Healthy Recipes to Eat When You Have Cancer (2024)

FAQs

What meals are good for cancer? ›

Plant-based Proteins

This means eating lots of vegetables as well as beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. If you do eat animal proteins, choose lean options like chicken or fish.

Eat foods rich in protein, such as chicken, fish, pork, beef, lamb, eggs, milk, cheese, beans, nuts or nut butters, and soy foods. Drink Double Milk and use it in recipes that call for milk or water, such as instant pudding, cocoa, omelets, and pancake mixes.

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.

"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.

Ketones become the energy to cells in the body. Early (preclinical) studies showed that some cancer cells can't use ketones as energy. So, changing the diet to be high in fat and low in carbohydrate will lower glucose levels and starve cancer cells. Normal body cells adapt and can use ketones to survive.

If you're currently undergoing cancer treatment and losing weight, now is the time to indulge in comfort foods. Macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and ice cream can be great options as their high calories, creamy textures and low-fiber content make them easy to chew and digest.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) block chemical messengers (enzymes) called tyrosine kinases. Tyrosine kinases help to send growth signals in cells, so blocking them stops the cell growing and dividing. Cancer growth blockers can block one type of tyrosine kinase or more than one type.

What do cancer patients need most? ›

Different cells fight different types of cancer. For example, one way the immune system fights cancer is by sending out a special form of white blood cells called T cells: The T cells see cancer as “foreign” cells that don't belong in the body. The T cells attack and try to destroy the cancerous cells.

Most cancer-causing DNA changes occur in sections of DNA called genes. These changes are also called genetic changes. A DNA change can cause genes involved in normal cell growth to become oncogenes. Unlike normal genes, oncogenes cannot be turned off, so they cause uncontrolled cell growth.

If you can, have a consistent daily routine. Make time each day for exercising, getting enough sleep and eating meals. Exercise and participating in activities that you enjoy also may help. People who get exercise during treatment not only deal better with side effects but also may live longer.