While chemotherapy is literally a life saver, it comes with side effects that are very hard to deal with, as anyone who has been through it well knows. One of the most significant challenges of chemotherapy is maintaining a healthy diet, which the body needs to fight infection and maintain strength. Chemo is responsible for a wide range of issues that interfere with healthy eating and affect people quite differently: Chemo can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, appetite loss, changes in one’s sense of taste or smell that make eating unpleasant, dry mouth, mouth sores, sore throat, lactose intolerance, weight gain and weight loss.
The infographic below, 20 Healthy Diet Tips for Chemotherapy, is important reading for anyone who is undergoing or soon to undergo chemotherapy. The suggestions are easy to follow, and brief enough to keep in mind or even tape to the refrigerator door. If you can make eating more enjoyable and more nutritious during the course of treatment, then you’re going to feel healthier and be healthier as time goes on.
Of course, if these tips and all else fails, never hesitate to consult your physician, a nurse or a dietician to review your situation and help you develop a plan to combat whatever dietary-related symptoms are affecting you. Continue reading for dietary inspiration.
