Healthy food is a key part of the recovery journey for patients with cancer. You need your strength to get through treatment and start to rebuild your health – but where do you start?
While medication and medical intervention play a vital role in cancer treatment, your diet has its own role to play. The type of diet for patients with cancer prioritizes plant-based protein, healthy fats, and fruit and vegetables.
1. Balanced Diet
The key to good health is a balanced diet. The problem is that it’s not always clear what a balanced diet actually is. It’s not all about just eating fruits and vegetables. A balanced diet is characterized as incorporating a variety of food groups in the right portions for your health and to help you maintain a healthy weight.
Most ‘balanced diets’ will include the following:
● At least 5 daily portions of fruit and vegetables
● High fiber starchy foods in main meals
● Dairy or dairy alternatives
● Protein sources, including soybeans, lentils, and eggs.
● Unsaturated healthy fats
Your diet isn’t just about the food that you eat. It also includes what you drink. A balanced diet will include 6-8 glasses of drinks per day. Most people will aim for two liters of water, however, you can incorporate other drinks with health benefits, such as antioxidants.
It’s always best to speak to a registered dietitian or doctor if you have other pre-existing medical conditions or dietary needs. The best diet for you is one that you can stick to and that works for your lifestyle.
2. Fruit and Vegetables
Why should you focus on fruit and vegetables in a diet for cancer patients? It’s because they’re some of the best sources of vitamins and minerals. You should aim for fruits and vegetables to make up roughly a third of your daily diet.
A healthy diet will incorporate at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. It’s a common misconception that fruits and vegetables have to be bought fresh and are therefore expensive. You can use frozen or dried fruits and vegetables.
5 portions of fruit and vegetables aren’t as difficult to get into your diet as you might think. The size of each portion will depend on the type of fruit or vegetables that you’re eating. An apple or pear is one portion, however other fruit and vegetables can be a little more confusing.
You’ll tick off one portion of fruit and vegetables with:
● 30g of dried fruit, roughly one tablespoon.
● 150ml of a smoothie or fruit juice.
● 80g of canned, fresh, or frozen fruit and vegetables.
Each of your three main meals should incorporate fruit and vegetables. It’s easier to achieve than you think! Add a tablespoon of raisins to your cereal or berries to your morning porridge. Sneak a smoothie in as your mid-morning snack before having a salad as part of your lunch. Fill up on your greens for dinner and you’ll be at 5 portions of fruit and vegetables in no time.
3. Plant-Based Protein
A diet for cancer patients will want to incorporate a variety of protein sources to help the body repair itself. While meat is a source of vitamin B12, iron, and zinc, plant-based protein can be just as good.
Your balanced diet should have a minimal amount of red and processed meat. You can get most of your protein from plant-based food, including peas, beans, and lentils. These foods are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals while being low in fat. Why should you choose plant-based protein over animal protein? It’s all about the benefits of the diet for a cancer patient. Adding plant-based protein to your diet will lower your risk of heart disease, help you maintain a healthy weight, and increase your fiber intake.
Choosing to incorporate more plant-based protein into your diet will help you manage your blood sugar. It’s a popular diet choice for cancer patients, as well as for those with type 2 diabetes. Eating more plant-based protein also helps manage your insulin resistance.
The good news is that plant-based protein can be added to almost every meal. You can get as much as 17 grams of protein per serving of popular plant-based foods. Here are some common plant-based protein sources:
● Almond butter
● Black Beans
● Chickpeas
● Lentils
● Quinoa
● Soybeans
You can find these plant-based proteins in most supermarkets and they’re an affordable way to transform your everyday diet.
4. Healthy Fats
Fats aren’t all bad. Healthy fats are a vital part of a balanced diet. You want the fat in your diet to be made up of unsaturated oils and spreads that will help lower your cholesterol.
Healthy fats work by helping your body to absorb essential vitamins, including vitamins A, D, and E. They’re fat-soluble vitamins, meaning they need a little help from healthy fats to be absorbed.
Ticking off your healthy fats will give your body more energy, promote cell growth, and encourage organ protection. Healthy fats are vital in a diet for cancer patients as it helps with insulation from the cold and encourages nutrient absorption and hormone production.
It’s best to eat healthy fats in small amounts to avoid overconsumption. You want to keep saturated fats to a minimum, including cream, cheese, and full-fat butter. There are two main types of healthy fats that you should have in your diet. Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFAs) and Monounsaturated Fats (MUFAs). These healthy fats include avocados, fatty fish, flax seeds, and nuts. They’re the golden ticket to your healthy diet.
How to incorporate healthy fats into your diet:
● Add almond butter to a smoothie or breakfast bowl.
● Cook your food with avocado, olive, or grapeseed oil.
● Sprinkle nuts and seeds into salads, yogurt bowls, and smoothies.
● Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate as a treat.
● Make nuts and olives your daily snack.
● Eat trout or salmon at least once a week.
Some fats are good fats. It’s all about eating in moderation and knowing which ones will keep your body moving.
5. Limit Your Alcohol, Salt, and Sugar
A healthy diet has low cholesterol and improves your overall heart health. The cliché that “you can never have too much of a good thing” is unfortunately untrue. You should limit your intake of saturated fat, salt, and sugar. Having too much salt in your diet can lead to higher blood pressure, while excess sugar can result in tooth decay and obesity. Your alcohol consumption should also be within the 14-unit weekly recommendation.
Taking control of sugar in your diet will allow you to maintain a healthy blood glucose level and a healthy weight. It can also lower your risk of diabetes and makes it easier to stay within your daily recommended calorie intake. Eating less sugar will also improve your oral health by reducing your risk of gum disease and cavities.
The goal should be to reduce your sugar intake to 10% of your daily calories. Getting your sugar intake to this level will reduce your risk of liver disease and improve your heart health. If sugar makes up more than 20% of your daily calories, you’re at a higher risk of heart disease.
Other lesser-known benefits of limiting your sugar consumption include improving skin health and reducing your risk of depression. Reducing your salt intake can have similar benefits. Your daily salt intake should be less than 5 grams per day to lower your risk of stroke, coronary heart attack, and cardiovascular disease. Maintaining this lower level of salt intake can also help to reduce high blood pressure. More balanced diets are also low sodium diets by nature.
Having a healthy relationship with alcohol is also important. Reducing your alcohol intake can prevent fatty buildup around your liver, boost your energy levels, and lower your blood pressure. If you deal with issues like indigestion, stomach upsets, depression, or headaches, cutting out alcohol can help relieve these symptoms.
What to Eat After You’ve Been Diagnosed with Cancer
There’s no magic food for fighting cancer. You need to change every aspect of your diet to give your body what it needs to become stronger and fitter. A healthy diet for cancer patients focuses on balance. You want to get in as much fruit and vegetables as possible while incorporating plant-based proteins.
While healthy fats are your friends, limit your alcohol, salt, and sugar intake. These five changes to your diet will help you incorporate more anti-cancer food and get on the road to recovery.
Are you looking for a diet that works for you and your lifestyle? Book a free 30- minute discovery call to take control of your health.
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