The diagnosis of cancer creates lot of doubts about the nourishment and diet. Will I be able to eat? Will I recover? Which foods shall help me heal? One of the important key to recovery during the breast cancer fight is eating a healthy balanced diet. Adequate nutrition may aid the body to heal from the rigorous cancer treatment and their numerous side effects. Nutrition therapy during, and after treatments support our body in gaining back the healthy body weight, replenishing the vitamins, and mineral stores, getting your immune system back on track. In addition to that, nutrition is vital at this stage to maintain the body strength while reducing the fatigue, that the body undergoes during the cancer treatment.
The individual having the breast cancer, may undergo a breast conserving surgery (BCS) or a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or HER2-targeted drugs therapy. The treatment highly depends on the type and stage of cancer. Due to various side effects of these treatments , generally the patient may have loss of appetite. Muddling with these treatments and the biological changes can be challenging. A research conducted shows that around 50 percent of people with breast cancer have either anxiety or depression, which thus negatively impacts the appetite. While it can be complicated, making healthy nutrition choices can help nurture your brain and body as you keep combating the disease.
The breast cancer is not linked to specific diets because the nutrient needs may differ based on several aspects like medical diagnoses, body weight, nutrient deficiencies, medications, and other symptoms of the individual. Although, it is always recommended to procure the fruits & vegetables that are organic in nature, with no pesticides. These vegetables mainly should be consumed in a cooked or boiled form. Some foods that are highly suggested to keep up with the holistic health while surviving the breast cancer are:
- Nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, protein rich foods such as egg-whites, chicken, lean fish , nuts
- foods rich in essential fatty acid and ammino acids such as flax seeds, sunflower seeds, avocado, olive oil
- liquid blends such as soups, milkshakes, smoothies after therapies
In addition to this, consuming foods that include composites of phytochemicals also helps the body in healing during the treatment process. Phytochemicals are largely present in plant-based foods. These type of phytonutrients helps the body cells in boosting the immune system, decreasing inflammation, inhibiting DNA damage and aiding DNA repair , slowing the growth of cancer cells, hormones regulation, and lastly preventing the damaged cells from regrowth. Phytochemicals have their sub types, that are present in various foods, which can help in fighting different cancers such as:
Carotenoids ~ Beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These prevents the cancer growth, improve immunity, support vision, and promote skin health. Foods’s rich in carotenoids are broccoli, carrots, cooked tomatoes, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, winter squash, apricots, cantaloupe, oranges, and watermelons.
Flavonoids ~ Anthocyanins, quercetin and catechins. These flavonoids impede tumor growth, reduce inflammation and boost immunity. Good sources of flavonoids are onions, apples, soybeans, coffee, tea and citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are all sources of flavonoids.
Indoles and glucosinolates ~ Indoles and glucosinolates, helps in lowering the cancer risk. They aid in preventing the tumor development and reduces the production of cancer-related hormones. The rich sources are broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
Inositol ~ Phytic acid, a type of inositol prevents the cell injury and can be found in bran from corn, oats, rice, rye, and wheat, as well as soyabeans and nuts.
Isoflavones ~ They inhibit tumor growth and restricts the production of cancer-related hormones. Isoflavones are largely found in soybeans and other soy products.
Polyphenols ~ Ellagic acid and resveratrol. Polyphenols can preclude cancer growth and inflammation. Its rich sources are grapes, green tea, berries, citrus fruits, apples, peanuts and whole grains.
It is thus imperative to start with the Nutrition Rehabilitation for breast cancer care as soon as one gets detected with the disease. As, the breast cancer symptoms and therapy side effects can lead to irregularity in cooking/ planning meals, or eating as done normally, following are the tips to make eating healthy simpler:
- Divide the meals into small sub-meals. Gastric troubles such as nausea, bloating, and constipation may make it hard to digest big, large meals in a day. Hence, break the meals into smaller portions of five or sixtimes daily. Diversify the diet by including hard boiled eggs, yogurt with berries, and peanut butter on crackers or apples.
- Increase your fluid intake. Binge on blend liquids to get the nutrition like smoothies or nutritional beverages. Treatment can have side effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Drinking at least 8-12 glasses of water a day is recommended. Reduce the caffeine intake and try to eat foods high in moisture such as fruits.
- Avoid using metal utensils. At times chemotherapy can leave an awful taste in the mouth that gives food an unpleasant flavor. Some foods like meat and chicken can leave metallic taste in the mouth. Hence to improve the taste of your food, avoid metal utensils and cooking implements. Cooking with glass pots and pans are more advisable.
A nutritious diet is thus very essential to win the big fight against cancer. A diet rich in all the macro & micro-nutrients, phytochemicals have many health benefits, because it not only helps in recovery, but also aids in boosting the overall immune system.
By – Dr Shiva Kumar Upala, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology), FMAS
