If you or any of your loved ones is suffering from cancer disease, then you should know that just getting medication is not enough. There is a need to do proper exercise and follow a healthy diet plan to increase the quality of life. Diet and exercise are two essentials of your cancer treatment. Also, they assist you in minimizing the chances of recurrence of cancer. In this way, you can manage associated side-effects in a well-mannered way.
Diet Plan For Cancer
Both – making wise food choices and having enough amount of proteins and calories – are necessary while a person is going through cancer treatment. Though every individual is different from the other, so no one can assure if the patient will feel difficulty in eating or not. And if the difficulty happens, how bad it will be.
The nutritional requirements of every person can be different, so there is a need for an individual evaluation. Side-effects may also happen as a result of cancer treatment. In such situation, changes in nutrition of the patient can be a challenging task. Loss of appetite is a major side-effect of cancer treatment. If a patient consumes healthy and enough diet during the treatment, it helps him in becoming healthy in a less time period. A well-balanced diet plan includes carbohydrates, fat, protein, minerals, and vitamins in a specific quantity which is required by the body. Having enough water is also important. For majority of individuals, following food items should be included in the diet plan;
- The minimum amount of salt, alcohol, sugar, and fat
- The average amount of dairy products and meat
- Lots of cereals, whole-grain bread, vegetables, and fruits
The illness and specific treatment may affect an individual’s appetite and the capability of his body to tolerate foods. Usually, protein and calorie intake should be increased when a person is fighting with a fatal disease like cancer. So, you have to select high-protein and high-calorie foods.
Foods To Help Fighting Cancer
Following is a list of food that can help you in fighting with cancer and even prevent its symptoms.
- Apples
- Legumes
- Carrots
- Walnuts
- Fatty fish
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Berries
“There is no food that can cure cancer but a good food choice can help in managing risks and symptoms.”
How Many Calories You Should Intake?
If you are going to calculate how much calories you need to keep your body healthy while getting treatment, then you have to take various factors into consideration. These factors include height, weight, type and stage of cancer, and the presence of side-effects. It will help you in deciding what and when you need to eat.
National Cancer Institute has recommended a way which can help cancer patients to intake more about of nutrients through drinks and foods.
- When you feel hungry, eat your biggest meal.
- Make it your habit to intake snacks and small meals throughout the day even when you don’t feel too much hungry. It will help you in getting high-protein & high-calorie.
- Make it your habit to stay hydrated and drink more amount of water and fresh juices. You may also include liquids like caffeine-free tea, clear carbonated beverages, clear apple juice, and water. 8-12 glass of liquid a day should be your goal.
Hygiene Is Important!
Cancer patients should also pay attention to hygiene so that they intake only clean food. Such patients are at a higher risk to suffer from diseases because their immune system becomes weak. So, additional food safety is a MUST for them.
Be careful in following aspects:
- Wash your hands before taking or eating food.
- Take care of the required temperatures for your food.
- Cover your eatables.
- Cook food by keeping your temperatures safe.
- Soak the food like berried in water before rinsing because you cannot easily scrub them.
- Avoid fruit juice, milk, and raw honey.
- Before eating, make it your habit to scrub all raw vegetables and fruits with the help of water and a brush. Unwashed vegetables can make it risky for you and the chances of getting infection may increase.
- Avoid sushi, undercooked or raw meat, eggs, poultry, fish, and salad bars as they may contain harmful bacteria.
If you have any questions regarding safety or any aspect of your food choice, then consult your doctor to clear them. Your doctor may also give you a booklet to get help.
Exercise Management For Cancer Patients
Exercise can help you in managing side-effects of the medication and radiation treatment. Hence, in the past, the cancer patients got instructions of taking rest and limiting their physical activities by their doctors. New researches have been made and doctors got to know the importance of exercise and physical activities for cancer patients. They got to know that physical activity helps patients to increase their survival by managing their weight and increasing quality of life. Also, exercise can be helpful in dealing with side-effects including stress, anxiety, and fatigue, etc. On the other hand, limiting physical activity can lead to a reduced range of motion, muscle weakness, and loss of body functioning. By keeping this fact in the consideration, cancer care teams are not urging their patients to get involved in the physical activities and do exercise before, during, and after getting the treatment.
“Walk is the best physical activity to managing your health while fighting with cancer.”
What Regular Exercise Does To Your Body?
While going through cancer treatment, regular exercise can assist you in the following ways:
- Reducing fatigue
- Maintaining weight
- Reducing nausea
- Improving balance
- Increasing stamina
- Improving and maintain physical capabilities
- Reducing the risk of osteoporosis
- Reducing the risks of depression and anxiety
- Increasing the quality of life
- Increasing self-esteem
- Reducing blood clotting and improving blood flow
- Managing muscle strength
Recommended Exercises For Cancer Patients
Following exercises are usually recommended for cancer patients to boost their quality of life.
- Resistance training
- Aerobic exercises
- Flexibility exercises
- Stretches
Here, you need to know that different fitness regime is required for every person because every individual is different. So, the exercise program of each patient should be managed on the basis of his safety and ease. Some other aspects should also be considered which may include the stage of level, person’s capability to perform, strength, and fitness level, etc. You have to consult your doctor to make a fitness plan for you.
