edible nutrition
EAT YOUR VEGETABLES
Counteract cancer treatment with healthy choices
WRITTEN BY BETSY MCDONALD
PHOTO COURTESY BETSY MCDONALD
As children, our mothers always told us to eat our vegetables. We learned the food pyramid and the importance of eating a balanced diet and then ran out to recess and ate all the candy we could get our hands on. Well, I’m not your mother, but I am going to tell you to eat your vegetables. Because after completing 13 months of chemotherapy I’ve learned a thing or two about the benefits of eating well.
During cancer treatment, I didn’t like anything. Everything tasted salty and spicy and I couldn’t bear to eat it. I stopped eating most of my favorite foods because of it. The smell of cooking food (outside of boiling water) made me want to vomit. Needless to say, lettuce was my friend. It was fresh, crispy, cold, and most importantly, bland. Fruit came in at a close second because it actually tasted good.
As I’ve just demonstrated, a common side effect of chemotherapy is loss of appetite and change in tastes. Add to that nausea, fatigue, pain, and one can see how opportunities to dine quickly become limited. So when those opportunities do arise, take advantage and eat well. Eating something healthy will help you tolerate treatment, reduce side effects, protect your organs and maintain white blood cell count. It also aids the healing process and strengthens the body’s immunities to help avoid infection. And because taking vitamins and supplements often is not recommended during active treatment, many times food is a patient’s only source of necessary nutrients.
When you’re going through cancer treatment, weight gain is not necessarily something you’re concerned about, which means, you can eat plenty of protein and carbs without worrying about the calories. Increasing your protein intake will help sustain energy long term, something you’re sure to need. It helps repair tissue damaged by surgery and radiation, spurs growth, and boosts the immune system, again, things you’re sure to find helpful. Carbohydrates — fruits, vegetables, whole grains — provide the remaining vitamins and minerals you need to balance the body and act as a more immediate source of energy, particularly helpful for those who suffer from extreme fatigue. The water in produce also helps maintain hydration — a key component to enduring treatment and helping curb side effects (you won’t ever feel the same about the word “hydration” after a round of chemotherapy) — while the fiber helps cleanse, making it easier for the body to concentrate on fighting disease. And don’t forget the antioxidants. Found in fruits and vegetables, antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which, over time, cause diseases and illnesses such as cancer. Some of the most common antioxidants are beta-carotene (yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, green leafy foods, palm oil), lycopene (tomatoes, grapefruit, apricots, papaya), vitamin C (kiwi, red and chili peppers, broccoli, strawberries, oranges), vitamin E (sunflower seeds, almonds, soybeans, peanuts), and vitamin A (carrots, cheddar cheese, kale, spinach, pumpkin). Learn them, live them, love them.
I recommend going organic, too. When you have cancer, or any other serious illness for that matter, the last thing you need is more drugs. Conventionally grown crops often utilize pesticides and commercially farmed animals can be subject to hormones and antibiotics. Research on the topic generally indicates that organically grown produce is higher in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Organic fruits and vegetables tend to have higher levels of vitamins C and E, iron, magnesium, carotenes, and some polyphenols, which are among the antioxidants believed to reduce disease risk. What’s more, pesticides are known for reducing the amount of antioxidants that plants produce because phenolic compounds are released less frequently.
All in all, it comes down to one thing: When you do eat, eat well. Take care of yourself. You’re going to need your strength — and this is the one easy thing you can do to help yourself.
I recommend starting with lettuce.
Betsy McDonald is a 29-year-old public relations director in Reno. She was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic melanoma in November of 2009 and currently is in remission.
