Facts and myths about the nutrition of oncological patients

People with cancer who are preparing for surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy should eat normally and even eat more nutritious meals, rich in vitamins and minerals that will strengthen the body, mobilize to fight and facilitate subsequent recovery. No scientific research has proven that starving ourselves also weakens cancer (this one will find a source of nutrients to develop), but many studies confirm that starving yourself weakens the body, extends the fight and kills the body (not cancer) by weakening the immune system and the proper functioning of other organs and systems. Photo Shutterstock / Evgeny Karandaev

Of course, each patient is best and most effectively convalescent under appropriate sanitary conditions, surrounded by their own home equipment and people close to them. Home cooking would also seem the most valuable for a sick person. What is important, however, is the method of preparing meals, the quality of products and the right proportions of nutrients. In oncological nutrition it is important to participate in the daily diet of the so-called “Energy dense”, that is, those that provide a lot of nutrients in a small volume. Homemade broth, which certainly helps with many less invasive diseases, is not the best solution for someone battling cancer. Photo Shutterstock / Dar1930

Sweets are primarily simple sugars, and tumors (tumors) like to use energy from simple sugars for their own development. Therefore, it is worth limiting sweets in your daily diet. In addition, too much sugar can cause mycosis, especially in people with reduced immunity – after surgery, chemotherapy. Photo Shutterstock / donydony

People who take the treatment process well and have no appetite problems can eat at the same frequency as healthy people. However, most people with cancer have nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. For them, it is recommended to eat meals often, but in small amounts, e.g. several sips or bites of a meal every hour. Photo Shutterstock / grafvision

The organism fighting the disease should not additionally “waste” energy on digesting hard-to-digest products, so the basis of the oncological diet should be easily digestible products – boiled, stewed, baked with limited raw materials, heavy and fried foods. Additionally, to increase the absorption of nutrients, meals for patients should be mixed or ground. Photo Shutterstock / Dani Vincek

There is no such diet that can replace cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, surgery or drug therapy. A healthy oncology diet helps the body fight but will not cure the disease. The recovery period is also not the best time to drastically change the diet and introduce “miraculous specialties” to it, which have not been present in our diet so far. Exotic herbs, fruits, extracts and droughts do not always support the body, on the contrary, they can have a toxic effect on it. Photo Shutterstock / Piotr Marcinski

The right types of fats have a very beneficial effect. They provide energy in a fairly condensed form (1 g is 9 kcal), and at the same time they are the carrier of important fat-soluble vitamins, e.g. A, D, E. In the anti-cancer diet it is necessary to eliminate or at least limit animal fats (fatty meats, fatty cheeses, dairy products, sausages such as sausages, pate, bacon, fatty meats) and trans fatty acids (old-type margarines, confectionery, repeatedly fried vegetable fats). Oncological diet should be rich in vegetable fats rich in omega-3 fatty acids – linseed oil, rapeseed oil, nuts and oil seeds (sunflower, pumpkin). Photo Shutterstock / Olena Kaminetska