The Best Foods to Eat During Cancer that Help with Weight Gain
Cancer and cancer treatments like radiation and chemotherapy can be hard on the human body. You may find the treatment affects your sense of taste, as food may seem to lack taste or flavor or taste too salty, sweet or metallic. Generally, these changes are short-lived and will improve over time. Regardless of how much you don’t feel like eating, it is extremely important to intake an adequate amount of calories in order to keep your body functioning optimally.
In absence of adequate nutrition, the result is usually malnourishment. Malnourishment can induce weakness, chronic fatigue, and the body’s ability to combat infections or even finish cancer treatment. For this reason, even if you do not feel like eating, it is extremely important to eat right.
If you find that you are losing weight, then that is a sign that you need additional calories and protein to keep your strength up during the treatment. Listed below are some of the best foods that will help you maintain a healthy weight throughout your cancer treatment.
1. Carrots
Carrots are a common diet item for cancer patients. Certain plant elements, such as those found in parsley, could make chemotherapy more effective by preventing a process in the body that can at times interfere with cancer treatment, as per a study carried out by the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research. Carrots are also abundant in vitamin A and beta-carotene, which help your body repair a damaged immune system. Vitamin A helps fight free radicals, thereby preventing cell damage.
2. Rice And Bananas
Bland foods such as bananas, rice, dry toast, and cooked apples will help harden your stool if you are someone who is losing weight because of frequent diarrhea. Avoid raw fruits, fatty foods, and whole grain products, which can worsen diarrhea.
3. Fatty Fish
Tuna, salmon, and sardines are not only rich in fatigue-fighting protein but also nutritional powerhouses as well. They offer a rich dose of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help strengthen your muscles, while the vitamin B12 helps your body produce red blood cells. Finally, vitamin D, an essential component of bone health, helps strengthen the bones.
4. Dairy Products
The presence of calcium, protein and vitamin D found in dairy products help not only strengthen the bones but also increase your calorie intake. You can opt for kefir or yogurt, two of the most popular pro-biotic foods that will replenish your good gut bacteria. If you are not a fan of milk or are vegan then you can go for calcium-enriched orange juice, soymilk or rice milk.
5. Lean Turkey and Chicken
Since they are bland, they are easy to eat and digest, yet still are loaded with abundant protein. Lean poultry is an excellent choice as compared to red meat, which might increase inflammation and result in chronic conditions, like heart trouble.