What are the best things I can eat before chemotherapy?

Updated: 08:15 BST, 13 May 2008

Every Tuesday, Britain's 主要な nutritionist explains how to eat your way to health. This week Jane 申し込む／申し出s 詳細（に述べる）d advice on a good diet for breast 癌 患者s...

I have just been 診断するd with breast 癌. What foods should I 目的（とする） to eat while I have chemotherapy to 上げる my 免疫の system and to help me through this difficult time? I have been told to 推定する／予想する a sore mouth, sickness, diarrhoea and 高くする，増すd sense of smell, to 指名する but a few. Ann Jones, Cheshire.

Jane says...

焦点（を合わせる）ing on your diet is important as it will give your 団体／死体 the 価値のある nutrients you need during this 堅い period. I also know, from 扱う／治療するing many 癌 患者s, that taking 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 in this way can be a very 肯定的な thing, 特に when you're having to give up so much 支配（する）／統制する as you を受ける 治療.

It worries me when people say they've heard or read that some foods should be 完全に off the menu when you're having chemotherapy. While some foods will be more nourishing, nothing is going to 害（を与える） you, or jeopardise the chemotherapy.


So if you fancy chocolate cake, have it and enjoy it ― after all, your 団体／死体 is going to be exposed to such strong 医薬 that you may be put off eating healthier foods, such as fruits and vegetables, because they're literally too much to stomach.

The high fat and sugar content of cake might make you feel a little 激しい, but 患者s have told me that if they're going to feel rough anyway, at least they get to enjoy the divine taste.


This said, there are 確かな foods and ways of eating that are better for you.


研究 has shown that foods with high levels of antioxidants ― ビタミンs C and E, beta-carotene and selenium ― have a 肯定的な 影響 on the 免疫の system. So try to 会社にする／組み込む plenty of salads, steamed veggies and soup.


Don't assume your food has to be raw and juiced ― raw fruit and vegetables are certainly richer in 価値のある ビタミン C, but cooking carrots, squash and other orange, red and yellow fruits and vegetables 現実に 増加するs the 量 of betacarotene your 団体／死体 吸収するs.

Chemotherapy can really 影響する／感情 your digestive system. This is because the 麻薬s work by 的ing 速く dividing 独房s ― so 同様に as attacking 癌 独房s, it 影響する／感情s other 独房s that divide 速く, すなわち those in the stomach and mouth..


This is why you get unpleasant 味方する-影響s such as a sore mouth and nausea.


If your mouth is sore you might find a bowl of vegetable soup more appetising than raw or juiced produce. Something bland, like 甘い potato soup, may take the 辛勝する／優位 off the nausea, too.


Small meals, with 軽食s in between, work better than larger meals. Smaller meals may be easier on your sore mouth and, by keeping your 血 sugar stable, can take the 辛勝する／優位 off nausea.


Eating every two hours will help soak up the 酸性の feeling in the gut, which is a ありふれた 味方する-影響 of the 麻薬s.


Good 選択s 含む rice cakes, corn cakes (利用できる from health food shops and supermarkets), crackers, slices of bread, or toast, with a little olive oil-based spread, or plain 薄焼きパン／素焼陶器s such as Nice.


Cooking can いつかs be a struggle ― strong smells can 悪化させる the nausea. There isn't anything 'wrong' with some of the better ready meals and readymade sauces. Look at the 成分s ― a simple 支配する of thumb is that the より小数の the additives, the better it is likely to be for you.


All the supermarkets have good 範囲s that are 価値（がある） 在庫／株ing up on so you have some quick and 平易な 選択s.


Foods likely to upset your gut are those with creamy sauces, and fried foods ― the odour can be 特に off-putting, as the 麻薬s can 高める the sense of smell.


Many 患者s find fat doesn't sit 井戸／弁護士席 ― use olive oil where you can. White meat and fish are better than fatty steak and sausages. A simple pasta or rice dish with a little olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan is より望ましい to a 複雑にするd, rich, winesauced pasta.


減ずるing fat intake has been shown in 熟考する／考慮するs to 改善する your chances of remission once you're past this 障害物. This is probably hormone-関係のある. But you don't want to 削減（する） out fat 完全に as this can have a big 衝撃 on your 団体／死体 負わせる and energy levels.


So if your appetite is poor and you're not eating a lot, 追加する a little bit of olive, hemp, rapeseed or nut oil to 自然に lower-calorie foods like vegetables.


This is important for two 推論する／理由s: first, you need enough calories to give you energy; a diet that's light in calories will leave you feeling exhausted. Second, 患者s often lose 負わせる while having chemo 治療 which isn't a good thing as 負わせる loss can 影響する／感情 your 血 count and make you 攻撃を受けやすい to 感染s.


For this 推論する／理由, some doctors make an enormous 取引，協定 about eating lots to keep your 負わせる up, but I don't think this is such a good idea. When your 団体／死体 is 存在 負担d up with strong 麻薬s it can make you become more puffy; which seldom makes a woman feel good about herself.


It's about 達成するing a balance, that is eating enough to keep your 負わせる up.


Some doctors don't seem very keen on the idea that 栄養 has a 価値のある 役割 during chemotherapy. I think they've been put off by the 見解（をとる）s of a few extreme nutritionists 支持するing vegan diets for 癌 患者s.

These nutritionists say that eating alfalfa sprouts, drinking wheatgrass juice, 避けるing 酪農場, etc, will 'fight off' the 癌. This is dangerous and not scientifically 支援するd up.


栄養 should be complementary to 従来の 医療の 治療. As for wheatgrass juice, although it 含む／封じ込めるs 価値のある nutrients such as ビタミン C, selenium, ビタミン A, and アイロンをかける, so does a fresh fruit smoothie and I know which one I'd rather drink!

Other advice I'd 示唆する is to 避ける alc ohol ― it will make you feel lousy, and you probably won't want it anyway as the taste can be unpleasant when you're を受けるing 治療. Instead, drink plenty of water.


追加する a dash of cordial, such as lime or elderflower, to 追加する some taste and a little sugar ― a useful dose of energy. As for tea or coffee, most 患者s を受けるing chemotherapy hate the taste, but if you don't, the 半端物 cup is 罰金.


Some 患者s を煩う a constant taste of metal in their mouth during chemotherapy ― this can be relieved by sucking lozenges and by keeping the tongue and mouth moist with sips of water or cordial.