, you might get a variety of nutrition tips from friends, relatives, merchants, books, media, and other sources. As trained dietitians, we can help you sort through this information so you can decide what is best for you. Please, just ask us.