Nutritional Therapy

you may experience many nutritional related side effects when undergoing treatment for cancer. Eating the right diet helps to relieve these unwanted effects.

Some of the nutritional side effects include nausea and vomiting, anorexia, weight gain, difficulty in swallowing, mouth sores, and dryness. You should consult a competent nutritionist who will plan for you a diet that reduces the side effects.

To minimize nausea, eat dry foods like crackers and foods that are not too hot or cold. Only eat the foods which appeal to you and avoid food that has a strong scent.

You should take frequent regular small meals than heavy meals and avoid skipping meals because this can worsen nausea. Wear loose, comfortable clothes, and rinse your mouth before and after eating.

Are You Actively Ill?

If you are vomiting, you should avoid putting anything in your stomach before the vomiting stops. You should drink small sips of clear liquids when vomiting and then transition to thicker liquids like liquids after your stomach tolerates the clear liquids.

Eat small frequent meals than large meals. You can request your doctor to prescribe medications that will stop the vomiting.

You can take care of mouth sores by eating soft and tender foods and avoiding hot foods. Using a straw to drink liquids helps to avoid contact of the liquid with the sore mouthparts. You can numb the mouth sores by sucking ice.

Avoid spicy and acidic foods like tomatoes, fruits with citrus like lemons, alcohol, and tobacco. Have a dentist take a look at your mouth before chemo and when you develop sores.

Cancer treatment can cause you to develop difficulty in swallowing. If you have difficulty swallowing, you should eat soft foods with a lot of protein and calories and those you can easily swallow.

Moisten food with yogurt before swallowing and avoid hot and spicy foods that can irritate your throat. Eat small frequent meals and avoid smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol.

Eating Small Meals More Often

The anorexia caused by chemotherapy can be reduced by eating food with a lot of proteins like beans and meat. Eat small meals while sipping small amounts of liquids when eating.

Eat foods that smell good and try new foods. You should talk to the doctor about this problem so that they can modify your treatment plan.

You can reduce weight gain by eating a diet rich in fiber, cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Eating foods that have less fat and less salt will help you to avoid gaining weight.

You can learn more about nutritional therapy in cancer management here but ensure that you consult your doctor to be diet and before buying any nutritional supplements. Some nutritional supplements may have serious side effects.

When chemotherapy causes your mouth to become dry, nutritional therapy can help you stay well hydrated and drink sweet drinks that will stimulate the production of saliva.

Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco dry your mouth, and you should, therefore, avoid this. Avoid hard and spicy foods and rinse your mouth after every two hours. A dentist can prescribe artificial saliva for you or give you mouth moisturizers.