Good Nutrition Tips for Mesothelioma and Cancer Patients

Nutrition is important for everyone, especially for those battling aggressive cancers like mesothelioma. Cancer and its treatments trigger muscle and weight loss and even nutritional deficits. Good nutrition tips for mesothelioma and cancer patients include working with a dietician and focusing on healing foods.

Any form of treatment for mesothelioma can get extremely expensive. With chemotherapy, treatment sessions (along with medication) can quickly add up to prices that are usually above the average family’s budget. Fill out our form to receive our free Financial Compensation Packet. Our packet is loaded with information on experienced mesothelioma attorneys in your area, how to file a claim for asbestos trust funds, how to get paid in 90 days, and more. 

Why Nutrition Is Important for Cancer Patients

Patients with mesothelioma should pay special attention to nutrition for several reasons:

• A healthy diet helps a patient maintain optimal health, which makes cancer treatment more effective and more tolerable.
• Getting adequate nutrition helps patients avoid losing weight and important body tissue and avoid or prevent getting infections.
• Good nutrition is also important for helping patients avoid or find some relief from the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of cancer treatment, improving quality of life.
• Being well-nourished may actually improve a cancer patient’s odds of survival and overall prognosis.

What Is Good Nutrition?

Good nutrition means eating a balanced diet that provides an adequate intake of calories for a healthy weight. It also means getting the right balance of macronutrients like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

You’ll also need good amounts of micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Avoid harmful foods, such as sweets, and foods fried in unhealthy grease.

Most people need to eat a good mix of lean proteins, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, or whole grains.

What Is Good Nutrition for Cancer Patients?

Good nutrition for a cancer patient is not always exactly the same as for someone who is healthy. Cancer may impact how the body digests and uses nutrients from food, depending on the type.

For instance, someone with peritoneal mesothelioma may have a large abdominal tumor that affects the release of nutrients into the bloodstream.

Most types of treatment for cancer also impact nutrition, often because the side effects make it difficult to eat. Chemotherapy, for example, causes mouth sores making eating painful.

Foods that Promote Cancer

Good nutrition is about eating the right foods but also avoiding the wrong foods. For anyone, including cancer patients, it is important to avoid or restrict foods that contain carcinogens, compounds known to cause cancer, and foods that promote inflammation in the body.

These foods have the opposite effect of healing foods and can make a cancer patient feel worse or heal more slowly.

Some examples of carcinogens in food include compounds called HCAs, which are found in the charring on grilled or overcooked meat, and nitrites and nitrates, which are used as preservatives in some meats, especially deli meats.

Researchers found a correlation between red meat consumption and higher cancer risks, so limiting meat is often recommended for anyone.

It is also best to avoid foods that cause inflammation. Low-grade, chronic inflammation in the body has been linked to cancer risk and is most often associated with being overweight or obese.

Foods that promote or trigger inflammation in the body include refined carbohydrates—white bread and pasta, sugar—fried foods, red meat, soda, margarine, and saturated fats.

Foods to Promote Healing

On the other end of the spectrum are foods that promote healing and combat inflammation and other factors that may promote cancer growth.

This group includes most fruits and vegetables, especially dark, leafy greens, tomatoes, and berries. Also important are healthy fats, like those found in olive oil, most nuts, like almonds and walnuts, and fatty fish like mackerel, tuna, salmon, and sardines.

Diet Tips to Combat Specific Side Effects

A healthy diet that avoids carcinogens and inflammatory foods and includes plenty of healing foods is essential for everyone. For cancer patients, though, a healthy diet often means considering specific factors, particularly the side effects of treatment strategies and the nutritional deficits that these treatments may cause.

Here are some examples of common complaints mesothelioma patients have that dietary strategies can help manage:

• Dry mouth. Hard candy and gum have helped some people with dry mouth issues. Also helpful is eating foods with sauce or gravy or pureeing foods to make swallowing easier. Avoid alcohol and smoking.

• Diarrhea. Foods that are lower in fiber and fat can help combat diarrhea. Also important in balancing nutrition is to increase fluid and sodium and potassium intake.

• Constipation. On the flip side, combating constipation means eating more fiber. Warm drinks also help.

• Mouth sores or sore throat. It is difficult to eat with mouth and throat soreness, so being careful to get enough nutrition is important. Nutritional shakes may help, as can avoiding spicy, hot, acidic foods.

• Nausea and vomiting. With nausea it is important to stick with bland foods and foods that don’t have strong odors and to avoid fatty and greasy foods.

• Changes in taste and smell. This side effect also makes eating challenging. Trying different foods helps until you find something that is appealing. It also helps to use lemonade or ginger ale to rinse the mouth of the characteristic bitter flavor.

• Fatigue. Include lots of fluids, as hydration exacerbates fatigue. Stabilize blood sugar levels by including protein, fat, and fiber in every meal or snack. Good choices include nuts with fruit or cottage cheese with fruit.

Working With an Oncology Dietician

Since nutrition is such an important part of healing, feeling well, and battling mesothelioma, it makes sense to work with a professional. A dietician is a health professional that has trained and learned all about food, nutrition, and the body.

An oncology dietician is a professional with additional training and experience with nutrition, diet, and cancer patients. This expert can help you figure out what you should be eating every day, which takes the stress of making those choices out of your hands. Check with your medical center or medical team to find out if a dietician is on staff.

An oncology dietician can do more than plan your diet. They also help you choose specific foods that will have beneficial effects. Your dietician can help you choose foods for mitigating the side effects of chemotherapy, for instance, or to help you better respond to treatments, reduce fatigue, or to minimize pain.

Good nutrition is vital to overall health and wellness, but it takes on a new level of importance for someone living with mesothelioma. If you are battling this or another type of cancer, you can use food to aid your treatment, improve your ability to heal and recover, and generally enjoy a better quality of life.

If you feel lost when deciding what and how to eat, rely on the professional guidance of a licensed and experienced dietician.