How do you manage your diet during chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is a fairly reliable treatment to kill cancer cells. Even so, this treatment can cause many side effects, one of which is decreased appetite until body weight decreases. In fact, cancer patients who are on chemotherapy really need nutritional intake in order to speed up their treatment. In order for chemotherapy to run smoothly, here is a guide to eating during chemotherapy for cancer patients.

Why when chemotherapy has decreased your appetite so drastically?

In fact, the growth of cancer cells in the body can cause decreased appetite. So, cancer cells will release cytokines that stimulate the brain to suppress appetite.

Well, coupled with the side effects of cancer treatment which on average can make your appetite decrease, chemotherapy treatment is one of them. Even so, chemotherapy side effects experienced by patients will depend on the type of drug and how long the drug is used.

Chemotherapy drugs will usually cause indigestion, difficulty swallowing, nausea, vomiting, and mouth sores. This condition causes the patient to have no appetite for food.

In addition, when chemotherapy, the senses of smell and taste become less sensitive. So, the patient feels less taste and aroma of food. These side effects make people who are on chemotherapy even more unwilling to eat.

Therefore, cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy need proper eating arrangements so that their nutrition is well fulfilled even though they are having difficulty eating.

Are the nutritional requirements for chemotherapy different from normal?

Cancer patients, of course, have different nutritional needs from healthy people. The fulfillment of food intake during chemotherapy should be under the supervision of the doctor in charge of the patient and involve a clinical nutritionist or nutritionist in the hospital.

Before planning a meal, the patient will usually have a general health check, see his history of weight loss, side effects of chemotherapy, the type of drug given, to his muscle mass.

After that, usually doctors and nutritionists will plan meal arrangements and determine how much nutritional needs for cancer patients.

As an overview, cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy need calories of 25-30 kcal / kg / day and protein of 1.2-1.5 g / kg / day.

The daily amount of protein in cancer patients is indeed greater than that of healthy people. This is because protein is needed by the body to repair cells damaged by chemotherapy or cancer.

Meanwhile, other nutritional needs such as fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals will be adjusted according to the patient's health condition and the type of treatment performed.

With no appetite for food, how can cancer patients meet their nutritional needs?

Usually, doctors will find out first the cause of decreased appetite in cancer patients. That way, the doctor will provide therapy or treatment to overcome the cause of decreased appetite.

In order to continue to meet nutritional needs during chemotherapy, there are several things that need to be done:

Eat 5-6 times a day in small portions, plus snacks if you feel hungry at any time.
Don't limit the amount of food you eat.
Try to pay attention and note the times when you feel hungry and what foods make you feel hungry.
Eat snacks that have high calories and protein, such as dried fruit, nuts, yogurt, cheese, eggs, pudding, ormilkshake.
Always have the snack you like, so that when you're hungry you can eat it right away.
Increase the calories and protein in your diet by adding butter, cheese, cream, broth, peanuts or peanut butter.
Drink filling calorie drinks like milk, milkshakes, or smoothies.
Schedule meals with family or friends to make them more enjoyable.
Serve food in small plates, not on large plates.
If the smell or taste of food causes nausea, eat the food cold or room temperature.
Add a variety of kitchen spices to strengthen the taste of the food.
Eat mint or lemon, if you have a metallic taste in your mouth.
Light exercise such as walking 20 minutes 1 hour before eating can stimulate appetite.

What should be eaten before and after chemotherapy?

Almost all nutritious food is good for cancer patients to consume, as long as the amount is in accordance with the needs and consume a variety of foods. However, before starting chemotherapy, you should first consult your doctor about what to eat or what food to prepare.

What needs to be prepared before chemotherapy:

Keep a good supply of groceries and can store them in the freezer so you don't go out too often to shop for groceries
Can prepare half-cooked meals (precooked meal) that can be saved
Ask family members to help prepare meals

After chemotherapy, side effects usually still appear, if needed, you can ask your doctor about drugs to treat side effects so as not to interfere with your appetite.

Furthermore, the food recommendations given are in the form of a balanced nutritional diet, followed by a healthy lifestyle, namely not smoking, maintaining a normal body weight, drinking less alcohol, and exercising.

Are there foods that are recommended and not recommended during chemotherapy?

Basically, all food ingredients are safe if consumed in sufficient and varied amounts. If necessary, also provide additional vitamins or minerals in the form of supplements to support needs. However, there are some foods that are not recommended, namely:

Processed meat
Unpasteurized or raw milk
Soft-cheese
Meals are served lightly, including sushi sashimi
Unwashed fruit vegetables
Half boiled egg
Sweet thick creamer

How to set a meal schedule for the right chemotherapy?

Food intake is given in small portions but often divided into 5-6 meals. You can divide it like this:

07.00: Breakfast (source of carbohydrates, animal protein, vegetable protein, healthy fats, vegetables)
09.00: Interlude (fruit, nutritional supplementation milk)
12.00: Lunch (source of carbohydrates, animal protein, vegetable protein, healthy fats, vegetables)
15.00: Interlude (fruit, nutritional supplementation milk)
18.00: Dinner (source of carbohydrates, animal protein, vegetable protein, healthy fats, vegetables)
9:00 p.m.: Interlude (nutritional supplementation milk)

What if the patient does not want to eat during chemotherapy?

If the patient does not want to eat during chemotherapy, ask the doctor to prescribe medication to increase his appetite.

In certain cases, if the weight decreases and the patient still does not want to eat, a feeding tube (Nasogastric tube = NGT) can be inserted between the nose to the stomach temporarily or permanently through the abdominal wall.