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Effect of Chemotherapy on Nutrition Chemotherapy may affect the whole body.Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping the cells from dividing. Because chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells, healthy cells that normally grow and divide rapidly may also be affected by the cancer treatments. These include cells in the mouth and digestive tract. Nutrition-related side effects may occur during chemotherapy. Side effects that interfere with eating and digestion may occur during chemotherapy. The following side effects are common: Anorexia. Nausea. Vomiting. Diarrhea or constipation. Inflammation and sores in the mouth. Changes in the way food tastes. Infections. Nutrition therapy can treat the nutrition-related side effects of chemotherapy.The side effects of chemotherapy may make it difficult for a patient to obtain the nutrients needed to regain healthy blood counts between chemotherapy treatments. Nutrition therapy can treat these side effects and help chemotherapy patients get the nutrients they need to tolerate and recover from treatment, prevent weight loss, and maintain general health. For cancer patients, nutrition during chemotherapy is important. The main goal before, during, and after treatments is to maintain adequate calories for weight maintenance and adequate protein to optimize your immune system, strength, and tolerance to treatments. Nutrition During Chemotherapy Maintain Your Weight.Try to keep your weight stable during treatment. Your health care team will monitor you for rapid weight loss or weight gain. In general, your protein needs will be higher due to both the cancer and treatment. Your calorie needs may also increase with cancer and treatment. Even though you may not be as active during treatment, you may need to eat more to keep from losing weight. We recommend that you do not take a general multivitamin that contains more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV).Eat a Healthy DietGood nutrition during treatment may differ among individuals. If your appetite is good and your weight is steady, try to eat a balanced, healthy diet: Fruits and Vegetables - Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables by focusing on different colors each week. Choose 7 to 9 servings, or greater than 4 cups, per day. Grains - Eat at least 6 servings of grain products per day with at least 3 of those servings being whole grain products. Examples include: ½ cup of oatmeal; ½ cup of brown rice; 1 slice of whole grain bread; and ½ cup of whole wheat pasta. Meat and Poultry - Choose moderate amounts of low fat meat, poultry and fish, about 6 ounces per day. Examples include: lean beef trimmed of fat, such as round, sirloin, flank, tenderloin, and ground beef which is 90% lean or greater; cuts of pork trimmed of all visible fat; and skinless chicken breast. Dairy Choose moderate amounts of low fat dairy foods, about 3 serving per day. Examples include: 1 cup of low fat milk; 1 cup of low fat yogurt; 2 cups of low fat cottage cheese; and 1/3 cup of low fat shredded cheese (3 grams of fat or less per ounce). Cut back on fat, sugar, alcohol and salt. Fluids You need 6 to 8 servings of non-caffeinated liquids per day. Each serving should be 8 ounces. Beverages that contain caffeine cannot be counted as part of your fluid intake. Foods that are liquid at room temperature, however, can be counted. Some examples are: ice cream, sherbet, gelatin, cream soups, and popsicles. Keep some type of fluid with you at all times so you can sip continually throughout the day. If you are not eating well, choose fluids that contain calories, such as fruit juices, milk, smoothies, sports drinks, and liquid supplements or meal replacements. Handy Snacks to Help with a Low Appetite Applesauce Bean Dip Butter Buttered popcorn Cereal Cheese Cheese Dip Chocolate milk Cookies Cottage cheese Crackers Frozen yogurt Fruit (fresh, dried, canned) Nuts Gelatin Granola Hot dogs Ice cream Instant breakfast Juice Milkshake Peanut Pizza Popsicles Pretzels Pudding Quesadilla Sandwich Smoothie Soup Trail mix Vegetables Yogurt Increase Calories When Needed Eating a healthy diet during treatment may be challenging. You may not feel hungry and foods may not taste right to you. Even small amounts of food may make you feel full. If you have trouble eating, choose high calorie and high protein foods as listed in the table below. Push yourself to eat even when you are not hungry. Try taking small, frequent meals and using liquid supplements, such as BoostTM, Carnation Instant Breakfast DrinkTM or EnsureTM to help add calories and protein daily.Foods That Help Increase Protein Dairy Melt cheese on sandwiches, breads, muffins, tortillas, hamburgers, hot dogs, meats, fish, vegetables, eggs, soups, casseroles, chili, mashed potatoes, rice, and pasta. Use milk (instead of water) while preparing hot cereals, soups, cocoa, and pudding. Add ice cream, frozen yogurt, or yogurt to carbonated beverages (ginger ale), shakes, cereals, fruit, gelatin, and pie. Sandwich between cookies, cake, and graham crackers. Eggs Add powdered milk or egg white powder to shakes, milk, casseroles, meatloaf, breads, muffins, sauces, soups, mashed potatoes, puddings, hot cereals, and scrambled eggs. Add extra egg whites to scrambled eggs, French toast batter, and casseroles. Nuts and Legumes Use nuts or seeds in casseroles, breads, muffins, pancakes, cookies, vegetables, ice cream, or as a simple snack. Spread peanut butter on sandwiches, toast, muffins, crackers, fruit, waffles, pancakes, and vegetables. Blend in to shake or ice cream. Sources: http://www.netwellness.org, http://www.cancer.gov