Nutrition

At Hope & Healing Cancer Services, we encourage a well-balanced diet containing proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.  We recommend patients make sure their food choices include fiber and are high in vitamins and minerals.   Drinking eight (8) glasses of water a day is an important part of maintaining good health and is crucial to keeping the kidneys working well during cancer treatments, flushing toxins out of the body naturally.

Eating difficulties, taste changes, and digestive issues are some of the side effects common to different cancers and cancer treatments.  There are many resources and interventions available to lessen these side effects related to radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.  Every patient should seek out information specific to their unique treatment and diagnosis.  Ask your healthcare provider for instructions that are helpful for you specifically.

Alternative diets and dietary supplements are commonly asked about.  Vitamins in moderation are usually considered harmless, but there are some vitamins and supplements that should be avoided during cancer treatments.  It is highly important to provide honest information and complete disclosure about dietary supplements you might be using or consuming during your cancer treatments.  Some vitamins and foods can be harmful or may weaken the effectiveness of your treatments.

Here are some useful resources on diet and nutrition during cancer treatment:

The National Cancer Institute provides a free resource available HERE.

The American Cancer Society provides a free resource available HERE.

CancerCare provides free resources available HERE.