Proper nutrition is crucial when you’ve been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. By balancing minerals, protein, and vitamins in your diet, you can reduce common treatment side effects like mouth sores and malnutrition. Eating fruits and vegetables and avoiding processed foods can also help your overall health. Get mesothelioma diet tips and learn how to create a healthy meal plan below.
Are Mesothelioma Nutrition and Diet Plans Important?
Diet and nutrition are vital for patients diagnosed with any type of cancer, including mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma diet and nutrition play important roles in:
- Energy levels: Mesothelioma cancer treatments like chemotherapy and surgery can sap one’s energy. Eating the right foods gives mesothelioma patients the physical and mental strength to carry out activities.
- Immune system function: Cancer and the treatments used to manage it can greatly weaken the body’s immune system. Proper mesothelioma nutrition can strengthen the immune system to fight cancer and boost your ability to fend off sickness and infection.
- Maintaining a healthy weight: Mesothelioma and the treatments for it can result in drastic weight loss. Eating healthily can get you to a proper weight, reducing the chances of complications during and after treatment.
- Managing treatment side effects: Cancer treatments often cause side effects such as fatigue and nausea. Following your mesothelioma diet can minimize these side effects and improve your quality of life while receiving the treatment you need to become a survivor.
Nutrition Tips for Mesothelioma Patients
Eating healthily before, during, and after treatment can help you stay stronger and feel better.
Here are top mesothelioma nutrition tips:
- If you have mouth sores from chemotherapy, stay away from hot foods and drinks, alcoholic beverages, crunchy foods, and anything acidic. You should also cut food into small pieces and cook foods until they are soft and tender so they are easier to chew.
- Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day to give your body essential nutrients.
- Chemotherapy can cause taste changes. Try bitter, sour, sweet, and salty flavors to make food more appealing.
- Nausea is a common side effect of treatment. You can control your nausea by eating dry foods like breadsticks and crackers and eating easy-to-digest foods rather than heavy meals.
- Eat room-temperature foods if cooking smells bother you. “Foods and drinks stored at room temperature can decrease nausea and are better tolerated by the digestive system,”
- Eating at regular intervals throughout the day can help prevent malnutrition and keep you energized.
- If you feel bloated, drink small amounts of liquid. Do not skip snacks and meals — an empty stomach may make your nausea worse. You should also rinse your mouth after and before eating.
Foods to Support Mesothelioma Treatment Recovery
Some foods have nutrients that may promote recovery from the treatment. However, others can negatively interact with chemotherapy drugs and other mesothelioma treatments. Your oncologist (cancer care doctor) can advise you on what to eat during recovery and refer you to a nutritionist if needed.
Depending on your overall health and treatment plan, your doctor may suggest incorporating the following foods:
- Fiber-rich foods like potatoes and vegetables can balance insulin levels and potentially reduce mesothelioma cell growth.
- Herbs and spices such as mint, rosemary, turmeric, and dill may offer anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting benefits.
- Medicinal teas like moringa leaf and chamomile are rich in antioxidants, which are substances that can protect the body from free radicals. Free radicals attack healthy cells and change their genes, encouraging cancerous tumors to grow.
- Natural sources of coenzyme Q, which is a nutrient in trout, beef, herring, chicken, soybeans, sardines, peanuts, and lentils that can protect the heart from chemotherapy damage.
- Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can reduce inflammation and may also lower the risk of cancer coming back, according to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
