Nutrition During Treatments
Bear Lake Memorial Hospital encourages you to take full advantage of our Chemotherapy team. If at any time you have questions about your disease, your treatment, or any other aspect of your care, please ask anyone for assistance and they will help to direct you to the appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns about nutritional during treatment, please contact us at 208-847-4325.
General Nutrition During Chemotherapy and Radiation Treatments
You have a variety of supportive care options available to you. One of the most prominent and easy to access is the supportive care of our specially trained dietitian who is available to answer your questions and to provide you with some of the tools you will need to combat cancer successfully.
Importance of Eating Well and Maintaining Weight
A lot of patients hear that cancer treatment can lead to weight loss and say “Great, I could stand to lose a few pounds,” however, weight loss during your treatment can have significant consequences. Maintaining a healthy weight is an excellent life goal, but getting to your healthy weight should be postponed until your treatment is complete. Eating well and maintaining your weight are the two biggest nutritional goals during your treatment because research shows that patients are better able to tolerate the side effects of treatment when they eat well. Eating well means trying to eat a variety of foods including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals to promote weight maintenance and good health during treatment. Sometimes it’s hard to eat well during your treatment, and your diet may need to be customized by the dietitian for the duration. You will regularly be weighed throughout your treatments, but please feel free to discuss any nutrition concerns you may have at any time during your treatment.
Nutrition Suggestions for Managing Side Effects
Many times, the chemotherapy team doesn’t find out that a patient is having a difficult time managing the side effects of treatment until after the patient has suffered silently. Side effects like loss of appetite, weight loss/gain, sore mouth or throat, dry mouth, changes in smell or taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue can all be relieved or eliminated. The dietitian has specific handouts with nutrition suggestions and tips to help you manage these side effects and successfully prepare your body for treatment and recovery.