5 List of foods for chemotherapy patients & bull; hello healthy

While undergoing chemotherapy, cancer patients will definitely experience side effects such as nausea, loss of appetite, hair loss, pelvic problems, and many more. Well, one of the keys to staying healthy and ready for the next chemotherapy is to eat healthy foods. Then what foods should be consumed for healthier patients while undergoing chemotherapy?

Healthy food choices for patients undergoing chemotherapy

There are several types of healthy foods that are good for chemotherapy patients to eat to help them fight the side effects of this cancer treatment. These foods include:

1. Fiber food

Eating fibrous foods such as bread or whole grain cereals, dried fruit, nuts, and mineral water can help you fight constipation which is usually a side effect of chemotherapy.

Difficulty defecating can be excruciating, especially if you are on this cancer treatment. Therefore, fibrous foods are included in the list of foods for chemotherapy patients to improve the digestive system.

Not only constipation, you may also experience diarrhea, the effects of chemotherapy drugs. Well, when you have diarrhea you should choose water soluble fiber foods such as bananas and apples. Foods that contain this type of fiber will make the stool denser because it is able to bind water.

Referring to the Balanced Nutrition Guidelines from the Ministry of Health, the fiber intake that you should eat in a day is 25 grams.

2. Fresh fruit

Fresh fruits such as oranges and lemons are included in a good diet for patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. The reason is, chemotherapy often causes dry mouth so that fruit rich in water such as oranges and lemons can help produce more saliva.

These fruits can stimulate the salivary glands so that the mouth will produce saliva so that your mouth is free from dryness.

However, avoid these fruits if chemotherapy actually makes your lips or throat sore. Therefore, these fruits will cause these symptoms to worsen.

3. Low-fat foods

You may lose your appetite while undergoing chemotherapy. If you do this, you can lose a lot of weight, making your body look even more unhealthy. In fact, this condition can be overcome if you adopt a healthy diet and eat healthy foods.

To get around this, you can actually add high-calorie foods and protein-boosting supplements to maintain ideal body weight.

Even so, the condition of one patient from another patient is different. Therefore, you should consult your doctor about a healthy diet that you can and should not eat.

4. Ginger

Ginger is also included in a healthy diet for chemotherapy patients. The reason is, ginger can help you deal with nausea that may arise due to chemotherapy. You can take ginger in various forms; neither the ginger drink nor the candy.

Also avoid greasy foods or foods with strong odors because these foods can trigger nausea. It's better to eat cold foods because warm foods are more likely to make you feel nauseous.

5. Garlic

Garlic can help maintain the immune system, therefore it is also included in a good diet for chemotherapy patients. You can eat garlic raw or cooked. Both are equally good for improving the immune system in chemotherapy patients.

Garlic is rich in antioxidants that can stimulate the immune system's ability to fight cancer cells.