Post: Navigating nutrition during cancer treatment

Filling your fridge and pantry with a variety of foods before treatment begins is essential to staying nourished during cancer treatment Key takeaways The side effects of cancer treatment can be uncomfortable and disruptive to regular eating habits.

Filling your fridge and pantry with a variety of foods before treatment begins is essential to staying nourished.

If you do have to miss a meal or have no appetite, homemade or store-bought protein shakes or meal-replacement drinks can be a helpful alternative.

During cancer treatment, our bodies require optimal nourishment, so eating well is especially important.

Unfortunately, the treatments themselves — including chemotherapy and radiation — can interfere with appetite and digestion, making it harder to consistently eat healthy foods or even eat much at all.

Filling your fridge and pantry with a variety of foods before treatment begins and being flexible about your daily diet are essential to staying nourished during cancer treatment, according to Emma Veilleux, a senior dietitian supervisor with the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology.

“You may experience nausea, constipation or diarrhea. You could experience smell and taste aversions, where foods that you normally like to eat are not going to sound good or may smell or taste unappealing,” Veilleux said. “I encourage my patients who are preparing for treatment to have a variety of nutritious options on hand in case they need to pivot from their usual eating plan.” Stock up on frozen meals and ready-to-eat foods

Having the fridge stocked with nutritious, ready-to-eat foods such as yogurt, cottage cheese, edamame, nut butter, fruits and vegetables, and the freezer filled with various frozen meals makes it easier to respond to changes in your taste and appetite.

“Whether you feel like eating pasta or you feel like eating chicken, you can pick based on what you have on hand, and you don’t need to go and order something from a food delivery service,” Veilleux said. “Although that can be an option, too.”Getting takeout meals when you have a specific taste for something and don’t have it in the house is also a good choice because it’s important to […]

Navigating nutrition during cancer treatment