Nutrition

Eating Healthy During Cancer Treatment

Our THRIVE program is here to help you stay committed to a healthy diet. That’s because eating nutritious foods during cancer treatment can help boost your energy, improve how well you manage treatment side effects and maintain a healthy weight.

During treatment, you’ll want to include plenty of:

• Carbohydrates from vegetables, fruits and whole grains that not only provide energy but also contain important vitamins and minerals your body needs
• Healthy fats from fish, nuts, avocados and certain vegetable oils to maintain your energy levels
• Protein, which protects your immune system and speeds recovery
• Water to stay hydrated, particularly if you experience vomiting and diarrhea

Our classes and seminars can help you find ways to work these foods into your meals without adding stress to your daily life.

Managing Side Effects with Food

Loss of appetite, nausea, constipation, dry mouth — cancer treatments can have many different side effects that make eating difficult and downright unappealing. To help manage or avoid these side effects, try these tips:

Be physically active. This can help with appetite loss, constipation and fatigue.

Drink lots of fluids, as this can help with a number of side effects. Just do so between meals if you’re struggling to maintain an appetite.

Eat several small meals and snacks throughout the day if you don’t have much of an appetite. This can also help if you are rebounding from diarrhea or dealing with nausea.

Eat what appeals to you. While it is very important to eat healthy during treatment and recovery, it is also important to maintain your weight if you’re losing too much or have lost your appetite. Some side effects can make all foods seem unappealing, so if a chocolate milkshake is the only thing that sounds good, that’s OK. Try adding protein powder or other ingredients to boost its nutritional value.

THRIVE Nutrition Classes and Seminars

Attend one of our interactive virtual seminars and learn about the role of nutrition in both cancer prevention and treatment. Seminars will also include cooking demonstrations and recipes. These seminars are led by registered dietitians who focus specifically on the needs of people with cancer. All sessions are held online via Microsoft Teams, unless otherwise specified on the event page.

Better Bites

Get answers to the most popular questions asked about nutrition needs before, during and after cancer treatment during our monthly Facebook sessions.

Watch our previous sessions here.

Nutrition for Everyday Life

Gain a better understanding of the vital nutrients that contribute to overall good nutrition. Get tips for making healthy meals on a budget by creating a meal plan and understanding portion sizes. This class is part of a three-part series. When you register, you will receive reminder emails with links to each of the three classes.

The Role of Nutrition in Cancer Prevention

Learn how a healthy diet can prevent chronic diseases, what constitutes a healthy diet and how to maintain one after your treatment. This class is part of a three-part series. When you register, you will receive reminder emails with links to each of the three classes.

The Role of Nutrition in Cancer Treatment

Understand how your diet and fluid needs change during treatment and get tips for maintaining a healthy weight and managing side effects. This class is part of a three-part series. When you register, you will receive reminder emails with links to each of the three classes.