Patient Education
Nutrition Therapy During Treatment
A diagnosis of cancer brings questions and uncertainty. Many have heard that chemotherapy is so tough that you lose weight – and some people are happy about that thought. However, rapid weight loss usually depletes the muscle mass rather than the fat tissue, which leaves you weak, tired, weighing less, but still fat. Maintaining your nutritional status during treatment is essential so you can be as healthy as possible when emerging from treatment. This section offers information on getting enough calories during treatment to keep on “moving.”
- Nutrition during chemotherapy - English / Spanish
- Food safety - English / Spanish
- Safe food handling
- Fluid intake
- High protein and calorie foods
- Food and drug interactions
- Keeping a food diary - are you eating and drinking enough? Pint off a few pages of this log and bring this with you when you schedule your complimentary visit with an MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando Dietitian.
- National Cancer Institute Booklet - Eating Hints for Cancer Patients
Suggestions for Symptom Relief
Nauseous, not hungry, food taste awful? – all are side effects of cancer treatment. You can’t stay nourished, when food is not appetizing. The following suggestions are ways to alter the eating experience just enough to make eating possible.
