Nutritional Support
Understanding the importance of nutrition during cancer treatment
Nutrition is the foundation for life and health. It provides energy and nutrients necessary to build and maintain the body and its functions. What we eat holds a very important role in the prevention and treatment of many diseases.
Recommendations about food and eating for cancer patients can be very different from the usual suggestions for healthful eating. This can be confusing for many patients because these new suggestions may seem to be the opposite of what they've always heard. Nutrition recommendations may be specific to the type of cancer you have.
Supporting your cancer treatment
What we eat depends on many factors including:
- Availability
- Culture
- Family
- The media
- Health condition
Sometimes it can be a challenge to consider all of these things when meal planning. Optimizing your nutritional status is important in supporting the effectiveness of cancer therapy.
A healthy diet for cancer prevention and treatment includes:
- A plant-based diet high in fiber with a rich variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
- A low-fat diet with lower-fat meats or protein sources.
- Exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.
Your individual nutritional goals will vary depending on the type of cancer you have been diagnosed with, your treatment plan, your symptoms and your nutritional status prior to treatment.
- Nutritional goals during cancer therapy may include:
- Overcoming the side effects of treatment.
- Controlling gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms.
- Preventing malnutrition.
- Correcting for anorexia, nutritional depletion and weight loss.
A registered dietitian specializes in nutrition and can assist with nutritional planning for individual diet needs or nutrition support to meet your individual nutritional goals.
Our registered dieticians with make sure your education and nutrition therapy are customized to your treatment, lifestyle, needs and abilities. Follow-up appointments are available to help you stay on your plan.
Scheduling an appointment
After you have a referral from your doctor, you can schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian. We can help you get preregistered and check your insurance coverage over the phone. Most insurance policies require preauthorization arranged by your primary care physician's office.
We look forward to working with you to enhance your nutritional health. Please call 503-261-6678 to make an appointment and ask any questions about our services.
Useful links on nutrition: