How do I prepare my body for cancer treatment?

Pre-treatment diet to ensure we’re headed in the right direction.

  Pre-treatment diet to ensure we’re headed in the right direction.

When diagnosed with cancer, most people find it difficult to accept and don’t know how to cope. It is not uncommon for people to switch to vegetarian or raw food diets after a cancer diagnosis, but is it beneficial? Before beginning cancer treatment, it is crucial to improve your nutritional status. Unless you have been adopting a vegetarian or raw food regimen for many years, ensuring a balanced dietary intake, a diet lacking eggs, dairy, fish, and meat can lead to inadequate protein intake, weight loss, reduced treatment efficacy, and impact on quality of life. Let’s understand the general dietary guidelines before treatment.

  Dietary Guidelines Before Treatment:

1. Whole grains and cereals: Choose white rice, brown rice, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, steamed pumpkin, noodles, etc., to obtain nutrients (such as B vitamins, vitamin E, minerals, and dietary fiber).

2. Protein: Beans, fish, eggs, and meat are our primary protein sources in daily life. For patients of all ages, it is recommended to prioritize protein intake in the following order: beans → fish and seafood → eggs → meat. Why are beans our top choice? Legume products, particularly soybeans, are rich in protein and contain less fat than meat. Animal fat mainly consists of saturated fatty acids; excess consumption can increase cardiovascular disease risk.

3. Vegetables: There is a wide variety of vegetables, rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, which help increase satiety, maintain gastrointestinal health, and aid in bowel movements. Vegetables can be categorized into leafy vegetables, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, melons, seaweed, etc. Seaweed, in particular, holds abundant nutritional value and is highly regarded by the Japanese as a top choice for maintaining good health.

4. Fruits: During cancer treatment, patients should consume fruits in a balanced manner, adjusting according to the individual’s condition. For example, cancer patients with diabetes should choose fruits with a lower glycemic index and higher fiber content, such as apples and kiwis.

5. Dairy products: Cancer patients often have poor appetites. However, the healing of damaged cells and the functioning of the immune system are closely related to protein intake. The current dietary guidelines recommend consuming 2-3 cups of dairy products daily to ensure sufficient calcium and protein absorption. If you are not fond of milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products are also excellent sources of nutrition for cancer patients.

6. Nuts and seeds: We recommend selecting nuts that undergo low-temperature roasting, minimal processing or are free from added flavors, such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and apricot kernels. Consuming them promptly and minimizing the intake of fried or stale nuts is recommended.

  Boosting the immune system

In the early stages of treatment, assessing whether your weight is too low is important. You should enhance your nutritional intake to prepare for the subsequent therapy if you are underweight. Additionally, exercising can help you prepare for cancer treatment and maintain a healthy immune system. Research indicates that active participation in exercise can reduce anxiety, improve depression, enhance the quality of life during and after cancer treatment, and contribute to better sleep. It is a good idea to begin incorporating light exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, or stretching before undergoing surgery or chemotherapy.

However, if cancer and its treatment make it challenging to maintain a proper diet for an extended period, it may be worth considering the addition of suitable health supplements or natural products to your daily routine. These supplements, such as beverages, powders, and capsules, come in various forms and are available in different flavors and presentations – try out different products to find out which ones suit you best.

Health is priceless, so let Umi No Shizuku protect the health of yourself and your family!

When diagnosed with cancer, most people find it difficult to accept and don’t know how to cope. It is not uncommon for people to switch to vegetarian or raw food diets after a cancer diagnosis, but is it beneficial? Before beginning cancer treatment, it is crucial to improve your nutritional status. Unless you have been adopting a vegetarian or raw food regimen for many years, ensuring a balanced dietary intake, a diet lacking eggs, dairy, fish, and meat can lead to inadequate protein intake, weight loss, reduced treatment efficacy, and impact on quality of life. Let’s understand the general dietary guidelines before treatment.