Cancer treatment requires more than the medicinal methods doctors prescribe. It requires a whole body approach for true healing to take place. Good nutrition is a part of this; without healthy food, your body cannot function properly. Radiation therapy, though effective, results in unpleasant side effects for some people. Eating the right food can combat these and give you the strength to move forward.
The Purpose of Radiation
Doctors prescribe radiation therapy to kill existing cancer cells and prevent them from spreading to other areas of your body. It may also reduce the symptoms of cancer when curing the disease is not possible. Shrinking a tumor can relieve pain from the pressure of the tumor, prevent a patient from going blind and prevent loss of bowel or bladder control. Approximately 60 percent of cancer patients undergo radiation therapy, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
The side effects you experience may differ from the side effects of other patients. It depends on the site of the therapy, the length of the treatment and your current health status. Although the intent of radiation is to kill, or slow the progression of, cancer cells, the rays the machine emits may destroy healthy cells as well. This can cause side effects such as fatigue, dry mouth, problems eating and swallowing and changes in your skin.
The Role of Nutrition
The radiation isn't the only thing working hard during the time of treatment; your body is as well. It's fighting the cancer cells and trying to replace the healthy cells damaged by the radiation. It not only requires the normal amount of nutrients required of a healthy body to remain healthy, but it now depends on you to feed it the right nutrients to repair itself and keep you running right. Unfortunately, this isn't always easy. If you are tired, you don't want to cook. If your mouth hurts, the thought of food makes you run and hide. You must plan your diet based on the side effects you experience, while making sure you receive the nutrition your body craves.
Diet Tips
Carolyn Katzin of CancerNutrition.com, has more than 20 years of experience as a nutritionist, is a lead volunteer for the American Cancer Society and has been working with cancer patients since 1985. During radiation treatment, she recommends extra carbohydrates for energy, while after treatment, she encourages a diet high in protein and low in simple sugars such as candy, pastries and white rice. Eliminating dairy products can help prevent intestinal discomfort. If your treatment leaves you with a metallic taste in your mouth, try marinating your meat for flavor. Apple sauce, yogurt and salad dressing may make it easier for you to chew if your mouth is sore. Protein powder milk shakes also help alleviate this problem.
Considerations
If you find that eating is still a problem due to your side effects, speak to your doctor or oncology nurse. Malnutrition, a condition resulting in drastic weight loss, increases the mortality rate for most types of cancer, according to OralCancerFoundation.org.
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