Your diet is an important part of your cancer treatment and an integral part of your medical care plan. A well-balanced diet helps to maintain healthy body weight and provide the energy you need to remain active. Studies show that patients who minimize weight loss and fatigue experience¹:

• fewer dose reductions
• fewer treatment breaks
• extra energy
• improved quality of life
• overall better outcomes

Maintaining a healthy diet can be difficult, so it is important to maximize the quality of your intake by staying away from empty calories. You should avoid low quality calories including all processed carbohydrates and eliminating refined white flour, refined white sugar, milled grains, and ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup from your diet. Instead, choose quality carbohydrates, complete proteins, good fats, lots of fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of fluids.

Healthy calories from whole foods are essential for combating weight loss and fatigue. Adequate protein will help to optimize your immune system and increase your tolerance to treatments. Complex carbohydrates provide lasting energy, not just a quick high and the subsequent crash supplied from simple sugars. Polyunsaturated fats are essential for building and repairing cells and quality fiber helps to keep your GI system running smoothly.

Carbohydrates come in two basic forms: complex and simple. Simple carbohydrates are one, two, or at most three units of sugar linked together in single molecules. Complex carbohydrates are hundreds or thousands of sugar units linked together in single molecules. Simple sugars are easily identified by their sweet taste. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, are pleasant to the taste buds, but not sweet. High-fiber grains like oats, barley and brown rice are the best sources for complex carbohydrates.

Omega-3 fatty acids, a form of polyunsaturated fat, are essential to overall health and rehabilitation. Specifically, the omega-3 fat called DHA is critical for brain, heart and immune health. The body relies on dietary sources to attain omega-3 fatty acids. Cold-water fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, halibut and tuna contain oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Other polyunsaturated fats that can help keep you healthier are found in flax oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil and other vegetable derived oils. Since most fats consume a lot of energy to metabolize, special structured fats called MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) are easier to digest than other fats.

• berries
• dark green leafy vegetables
• citrus fruits
• legumes (beans of all sorts including soy)
• whole grains

• 1. Van Cutsem E, Arends J. The causes and consequences of cancer associated malnutrition. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2005; 9 Suppl 2: S51-63.