By Avni Kaul
Good nutrition helps one’s body to heal better. And this dictum holds true even for life threatening diseases like cancer. Of late, we have seen several breast cancer incidents on the rise.
It is estimated that about 9% of breast cancer patients could have prevented the disease by maintaining a healthy body and by following a healthy diet. As a general rule of thumb, it is important for women who have been diagnosed with and are under treatment for breast cancer to exercise regularly, take adequate rest and eat nutritious food to boost immunity.
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It is always better to take a professional nutritionist’s advice to increase and supplement recovery and regaining the fitness of the body. Breast cancer patients are usually advised to take a high protein diet so that the tissue renewal is faster. Calorie dense foods are also given unless a patient starts gaining weight during treatment in which case, the diet is modified. Some medications especially the painkillers cause constipation in the patients. So, more fiber is added to the diet and the fluid intake must also be increased.
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Diet And Breast Cancer
Dietary Fats:
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Foods that have saturated fats increase the risk of breast cancer. These foods include oils, butter, ghee, margarine, meats, fish, nuts, ice creams and also, chocolates, biscuits and other bakery products. Women after menopause are more prone to breast cancer if they have lots of fat in their diet. However, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in some fish oils are healthy and reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Sugars And Carbohydrates:
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Research has shown that a high carbohydrate diet increased the risk of developing breast cancer- especially the one called oestrogen receptive negative breast cancer. Too much intake of sugar increases the body weight which in turn increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. So, limiting the indulgence of sugar and carbohydrates is healthy for everyone, but more so for those who want to prevent breast cancer or are undergoing treatment for it.
Fibre:
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Fibre found in fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals reduces the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women.
Fruit:
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Antioxidants that are beneficial in fortifying the body’s immunity and also beating cancer include selenium and vitamins A, C and E and they can be included in a healthy diet in the form of fruits. Take care to ensure you eat whole fruits and not just fruit juices to get the desired fibers also.
Soya Foods And Other Phyto Oestrogens:
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Phytoestrogens are chemicals found in plants. Soya bean products, fiber of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and flaxseeds have sufficient phyto-oestrogens too. Research is still on about the benefits of phyto-oestrogens but it has been found that women whose diet is high in soya had less dense breast tissue. Higher density of breast tissue has been linked to higher risk of breast cancer.
Carotenoids:
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Carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, greens, papaya, bell peppers and tomatoes are all good sources of carotenoids which lower the risk of breast cancer. So this food group is especially beneficial in the fight against breast cancer.
Guide To A Healthy Diet
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It is important to eat a variety of food from each of the four main food groups everyday during and after breast cancer treatment.
Here are some pointers to keep in mind when planning a healthy diet for a breast cancer warrior:
- Eating five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables everyday is necessary.
- Include potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates. Also, whole grains are nutritious.
- Include low fat and low sugar dairy products, soy products, yoghurts etc.
- Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein rich food must be eaten on a regular basis.
- If a patient is unable to eat sufficient quantity of nutritious food due to whatever reason, nutritional supplement drink should be added to the meal.
- A cancer patient needs lots of calories and protein rich diet which is well balanced with the help of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- A person suffering from cancer is under stress from different treatments- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of these and therefore proteins are most important for healing, repair and strengthening of the immune system. Red meat, fish, poultry, chicken, cheese, beans, peanut butter, eggs, nuts, milk shakes and yoghurt are all excellent sources of protein and provide other essential nutrients.
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A well balanced and diverse diet is what is recommended but once in a while, a patient should be rewarded with a small amount of whatever he wants to indulge in to keep his morale high.
DISCLAIMER: While we have taken steps to check the accuracy of information & practices shared here; it is not a replacement for a doctor’s opinion. it is important to first always check with your own doctor before trying any medication, practice or suggestion from this site.
