Breast cancer should eat like

People with breast cancer should drink plenty of water, eat foods rich in protein, enough calories, and balanced nutrition to increase resistance and have the health to treat the disease.

Breast cancer patients often have anorexia due to many reasons such as reduced energy consumption, muscle atrophy, fatigue, nausea, changes in taste, dry mouth, constipation. Inadequate nutrition and malnutrition reduce the patient's quality of life, affecting the effectiveness of treatment.

Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Bich, Department of Breast Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that nutrition needs to be focused on before, during and after cancer treatment. Patients should eat a variety of foods, with adequate nutrients to have good physical strength, increase resistance, and fight infections such as fever, cough, cold, tuberculosis, etc. Eating properly helps the body recover quickly after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Drink enough water : Cancer patients have higher water needs than normal, so they should drink 2-3 liters of filtered water per day. When undergoing cancer treatment, patients often experience side effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite or fever... which can easily cause dehydration. Drink enough water to help the body filter waste and toxins, regulate temperature, blood pressure and electrolyte balance, and prevent or reduce constipation.

Eat enough calories (energy in food ): Patients need to monitor their weight every 1-2 weeks. If they lose weight, they should talk to their doctor to have a suitable diet. In addition to main meals, patients should combine snacks, increase calories to absorb nutrients more easily. People undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy who are tired, have loss of appetite, nausea... should divide their food intake to reduce these symptoms.

Dr. Bich notes that overweight breast cancer patients should not lose weight during treatment, but instead eat healthily, exercise, and lose weight after treatment.

A varied and balanced diet helps breast cancer patients increase their resistance. Photo: Freepik — A varied and balanced diet helps breast cancer patients increase their resistance. Photo: *Freepik*

Food diversity : The menu has many foods including meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, cereals, cheese, milk... to help the body have enough necessary nutrients, strengthen immunity, electrolytes, and reduce fatigue during treatment.

Maintain protein : Protein helps maintain body mass. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy during cancer treatment increase the need for protein consumption.

A person's protein needs depend on factors such as age, weight, height, and activity level. Patients should not abstain from protein, but should supplement a variety of protein-rich foods from meat, fish, eggs, cereals, cheese, and milk. Limit processed and canned foods because they contain a lot of salt, which can easily increase blood pressure and affect health.

Doctor Ngoc Bich advises people who vomit during treatment not to skip meals because it will make the condition worse; they should choose fresh foods, with little smell and little fat. In case of constipation, they should eat foods rich in fiber and drink plenty of water. Walking and drinking warm water also improve constipation.

Patients should not abstain or have a poor diet because they can easily become weak, tired, have reduced resistance, increase the risk of infection, and not have enough health during treatment, especially chemotherapy and surgery.

Nguyen Tram

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