If you have cancer, nutrition and eating a healthy, balanced diet can help to improve your strength, energy levels and wellbeing. Sofia Bertolino, the Senior Clinical Dietitian at Cancer Centre London, explains how a dietitian service can benefit people living with cancer.
How cancer can affect your diet
Cancer and the side effects of treatment can make it hard to get all the nutrients that your body needs. You may:
- lose your appetite
- be less able to eat certain foods
- eat smaller portion sizes than before
These issues can contribute to weight loss and low energy.
Some cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, steroids and hormone therapies, can cause weight gain. If you feel very tired during cancer treatment, you may also be less active than usual and gain weight as a result.
Reasons to see a dietitian
If you are living with cancer, there are many reasons to see a dietitian. They can give you advice to strengthen and support your body before, during and after cancer treatment. A balanced diet can help to prevent inflammation and improve your body’s defences. It can also reduce the risk of cancer returning when your treatment is finished.
How a dietitian can help
A dietitian can work directly with your doctor and make sure that treatment is adapted to your needs. They can also work with you on a one-to-one basis and:
- help you to understand the evidence and myths about diet and cancer
- support the treatment of specific cancers
- help you to manage the side effects of treatment, such as taste changes, nausea (feeling sick), diarrhoea, constipation, a sore mouth, difficulty in swallowing or a poor appetite
- recommend a specific meal plan after treatment to reduce the risk of further cancer, rebuild your strength and aid recovery
- prescribe dietary supplements and give you advice about them
- support you if you have lost weight as a result of your diagnosis or treatment
- help you if you want to lose weight in a safe and sensible way after treatment
When you see a dietitian, you have a nutritional assessment. The dietitian can then prepare a personal nutrition care plan that suits your medical needs.
To book an appointment with the dietitian at Cancer Centre London, please telephone 020 8247 3379.
