How should cancer patients nourish themselves during the Spring Festival? Please keep the "Four Do's and Four Don'ts" nutrition tips

With the coming of the Spring Festival, friends and family gather together and it is inevitable to eat and drink. However, cancer patients are prone to loss of appetite, malnutrition, indigestion, etc. "What should I do if I have no appetite?" "Will eating too well lead to tumor recurrence?" "Should I avoid irritating foods?"... According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Patients with Malignant Tumors" issued by the National Health Commission, Liu Yuan, attending physician of the Department of Oncology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital , prescribed the "Four Do's and Four Don'ts" for cancer patients during the Spring Festival. I wish you all a healthy and happy new year!

Four dietary requirements for cancer patients

First, you need to have a balanced diet. Cancer patients first need to have a balanced diet and try to consume a variety of nutrients that meet the body's needs through diet. In particular, they should ensure the intake of energy and protein to maintain a stable weight. Cancer patients should consume 20-30 kinds of food every day, of which plant foods and animal foods should be kept at a 2:1 ratio. Plant foods not only provide carbohydrate energy, but are also rich in a variety of vitamins, trace elements and phytochemicals, which have the effects of enhancing immunity, anti-oxidation, and delaying aging. Animal foods include meat, eggs, milk, seafood, etc., which not only provide high-quality protein necessary for the human body, but also help repair body tissues and enhance immunity. Mushroom foods are rich in amino acids and are also good foods for protein supplementation. It should also be noted that the total daily intake of dietary fiber should not be less than 30 g.

Second, eat small meals frequently. After chemotherapy and radiotherapy, cancer patients have a certain degree of damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa, and overeating will increase the burden on the stomach. During the Spring Festival, there are mountains of delicious food, and cancer patients need to control the amount of food for each meal according to their digestion and absorption ability, reduce the burden on the digestive tract, and increase nutrient absorption. At the same time, do not starve, especially during chemotherapy and radiotherapy. If the appetite decreases significantly, you can increase the number of meals to ensure the total amount of food. Only when the body gets adequate nutrition can anti-tumor treatment be better completed.

Third, choose dishes reasonably. Although taste is important, nutritional value is more important for cancer patients. Try to choose foods that have few processing steps, are easy to digest, and are cooked in a healthy way, such as steamed fish, casserole chicken, steamed rice cakes, etc. Avoid consuming too much fried food, and stay away from complex processed meat products such as smoked, grilled, and pickled. Anemia patients can appropriately increase the intake of red meat such as beef and mutton.

Fourth, ensure the total intake of nutrition. The recommended energy supply level for cancer patients is 25-35 kcal/kg/d, and the total energy is 1500-2500 kcal/d. Among them, protein supply should account for 20% of the total energy to meet the high metabolic needs of patients. When cancer patients have a poor appetite, they can try to "work harder" on color, aroma and taste. In terms of "color", you can choose bright ingredients such as "orange, red, and green" that have visual stimulation effects, such as bell peppers, carrots, corn, and green beans. In terms of "fragrance", you can add condiments such as cinnamon, star anise, cumin, ginger, and coriander to remove fishy smells and increase fragrance. In terms of "taste", you can choose fresh, sweet, appetizing, and digestion-promoting dishes, such as tomato egg drop soup, blueberry yam, sweet and sour spare ribs, borscht, etc. After surgery and during radiotherapy and chemotherapy, cancer patients who have severe gastrointestinal reactions can choose a liquid diet and pay attention to supplementing protein (which can be protein powder), vitamins, inorganic salts, cellulose, etc.

Four things not to do in the diet of cancer patients

First, do not smoke or drink. Smoking is harmful to health, and cancer patients need to strictly abstain from smoking. Alcohol is highly corrosive to the gastrointestinal mucosa, increases the burden on the liver, and stimulates the secretion of pancreatic juice. During the holidays, cancer patients should drink less or try not to drink, especially those with digestive tract, liver and gallbladder tumors.

Second, avoid greasy food. During the Spring Festival, people tend to prepare a variety of delicacies, with fish and meat for every meal. However, too much fat will increase the burden on the digestive tract, and greasy food will stimulate the contraction of the gallbladder, and even cause bloating and diarrhea. Therefore, patients with digestive tract and liver and gallbladder tumors should also eat a light diet and reduce greasy food during the Spring Festival.

Third, don't overeat. Overeating is the main cause of digestive tract diseases during the holidays. Cancer patients have an increased risk of intestinal obstruction due to a history of pelvic and abdominal surgery, digestive tract tumors, and the use of antiemetic drugs during radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, cancer patients should eat regularly, eat small meals as much as possible, and avoid increasing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

Fourth, do not eat spicy, irritating, or unclean food. During festivals, the variety of food available increases, from all corners of the world, sweet, sour, fragrant, and spicy. Cancer patients, especially those with digestive tract cancer, should control their intake of spicy food. In addition, cancer patients have low immunity, so they should pay special attention to food hygiene, especially the shelf life of cold dishes and snacks. Unclean food may cause vomiting, diarrhea, etc., leading to gastrointestinal infections.

Question: Do cancer patients need to avoid certain foods?

Answer: Whether cancer patients need to avoid certain foods is a controversial topic. Nutrition experts advocate and call on cancer patients not to avoid certain foods and to promote a comprehensive and balanced diet. The so-called "irritating foods" is a term used by the ancient Chinese people, referring to foods that can cause recurrence of old diseases or aggravate new diseases. For example, it is recorded that bean sprouts, leeks, goose meat, chicken, dog meat, beef, seafood, etc. are irritating foods. But in fact, there is no concept of "irritating foods" in clinical nutrition and modern medicine. These foods are rich in protein and macro- and micronutrients, and are very beneficial to cancer patients.

Question: Can cancer patients take health supplements?

A: When visiting relatives and friends, cancer patients often receive health care products as gifts. It should be made clear that dietary intake is a prerequisite for cancer patients to maintain a good nutritional status, and health care products can only play a supporting role. For patients who can obtain a balanced and sufficient diet from their diet, there is no need for additional health care products. However, if the patient's diet is reduced or the diet is unbalanced, the corresponding nutrients can be supplemented after evaluation by a nutritionist.

Doctor Profile

Liu YuanAttending Physician

Attending Physician of Department of Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Doctor of Clinical Medicine

In 2014, he graduated from Peking Union Medical College with a doctorate in clinical medicine.

In the same year, he entered the Department of Internal Medicine of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and later entered the Department of Oncology, where he has been engaged in clinical work ever since.

He has a solid foundation in internal medicine and rich experience in the diagnosis and treatment of various solid tumors.

Published many papers in Chinese and English, and participated in many clinical scientific research projects such as the National Natural Science Foundation as the main researcher

Served as a lung cancer diagnosis and treatment expert committee member of Beijing Health Promotion Association

Young member of Beijing Tumor Pathology Diagnosis Research Association