Diet After Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy patients should not always follow the same diet plan. Different types of chemotherapy treatments cause different symptoms, and even patients who undergo the same treatment will have different reactions to it. Your diet after chemotherapy should address the side effects that you are experiencing. By adjusting your diet according to your symptoms you can alleviate most of the discomfort caused after chemotherapy, and avoid overly limiting your diet at the same time.

Immune System Depressed

After chemo, the immune system is suppressed, so you should adopt a diet that will avoid the risk of infection from your food by focusing on foods that boost the immune system as well as choosing safe foods that do not contain risky bacteria.
Your diet should contain plenty of pasteurized dairy products particularly yogurt, which has helpful bacteria that boosts the immune system. It is important to keep lean meats such as chicken and fish a main part of your diet, just make sure that it is well done before eating it. Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily, and brightly colored fruits and vegetables contain more immune system boosting vitamins than the lighter colored alternatives. Consume a small amount of cooked pasta and rice in your diet, but be sure to avoid any uncooked grains. Season your food with garlic, oregano, and ginger to increase your immune system even further and drink green tea on a daily basis. By sticking to this diet plan you can ensure that your immune system is in good shape and avoid any unnecessary infections.

Sleep Problems

If you are one of the unlucky chemotherapy patients who is plagued with sleeping difficulties, focus on food that helps you achieve deep sleep late in the evening. Food high in tryptophan will help your body create serotonin which promotes deep restful sleep at night. Beans, whole grains, lentils, hazelnuts, eggs, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and peanuts are all high in tryptophan. By creating a light snack out of these foods before bed you will improve your ability to fall asleep at night, and you may sleep more deeply. It is also important to remove any caffeinated products from your diet. Caffeine stays in your system for at least six hours after it is consumed and it can prevent you from obtaining deep, restful sleep even if you think you are sleeping well.

Nausea and Vomiting

The best way to handle all of these symptoms associated with an upset digestive system is to stick close to the BRAT diet. BRAT stands for bananas, rice applesauce, toast and tea, and these mild foods all do well at not upsetting the digestive system. The best way to carry out the BRAT diet is to mix and match the five foods in each of your meals until your stomach and intestinal tract is feeling better.

After you begin to feel better you should branch out your diet to include white chicken without the skin, crackers, white bread and pasta minus the sauce. These mild foods will help you add some variety to your diet without upsetting your stomach again.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is often a symptom associated with chemotherapy. Diarrhea goes hand in hand with an upset digestive tract and by following the instructions to ease your digestion tract it is also possible to eliminate problems with diarrhea.
When suffering from diarrhea, eat small amounts of mild food. Rice, oatmeal, saltine crackers and toast all make great meal choices. Clear soups like chicken noodle will keep your stomach from becoming upset and replenish the fluids that you are losing. Drink plenty of mild fluids such as water, and diluted apple juice, at least six glasses should be consumed every day.

Avoid spicy and greasy food because they will upset your stomach. Raw fruits and vegetables can also increase the severity of diarrhea symptoms.