A diagnosis of stomach cancer can be scary and overwhelming. If you you require surgery, you may wonder if it will disrupt the way you can eat and your appetite. Chemotherapy and radiation can reduce your appetite, or you may suffer with nausea. A diagnosis of stomach cancer may require some changes to your diet, but there are ways to maintain your quality of life and nutritional health and still enjoy eating.
Healthy Eating
It is important to maintain a healthy diet after a diagnosis of stomach cancer. Try to eat a balanced diet that includes protein, dairy, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Some people choose to adopt a macrobiotic diet after they have been diagnosed with cancer. A macrobiotic diet is a vegetarian diet consisting primarily of whole grains, cereals and cooked vegetables. Just as with any healthy diet, it is important to limit the number of processed and packaged foods you eat. Although it may be hard for you to eat, opt for high-calorie, high-protein meals and snacks, and make sure to stay hydrated by drinking water. Your doctor may ask you to work with a nutritionist. A nutritionist can tell you how many calories you need to be eating in the day to make sure your nutritional status does not decline.
Tube Feedings
Depending on your stage of cancer and the type of surgery you have, you may need to use tube feedings to ensure that you are getting enough vitamins and minerals. Feeding tubes can be placed through the nose, which end up in the stomach or the small intestine. If you need the tube for a longer period of time, a tube may be surgically placed in stomach or small intestine. A special tube-feeding formula is put through the tube to prevent dehydration and malnutrition.
IV Nutrition
If you have part or all of your stomach removed, your diet may change drastically. You may not be able to eat for a period of time, or you may tolerate only a small amount of food. To keep up with your energy needs, you may need to receive nutrients through an IV, which is a small tube placed in a vein under the skin. A solution containing protein, vitamins, minerals, fats and carbohydrates is pumped into the vein.
Chemotherapy/Radiation
If you have stomach cancer and are undergoing stomach treatment with chemotherapy or radiation, you may feel nauseated and not hungry, but maintaining your nutritional status is important during treatment. You and your nutritionist can can devise a plan to make eating easier. Because you may feel full faster, eat small amounts of food more often. Even if you do not feel hungry, it is important to try to eat at mealtimes and snack times. You should take advantage of the times you do feel hungry and try to eat more during those times. If liquids make you feel full, limit the amount of liquids you drink during mealtimes, but if you find it easier to drink liquids, aim for high-calorie liquids, including smoothies or nutrition supplement drinks.
Expert Insight
In a study published in the "World Journal of Gastroenterology" in March 2005, patients with stomach cancer were assessed for nutritional status and quality of life. The study concluded that patients' quality of life was impacted by nutritional status and that nutrition interventions, including increasing the number of mealtimes in a day and eating high-calorie, high-protein foods, should be implemented. In a study published in the journal in 2000, researchers in Japan found that patients with stomach cancer who ate raw vegetables three times a week or more had a 26 percent lower risk of dying. Patients who ate tofu three times a week or more had a 35 percent lower risk of dying from diagnosed stomach cancer.
References
- Pubmed: Nutrition and Cancer: Effects of Dietary, Drinking, and Smoking on the Prognosis of Gastric Cancer
- Cancer Treatment Centers of America: Stomach Cancer Nutrition Therapy
- Pubmed: World Journal of Gastroenterology: Nutritional Status and Quality of Life of the Gastric Cancer Patients in Changle COunty of China
- MayoClinic.com: No Appetite? How To Get Nutrition During Cancer Treatment
