Eating healthy is important in any disease and it becomes even more profound in case of severe diseases like cancer. Cancer is one of the main causes of many deaths each year. The treatment of cancer varies from the type and stage of cancer. While it can be treated by medicines in early stages and in some medium risky cases also, but the requirement of chemotherapy is required. This is an essential and draining process for anyone to go through. In this process, a person is exposed to radiation that kills the cancer-causing cells and other underlying causes. But this can be a very exhausting period for anyone. It not only requires the body to go through multiple processes and frequent visits to hospitals.
In such a time, it is essential to maintain a healthy diet and keep the body full of nutrients and energy. Hence, cancer patients should take extreme care of their diet. The diet should be balanced. Care should be given to any possible excess of nutrients in the diet.
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Calories and Proteins | Few Healthy Eating Tips for Cancer Patients
The diet of cancer patients should be high in calories and proteins. Calories will provide the required energy and save the body from exhaustion. The proteins are body-building food and help in the repair of tissues. These are essential for speeded-up recovery and tissue repair.
Tips for Increasing Calories and Proteins
- Divide your meals into small fragments spanned over the whole day. These will supply nutrients throughout the day and will also help not feel heavy after eating small meals.
- Eat what you like. This is essential as cancer treatment needs lots of positivity and motivation. So, if you want to eat breakfast for dinner, go for it.
- Keep your diet saturated with calories and proteins. You can add specific food items and beverages.
- Cancer treatment can affect the appetite. So, never skip meals even if you do not feel hungry. Eat as much as you can when you feel the hungriest.
- Do regular physical exercises. These will regulate food digestion and even increase or maintain appetite.
- Meals should not be overwhelmed with fluids. Solid food provides energy for a longer period. So, take fluids in between meals but not with meals.
- Make sure whatever you are eating is not too adulterated or nutritionally compromised. Home-made food can serve this purpose.
Tips for increasing Proteins in the diet
As already discussed, proteins are essential for body repair and fast recovery. Most people don’t really care for the quantity or quality of proteins in their diet. Doing this can affect the quality and progress of the treatment. Here are some highly rich proteins food items. These are:
Milk Products
Milk products are a good source of proteins. You can add cheese to any food item you like. For example, it can be served with baked potatoes, noodles, meat, vegetables, etc. Cheese not only enhances the taste but also increases the protein content. One can also replace water with milk in cereals and soups. Powdered milk can also be added to puddings, casseroles, and mashed potatoes and cream can be added to vegetables and pasta. Greek yogurt, whey proteins, and cottage cheese can also be added to the diet.
Eggs
Eggs are another great source of proteins and fats also. One can keep cooked eggs in the refrigerator and add them to vegetables, soups, and other dishes. Easy and quick egg salads are also a very healthy protein source. However, the eggs should be properly cooked to avoid any bacterial infection and low-fat eggs can also be a great choice instead of regular eggs.
Animal flesh
Different types of meat are a great source of proteins. These are the most saturated proteinous food items. Hence, one can add enough meat, fish, and poultry to their diet. Fish meat contains a very high amount of protein. One can add dice or blocks of cooked meat to soups, vegetables, and other dishes.
Other sources
Nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes are great sources of proteins. These can be consumed either directly or along with other food items. They can be added to desserts, custards, putting, etc. They can also be used in salad dressings and breakfast cereals. They can also be used to make butter and put on toast or make milkshakes.
Tips for Increasing Calories
Butter
It is a great source of adding calories to your diet. It can be sued almost in every dish for cooking purposes or enhancing the taste. Additional melted butter can be added to cooked potatoes, rice, soups, vegetables, sandwiches, etc.
Milk Products
They are also a good source of calories. Many milk products are rich in fats. One can add heavy creams fruits, chocolates, pancakes, desserts, etc. Sour cream can also be added while cooking baked potatoes and vegetables.
Sweets
Of course, sweets are a good source of calories. They are rich in carbohydrates that break down and provide energy. Fruits, Jellies, Ice Creams, etc. can be added to the diet.
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