Nutrition in cancer: 13 golden rules
A diagnosis of cancer poses many questions for those affected and their families. What’s next? What therapy will be necessary? What can I do about the disease myself, and also about my diet? For example, can I eat everything, or do I have to do without certain foods now?
Diet undoubtedly has a decisive influence on well-being in the case of cancer. It should, therefore, be given great attention. The body and mind can draw strength from a healthy and balanced diet, and possible side effects of therapy can be alleviated. On the following pages of our photo series, you will find helpful tips on healthy foods for cancer patients and other suggestions for nutrition in this particular phase of life.
Important note: These tips on nutrition for cancer only provide a first overview. They do not replace a consultation with a doctor or professional nutritional advice. If you have any questions or concerns about illness, therapy and nutrition, please get in touch with your doctor!
To provide variety
True to the motto “Colorful is healthy”, a varied and varied diet is recommended for cancer patients. There are no specific anti-cancer foods that should be eaten. Nor are there certain foods that should be avoided at all costs. Instead, it is essential to ensure that nothing is eaten in excess and that many plant-based and animal-based foods are included in the daily diet.
Prefer plant foods
Eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible – this simple rule applies to people with cancer and healthy people. Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, phytochemicals and trace elements. These are essential for life and cannot be produced by the body. Therefore, they must be ingested daily through food.
The German Society for Nutrition recommends consuming five servings of plant-based foods daily (“5 a day”). It is best to have two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables. That means about 400 grams of raw or cooked vegetables and 200 grams of fruit per day.
Prepare vegetables gently
In the gentle preparation of vegetables, they are cooked with little fat and water. This means that essential nutrients and vitamins are best preserved. In addition, steamed or boiled vegetables are usually more digestible and accessible than fried, roasted or raw vegetables. This is particularly important for people who are prone to gastrointestinal problems due to their cancer or cancer therapy.
High-calorie diet in cancer
Both the cancer itself and the therapy often sap the strength of those affected. This can also lead to malnutrition and unwanted weight loss. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that you eat energy-rich foods.
This includes foods with a high protein or fat content, such as nuts, legumes, meat, cheese, eggs or fish. Carbohydrates are also crucial for rapid energy supply. Therefore, grain products – preferably whole grain – and potatoes should also be on the menu.
Adding fat to food can help increase calorie intake and improve nutritional status. An extra dollop of butter in mashed potatoes or a dash of good linseed or olive oil when preparing vegetables is suitable. This is an easy way to prepare a high-calorie diet for cancer patients.
Drink enough
Water is arguably the most essential food of all. It is irreplaceable for the body; without water, there is no life. It serves in particular as a transport and solvent with the help of which a wide variety of substances are distributed or excreted in the body.
Like healthy people, people with cancer should drink about one and a half to two litres of fluids daily. It doesn’t have to be water. Unsweetened teas or heavily diluted juices are also suitable. A slice of fruit or a few berries adds flavour to the water and makes it easier to drink.
If medication is taken in tablet form, it should be taken with a large glass of water. On the one hand, tablets are more accessible to swallow; on the other hand, water-soluble drugs can only be absorbed in the stomach or intestines if enough liquid is available. Therefore, taking the tablets with a glass of water is advisable.
Follow hygiene rules when preparing.
Some cancers may require high-dose chemotherapy, which turns off the immune system. This is the case, for example, before a bone marrow transplant for blood cancer (leukaemia). This increases the risk of infection, and special attention must be paid to hygiene when selecting and preparing food to avoid contamination.
In this case, raw foods contaminated with harmful bacteria should be avoided at all costs. This includes sushi, raw meat, salads with mayonnaise, raw dairy products or raw eggs. Fruits and vegetables must be washed particularly well before use or consumption. Better yet, avoid raw foods altogether. It is also advisable to wash your hands thoroughly with soap when doing kitchen work.
Prefer tasty meals
Eating should be enjoyable, joyful, fun, and good for the soul. A tasty meal, therefore, contributes to healthy nutrition in the case of cancer. When choosing and preparing food, specific likes and dislikes of certain foods should be considered. Because a healthy meal that doesn’t taste good and that people don’t like to eat makes it even more challenging to eat, especially if you don’t have an appetite . Eating supposedly “unhealthy” foods you like is sometimes better than not eating at all.
dietary supplements for cancer
Usually, even with cancer, the body is adequately supplied with all the necessary nutrients thanks to a balanced and healthy diet. Depending on the type of cancer and therapy, there may still be an undersupply. If the doctor has identified a deficiency and knows which vitamins are missing, for example, in chemotherapy, specific dietary supplements can be used to treat cancer.
The intake and dosage of dietary supplements should always be done with someone but should always be discussed with the doctor treating you. In the event of an overdose of individual substances, organs such as the kidneys can be damaged. Caution is also required with antioxidants: Preparations with vitamins C or E and beta-carotene can impair the effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Special case grapefruit
Grapefruit can reduce the effects of drugs used in chemotherapy. Therefore, grapefruit should be avoided for the duration of chemotherapy. The doctor treating you is the right person to contact if you have any questions or are unsure about possible interactions between certain foods and the therapy.
Special foods against cancer
Some foods are said to have a particularly good or bad effect on cancer. At this point, it must be noted that no food has been scientifically proven to have a lasting effect on the course of cancer. Much of the study data comes from laboratory tests and cannot be transferred to the human body.
The yellow dye curcumin from the root of yellow ginger (turmeric) is said to have an anti-cancer effect. Green tea (epigallocatechin gallate) is said to protect against cancer. Ingredients from raspberries (ellagitannin, anthocyanin) and broccoli (sulforaphane, quercetin) are said to inhibit cancer cells and, at the same time, make them sensitive to chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
However, these connections must still be adequately examined and documented in studies. Or – as about green tea – the results of the individual studies differ so widely that no clear statements can be made about the positive effect. So, there is no such thing as a real cancer-killer food.
Avoid alcohol if you have cancer.
It has been proven that the risk of developing cancer increases with increasing consumption of alcohol. Alcohol, therefore, plays a significant role in preventing cancer. However, alcohol consumption should also be limited during cancer and therapy. It is not entirely forbidden to drink alcohol. However, alcohol can either increase or decrease the effect of medicines. Possible interactions between alcohol and therapy should, therefore, always be clarified with the doctor.
Meat and milk are primarily allowed in cancer.
Both meat and milk are rated by the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) as uncritical in connection with cancer. Red meat (beef, pork and lamb) and processed meat products (e.g. ham or sausage) are exceptions. They are suspected of increasing the risk of cancer, and it is recommended to eat these foods less often. However, white meat (poultry) can be eaten without hesitation, provided it is thoroughly cooked and is of organic quality, as it usually has significantly fewer antibiotic-resistant germs.
Milk and milk products are a valuable supplier of protein, calcium and some vitamins and should enrich the daily menu. According to the German Society for Nutrition, the recommended daily amount is 250 grams.
Finding balance in eating with cancer
When you are in balance, you are fine. A balance between movement and relaxation should be mentioned here, as well as an average body weight. A balanced diet is also part of it. This means that the food should be selected in a variety of ways.
Eating smaller meals throughout the day, not too much at once and not too little overall, is advisable to keep the body manageable and provide it with all the essential nutrients and sufficient energy. Sugar and salt should be used sparingly, so eating sweets and nibbles in moderation is wise.
So-called cancer diets, on the other hand, are often too one-sided and do not provide enough energy. Some foods are on the menu at every meal as part of these diets . This increases the risk of eating an unbalanced diet.
