When you have cancer, you may need extra protein and calories. At times, your diet may need to include extra meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and plant-based proteins. If you have trouble chewing and swallowing, you may need to add sauces and gravies. Sometimes, you may need to eat low-fiber foods instead of high-fiber ones.
Some raw foods can contain germs that can hurt you when cancer or treatment weakens your immune system. Ask your health care provider about how to eat well and safely. Eggs can have bacteria called Salmonella on their inside and outside. This is why eggs should be cooked completely before eating.
As well as selenium, eggs are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which are powerful antioxidants. Lutein has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in breast and lung cancers, and zeaxanthin has been shown to reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancers.
Unwashed fresh fruits and vegetables, especially leafy vegetables that can hide dirt and other contaminants. Unpasteurized fruit juice or cider. Raw sprouts like alfalfa sprouts. Raw or undercooked beef (especially ground beef) or other raw or undercooked meat and poultry.
Limit eggs to 1 or 2 times per week; soft and hard boiled will be a better option than scrambled or fried. Consider avoiding eggs completely if you have had a reproductive cancer or are at high-risk for breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer.
“A number of egg proteins and peptides have been reported to induce apoptosis in cancer cells, protect against DNA damage, decrease the invasion ability of cancer cells, and exhibit cytotoxic and antimutagenic activity in various cancer cell lines.
Sugar comes in many different forms, but the simplest form is a single molecule called glucose. All cells, including cancer cells, use glucose as their primary fuel. Glucose comes from any food that contains carbohydrates including healthful foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and dairy.
Be careful when you have dairy products: All milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy should have the word pasteurized on their containers. Do not eat soft cheeses or cheeses with blue veins (such as Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, and Bleu).
On good days, eat lots of protein and healthy calories. That will keep your body strong and help repair damage from your cancer or your treatment. High-protein foods include: Lean meat, chicken, and fish.
Recommended egg foods include: whole eggs - Poached eggs, scrambled eggs, well-cooked omelets, omelettes. Salted eggs, herbal eggs are eaten in moderation. Raw eggs, eggs that are not thoroughly cooked are absolutely not for cancer patients to eat.
Dairy foods should be eaten as part of a varied and nutritious diet. Cancer Council supports the Australian Dietary Guidelines, which encourage adults to eat at least two and a half serves of dairy foods (milk, cheese and yoghurt) each day and to choose reduced fat varieties of dairy foods where possible.
Cancer. Several studies suggest a positive association between egg consumption, cancer mortality, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Some evidence suggest that egg consumption may increase the risk of those cancers, and worsen the progression of prostate cancer to make death more likely.
Try low-odor, dry, and bland foods, such as crackers, toast, oatmeal, and plain yogurt. Sip cold, clear liquids, such as ginger ale, iced tea, sparkling water, or fruit juice. Some people find sparkling water with a splash of juice soothes the stomach. Sip ginger tea.
Light, bland foods seem to work best. Some examples of choices are: Plain or Fruited yogurt. Fresh fruit and cottage cheese.
Neutrophils are white blood cells that serve as our front line of defense. When we're immunocompromised and don't have enough neutrophils, we're called “neutropenic.” So, the chemotherapy patients were put on a so-called neutropenic diet without any fresh fruits and vegetables.
Be sure to choose dark chocolate that is relatively low in sugar and high in cocoa (and also make sure you're paying attention to calories). And stay away from milk chocolate because it contains far fewer flavonoids than its dark chocolate counterpart.
Potatoes are high in potassium, vitamin C and folate, all of which are most concentrated in the skin of the potato, which is left on in this dish. The roasted vegetables provide an opportunity to use what you have available.
Can watermelon help people already diagnosed with cancer? Believe it or not, it can! In addition to helping the body manage free radicals, it can also help with dehydration and restricted fiber diets. Since watermelon is 90% water, chowing down on this snack is a great choice for patients with diarrhea.
If you are currently losing weight on cancer treatment, ice cream can be an easy way to get more calories in less food, as long as you don't have any sensitivity to cold foods. If you have a sore mouth or throat, ice cream may be one of the few foods that can soothe the discomfort.
"Cancer-fighting foods"
The list is usually topped with berries, broccoli, tomatoes, walnuts, grapes and other vegetables, fruits and nuts. "If you look at the typical foods that reduce cancer risk, it's pretty much all plant foods that contain phytochemicals," says Wohlford.
The high level of monounsaturated fats in avocados is also relevant for cancer prevention. Studies have found monounsaturated fats to be inversely related to risk of oral and pharyngeal cancers (14), pancreatic cancer (15), and bladder cancer (16).
Certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, oats, whole grains, spices and teas provide unique benefits not found in other foods. These benefits help reduce the risks of certain cancers and can even slow tumor growth and recurrence. Most of these plant-based foods provide plenty of other health benefits too.