Cancer patients require a significant amount of calories and protein during treatment to maintain their body weight and avoid infection. Cancer and cancer treatment can change the way the body uses food, and this can affect digestion. Highly digestible foods for cancer patients tend to be low in fiber so the body can absorb and utilize them quickly; examples include mashed foods and pureed foods. Cancer patients also are best served by high-calorie, high-protein smoothies that digest quickly and effectively provide nutrients.
Nutrition & Digestion
Cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy can adversely affect digestion in cancer patients, explains Debra Barton, R.N., Ph.D., editor in chief of the National Cancer Institute's Physician Data Query. Some of the most common digestive side effects include diarrhea, constipation, partial paralysis of the stomach, malabsorption of vital nutrients, vomiting, mucositis, an inflammation that affects the mucous membranes that line the digestive tract and entertitis, an inflammation that targets the small intestine.
Mashed Foods
Mashed foods such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash and bananas are highly digestible foods for cancer patients. These foods also require minimal chewing, which may be of added benefit to cancer patients who experience trouble chewing and swallowing. Cancer treatment can make eating painful due to mouth sores, dry mouth, sore throat and difficulty swallowing. One way for cancer patients to ensure that they ingest the maximum amount of calories is to add butter and cream to mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and add maple syrup to squash.
Pureed Foods
Adequate protein intake is essential for cancer patients to withstand cancer treatment and maintain their muscle mass. Cachexia -- the wasting of muscle and fat tissue -- can result from the immune system's response to the cancer, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information. Pureed protein such as beef, chicken, pork or fish is highly digestible and allows the cancer patient to ingest protein-rich sources without having to chew them. Other highly digestible protein rich foods include bland chicken breast without the skin, if mouth and throat side effects are minimal.
Smoothies
Smoothies are highly digestible, highly adaptable foods that can offer cancer patients high-calorie, high-protein nutrition easily and quickly. You can make smoothies with frozen yogurt or ice cream to add calories, as well as soy or protein powder to add protein. You also can pack smoothies with antioxidant-rich fruits such as blueberries and healthy fats such as almond butter. The coldness of smoothies also makes them more palatable to cancer patients with painful mouth side effects. Speak to your doctor about highly digestible foods that cater to your specific side effects during cancer treatment.
