After having surgery on your mouth for lip cancer, you must be very careful not to disturb the stitches when you eat. But you can't avoid food and still receive good nutrition to help your body heal well. The solution is to eat soft foods for a period of time, until the pain subsides and the area has begun to heal. The soft foods you choose should meet your nutritional requirements for cellular healing and provide you with the nutrients you need to help fight the cancer.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables will provide your body with antioxidants to fight free radical damage from metabolism and toxins from radiation or chemotherapy as well as enzymes and vitamins needed to for overall health, according to the American Cancer Society. However, they usually have a more firm texture than can be tolerated by your surgical area and may require that you bite from the produce, almost impossible with an incision on your lip, according to EppleyPlasticSurgery.com. Fresh fruit and vegetable juicing at home can help to remove the barrier of receiving the fresh enzymes and nutrients without the pain of biting and chewing. Remember to check with your surgeon to ensure you are allowed to use a straw.
Fluids
It is important to stay well hydrated during treatment with chemotherapy or radiation after lip surgery. According to the National Cancer Institute, it is important to drink fluids, even on days you feel you cannot eat. If you feel your stomach can handle more than water you can try sipping on clear broth or bouillon, fresh fruit or vegetable juices, or sport drinks. Most adults should drink between 8 and 12 cups of fluid each day to meet their daily requirements. If you are not able to eat food, which also supplies water, you should drink at least 10 cups per day to replace the fluid you lose through urination, breathing and your skin.
Proteins
Soft proteins may be difficult to find after lip surgery. According to the National Cancer Institute, you should eat proteins throughout the day to help you rebuild tissue that is harmed by the cancer treatment and to help heal the surgical incision area. You may be satisfied with liquid meal replacements until your lip is sufficiently healed to allow you to eat other foods. You can also puree your own protein foods in the food blender. Meat can be pureed with milk or water to keep the consistency thin or scrambled eggs can be pureed with milk and cheese. Refried beans, tomato soup and oatmeal are also forms of protein that lend themselves to a pureed mixture. Getting the food past the lips so they are not involved in eating will also help to reduce the pain and allow you to eat foods with more firm texture. According to HighProteinFoods.net, other soft food options include yogurt, cheeses, shakes and soups.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the fuel your body uses every day. Without adequate carbohydrates, your body will start to burn muscle for energy and reduce your ability to fight the cancer and withstand the treatments. Soft carbohydrates can include soft toast, pancakes, grits, pasta, creamed meat or oatmeal and broiled soft fish, such as salmon, tuna or stewed chicken, according to SteadyHealth.com. Each of these items can be broken into small pieces that will bypass the lips and require minimal chewing.
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