When you go through chemotherapy, whether you need to go through it for cancer treatment or if you have to be on a high dosage of it if you have an autoimmune disorder, you are going to have very unpleasant side effects. Many times you will experience hair loss, mouth sores, changes in taste, nausea, and extreme fatigue to name a few. Therefore, you may not know what is palatable to eat, and what foods you should eat to help keep up with your strength. You may also not know what foods to avoid when you are going through chemotherapy. Let’s go over firstly, the foods that you should eat if you are undergoing chemotherapy whether it is for cancer treatment or autoimmune management.
What Are The Foods To Eat During Chemotherapy?
There are many factors that go into what you can eat while going through treatment because you may be turned off by a lot of foods. So you will want to stick to foods that will help you feel better, and that is palatable and easy to digest. The following foods to eat are:
- Oatmeal – this food is helpful for you to digest as it is also easy to eat if you have mouth sores as it will not cause any discomfort and pain. Not to mention, oatmeal has many helpful antioxidants and complex carbs that you need for your energy. And it will help you keep your strength up.
- Avocado – This fruit is full of essential fatty acids and healthy calories that your body needs to keep up its strength. It can also help reduce your bad cholesterol or LDL and help to raise good cholesterol which is HDL. You can always put avocado on whole-grain toast to give you the energy that you need to function.
- Eggs – You need this protein as it will help you get your energy back as well as it is easy to digest, and easy to eat in the mouth. It is safest to eat hardboiled eggs as you do not want to risk ending up with salmonella poisoning.
- Bread and crackers – You are going to need plenty of energy and bread and crackers are easy to digest. Therefore, you may want to snack on those throughout the day. Whole grain is much better for you than white. Your energy will last longer as a result.
- Broth – You will need plenty of plain broth to help keep you hydrated and it is also easy to sip and hold down if you are struggling with nausea.
- Seeds and nuts – These foods have plenty of protein and they are also packed with essential fatty acids that you need to function as well as you can. They are not too hard on the stomach either.
- Many fruits and vegetables – You will want to pack yourself with fruits and vegetables as much as you can as they have plenty of essential vitamins. that you need to get through your day. And they have the carbs that you need as well. You can make smoothies too.
- Fish – If you can stomach fish, this is an excellent food for you as it has plenty of antioxidants and essential fatty acids that are essential for your healing.
Now, let’s go over the foods that you should avoid during chemotherapy.
What Foods Should You Avoid During Chemotherapy?
You will want to avoid anything that is raw such as meat and fish. That means to stay away from sushi and sashimi. You will also want to keep away from anything that is unpasteurized and smoked such as salami and smoked meats. Therefore, keep away from dairy and cheeses that are not pasteurized such as raw milk, blue cheese, brie, and any other soft cheeses.
You will also want to keep away from alfalfa sprouts, pâté, and store-bought prepared salads and sandwiches. The risk with these foods is that they can harbor bacteria and you do not have the immune function to fight off a serious infection. You will land in the hospital if you get food poisoning. Therefore, you want to be very careful to stay away from raw foods, and unpasteurized foods.
Stick to anything that is cooked well, and easy to digest, and that way, you will be in the best shape you can be given the situation you are in.
