Diet for chemotherapy patients

Chemotherapy is a treatment method that many people use when they suffer from some difficult-to-cure diseases. For example, leukemia is very common in daily life. Chemotherapy is generally used for some clinically difficult diseases. Since chemotherapy is extremely harmful to the patient's health, the patient's hair will gradually fall off during chemotherapy and eventually become bald. These are all manifestations of damage to the body caused by radioactive substances during chemotherapy.

Therefore, during the period of chemotherapy, it is very important for patients to take care of their body, and diet therapy is the best way to choose to regulate the body. So, what should patients pay attention to in their diet during chemotherapy?

1. Dietary considerations during chemotherapy

1) Eat light, low-fat, slightly cool food and eat more fruits.

2) Keep the indoor air fresh.

3) Eat small meals frequently to avoid overeating.

4) Before eating, you can rinse your mouth with light salt water to keep your mouth clean and odor-free.

5) Try to sit up when eating and drinking, and lie down flat after half an hour.

6) Try talking to others or taking deep breaths.

7) It is best for family members to accompany you during meals

2. Dietary principles for chemotherapy

1) Before chemotherapy: Eat a balanced diet that includes five major food groups: cereals and potatoes (rice, pasta), vegetables and fruits, meat, poultry, eggs, milk and soy products, and a small amount of oil. 4 to 5 meals a day, with snacks mainly consisting of fruits. The day before chemotherapy, eat low-fat, high-carbohydrate, high-vitamin and mineral foods such as rice, pasta, fish, chicken, eggs, lean meat, tofu, vegetables, fruits, etc.

2) During chemotherapy: low-fat, high-carbohydrate, small amount of high-quality protein food is required: mainly cereals, vegetables, and fruits, with easily digestible chicken, fish, and eggs, etc., and protein powder (soybean or egg white) can be appropriately supplemented, and less oil. If the treatment reaction is severe, the diet should be mainly liquid. You can use vegetable soup, rice soup, fruit juice and some elemental diet. Chewing ginger has a certain antiemetic effect.

3) After chemotherapy: The body is weak after chemotherapy, so it is advisable to choose nutritious and easily digestible foods, such as soft rice, porridge, bread, steamed buns, fish, eggs, chicken, soup, potatoes, bananas, jam, etc. Eat small meals frequently, exercise appropriately, and use yogurt instead of milk to avoid abdominal bloating. Ginger can also be used to stimulate appetite.

3. Dietary adjustment for decreased blood count after radiotherapy and chemotherapy

Supplement high-protein diet, such as: milk, soybeans, lean meat, pig's trotters, sea cucumbers, fish,

Animal liver, red dates, peanuts, walnuts, black fungus, carrots, red beans, etc. help increase white blood cells. Traditional Chinese medicine places the greatest emphasis on nourishing the internal organs, so during chemotherapy, you can also increase the amount of bone soup or animal blood in your diet. You can eat more five black foods, such as black sesame, black rice, black beans, black dates, etc., which will help improve blood count.

4. Dietary treatment for gastrointestinal toxicity

Chemotherapy can cause oral mucositis. At this time, you should keep your mouth clean, brush your teeth after eating, and supplement with high-nutrition liquid or semi-liquid diet, such as lotus seed soup, milk, soy milk, crucian carp soup, etc. Avoid overheated, overly acidic and irritating foods when eating. In acute inflammation, you can eat ice to reduce inflammatory exudation. If ulcers appear, you can add 0.1 gram of crushed vitamin C to 20 ml of honey and hold it in your mouth 2-4 times a day. Gastrointestinal reactions may include nausea, vomiting, upper abdominal pain, and poor appetite. At this time, you can eat appetizers, such as hawthorn, lentils, yam, white radish, mushrooms, etc. At the same time, you should eat small meals frequently to avoid feeling full. Chew food slowly and thoroughly, do not lie flat for 1 hour after a meal, you can take a walk, do not drink water for 1 hour before chemotherapy, if you feel nausea and vomiting while eating, you can take 3 to 5 ml of fresh ginger juice orally.

Ginger juice and tangerine peel drink is a commonly used dietary therapy for treating gastrointestinal reactions after chemotherapy. It uses 20 grams of fresh ginger, 250 grams of fresh tangerine peel, and 100 grams of honey. First wash the fresh ginger, cut it into slices or chop it with the skin, add an appropriate amount of warm water, mash it in a container to extract the juice, add honey, mix well and set aside. Pick out the fresh orange peel, wash it, drain it, cut it into thin strips, soak it in honey and ginger juice and marinate it for 1 week. When needed, take 20 grams three times a day and chew it like candied fruit. This dietary therapy can soothe the stomach and stop vomiting. It is suitable for gastrointestinal toxic reactions after chemotherapy that cause nausea, vomiting and other symptoms.

Through this article, we have introduced several precautions and diet therapy methods for patients during chemotherapy. I believe everyone has mastered the diet conditioning methods for chemotherapy patients. What is worth noting for chemotherapy patients in terms of diet conditioning is that when choosing diet therapy to regulate the body of chemotherapy patients, they must choose light and non-greasy food.