I often ask Mijian Science Popularizer:
"Are there any 'avoided' foods for lung cancer patients?"
In order to help you do your "nutrition homework", Kopjun has summarized a list of "dietary precautions" for you according to the different treatment stages and seasons of lung cancer patients, hoping to help you fight cancer!
01
Taboos during the treatment phase
First of all, Kepu Jun must emphasize with his friends that nutrition is very important when fighting cancer, if you don't eat it because you are worried about avoiding it, it is easy to be malnourished, which will lead to a decrease in resistance.
Zhou Zhenhua, deputy chief physician of Fudan University Cancer Hospital, also said that clinically, many cancer patients are too entangled in their diet, which leads to psychological anxiety and is very unfavorable to cancer recovery.
To borrow another sentence from Mr. Liang, who has been fighting cancer for 7 years, said: "After suffering from cancer, you must first be able to eat, sometimes the treatment will lead to loss of appetite, and there is also a fear of cancer that leads to no desire to eat, so it is easy to fall into a vicious circle, so let's avoid those common unhealthy foods, pick some of your favorite foods to eat, and then think about how to achieve nutritional balance." ”
Therefore, the so-called taboo is not set in stone, but it is necessary to adjust the dietary pattern appropriately according to the individual's current physical condition.
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1. Surgery
We often say that surgery is easy to hurt vitality, but in fact, this is true. Although the purpose of surgery is to "cut out" the tumor, some normal cells and normal tissues can also be injured, so the principle of how to eat after surgery often revolves around "restoring physical fitness, accelerating wound healing, and reducing the chance of infection".
It is recommended not to eat spicy and irritating foods (smoke, wine, coffee, strong tea and various spicy condiments, such as onions, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, curry, etc.), and do not eat salty, hot, cold and other foods that damage the mucosa of the digestive tract, otherwise it is not conducive to nutrient absorption and affects the healing speed of the incision.
Reminder 1: If the patient has a poor appetite and wants to eat some spicy food to appetize, then it is generally okay to eat a little under the guidance of a doctor.
Reminder 2: Lung cancer patients may have dysphagia after surgery, unable to swallow or easily choking, you can adjust the shape and consistency of food to help swallow food safely and effectively, such as egg drop soup, steamed eggs, yogurt, milk, soy milk, soybean and mixed bean paste, minced meat and surimi, etc. If it is really unsafe to swallow or unable to swallow, you should use tube feeding nutrition in time to help supplement nutrition, and when the body recovers to a certain extent, you can eat a safer diet.
Q: Can I not eat eggs and meat after surgery? After surgery, the body energy consumption of lung cancer patients increases, and if the doctor says that the patient can eat, then it is generally appropriate to supplement more high-quality protein. Seafood, beef and mutton, eggs, etc. are all high-quality protein sources, and eating a little in moderation is very helpful for restoring health. However, if you are allergic to these foods, it is best not to eat them.
2. Chemotherapy
For lung cancer patients who have no appetite (unable to eat, want to vomit after eating) and have diarrhea symptoms during chemotherapy, the diet should be light and easy to digest, try to avoid eating moldy, greasy, smoked and strong odor food, and do not ingest cold and hot food at the same time, which can easily lead to vomiting.
For patients with symptoms of abdominal distension and constipation during chemotherapy, do not eat sweet, hard (such as nuts), alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, milk, and foods high in fiber, and avoid eating foods that are easy to produce gas, such as beans, sweet potatoes, onions, carbonated drinks, etc., so as not to aggravate the symptoms.
For patients with oral mucositis (mouth ulcers), dietary care should be taken to avoid eating rough, hard, and sharp foods to avoid aggravating ulcer symptoms, and to avoid spicy, acidic foods to prevent the ulcer from enlarging [2].
When the white blood cell count is low, lung cancer patients should avoid moldy and spoiled foods and avoid seafood, especially foods that may contain parasites, such as sashimi and shellfish sashimi, to prevent infection.
3. Radiotherapy
If you vomit after radiation therapy, try to avoid frying when cooking, and avoid foods that are too oily, too salty, too spicy, and smelly, which can easily cause nausea.
During the period of bone marrow suppression, avoid spicy food and do not drink alcohol; Do not eat pickled, long-term preserved ingredients, especially meat; Don't eat leftovers, leftovers, especially overnight meals or spoiled foods.
4. Targeted therapy
Do not eat grapefruit while taking targeted drugs. Because grapefruit contains furanocoumarin, this substance is prone to interact with some targeted drugs for lung cancer and affect the efficacy of the drug [2].
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02
Seasonal taboos
At the turn of the seasons, the body's metabolic function will change accordingly, and in order to adapt to the seasonal changes, lung cancer patients need to "avoid eating" in their diet.
1. Spring
There are many seasonal foods in spring, among which spring bamboo shoots, toon, and bracken are delicacies that many foodies do not want to miss. However, these foods are not suitable for all lung cancer patients.
Spring bamboo shoots contain a lot of crude fiber, which is not suitable for patients who have just received treatment, and it is not suitable for cancer patients with allergies, diarrhea, and body cold; Toon is a bitter cold food, and it is best not to eat it for cancer patients who are prone to diarrhea, allergic symptoms, and constipation; Bracken is cold, prone to diarrhea, edema and pleural effusion symptoms are recommended not to eat.
2. Summer
In summer, when the weather is hot, milk tea is the first choice for many people to relieve the heat, but milk tea is a high-sugar drink and is not recommended for lung cancer patients. In addition, summer is also the season of beer and crayfish, but lung cancer patients are still recommended to drink without sticking, and although crayfish is called "hair" in traditional Chinese medicine, as long as the patient is not allergic to seafood, it can still be eaten, just pay attention to the amount of consumption (the amount of consumption should not exceed 500 grams at a time), ensure that the food is fully cooked, and try to choose a lighter garlic in the cooking method.
3. Autumn
Autumn is a harvest season, but some seasonal foods should be avoided or not eaten, such as crabs, especially for patients with allergies; Grapefruit (grapefruit) is not recommended to eat, especially during medication; Persimmons contain tannins, which are easy to combine with iron, which affects the body's absorption of iron in food, so it is recommended to eat less.
4. Winter
Winter is a good season for the human body to absorb nutrients and store essence, but some high-fat and high-calorie (beef, mutton, dog meat, etc.), high-salt (salted duck eggs, pickled radish, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.), high-sugar (cakes, milk tea, ice cream, etc.), and deeply processed foods (snail noodles, self-heating hot pot, oden, spicy hot, etc.) can easily lead to obesity or cause high blood pressure, so it is recommended to eat less or not eat.
2 foods must not be eaten (1) undercooked or half-cooked, the risk of infection is too high: sashimi, raw eggs, half-cooked chicken, non-fully cooked steak, etc.; (2) Foods that are prone to risks during production and storage: supermarket processed fruit platters, fresh-cut fruits, takeaway cooked lo-mei, pickled meat and fish, etc.
epilogue
During treatment, due to the different conditions and individual constitution of each lung cancer patient, certain vitamin deficiency symptoms may occur.
If the leukocytes are declining, the anemia is severe, and the fatigue is strong, the general dietary care can no longer be intervened, and oral nutritional supplements are required.
Bibliography:
[1] Chang Lisheng, Zhang Jie, Ding Mingming, Liu Liwei, Chen Wenli. Discussion on the theory of contraindication and its significance for clinical guidance in cancer patients[J].Chinese Journal of Basic Medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2019,25(10):1469-1472.)
[2] Xiong Youjian, Yang Yuming, Jiang Song, et al. Research progress on furanocoumarin components and their pharmacological effects[J].Chinese Patent Medicine,2010, 32(10): 1764~1770.