Foods for Cancer Patients

A good diet for a cancer patient contains a mix of vegetables and meat, and avoids extremely sweet and oily foods. Preferred cooking methods are steaming, boiling, and stir-frying rather than deep frying, grilling, barbequeing and baking.

A balanced diet should provide the body with proteins (to build tissues, prevent infection, heal wounds and maintain a healthy immune system), carbohydrates and fats (energy sources), vitamins and minerals (for proper growth, body functioning) and, most importantly, plenty of water and fluids to prevent dehydration.

Foods to include in your diet as a cancer patient:

Vegetables

• Tomatoes, carrots, peas, pumpkin and turnips for vitamins and fibre.


• Tomatoes, tomato puree and parsley (especially good for prostate cancer patients)


• Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage contain plant chemicals that can convert bad oestrogen into good oestrogen, and hence reduce cancer risk as well as the risk of a relapse.


• Asparagus and Brussel sprouts for detoxification


• Bitter gourd for lowering blood sugar levels


• Green leafy vegetables for calcium and iron

Fruits

• Oranges provide vitamin C


• Bananas, kiwi, peaches, mangoes, pears and strawberries for vitamins and fibre


• Avocadoes, guava, apricots, figs, prunes and raisins for energy

Proteins

• Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, tauhu and taukwa


• Dairy products, nuts, dried beans, dhals and chickpeas


• Fish and soy foods (especially good for prostate cancer patients)

Carbohydrates

• Rice, noodles, chapatti, wholegrain bread and pasta


• Wholegrain crackers, oats, corn, potatoes, beans and dairy products


• Honey, consumed in moderation for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties which may help in preventing infections

Foods to avoid as a cancer patient

• Deep fried, grilled, barbequed, baked meats since subjecting animal protein to high heat creates carcinogenic byproducts called heterocyclic amines


• Excessive intake of salt, sugar, and oily foods


• Red meat and processed meats such as bacon, ham, sausages


• Preserved foods like pickles, jams, kiam chye (salted mustard green), and century eggs as they contain nitrites which are carcinogenic


• Minimise alcohol

Additionally, cancer patients should avoid excessive intake of vitamin supplements, as they act as antioxidants and can interfere with chemotherapy when taken in large doses.

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