How to Fix Meals for Cancer Patients

Being responsible for the nutritional intake of an individual fighting with cancer is an important role, as you will be primarily responsible for ensuring that the patient is provided with adequate nutritional support to maximize his chances of beating the odds and pushing cancer into remission. Depending on the stage of the cancer's development, the goal of nutritional therapy changes slightly, so you will have to understand your patient's condition before being able to adequately prepare her meals.

Instructions

Nutrition for Cancer

• 1

  Ensure that the patient's diet is nutritionally balanced with the proper foods to give a fighting chance against cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the ideal diet for someone looking to fight or prevent cancer contains copious amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. At least 60 percent of the diet should consist of these food sources, with at least one serving of fruits and one serving of vegetables at every meal. Select fruits and veggies that the patient prefers, but be sure to rotate them from time to time to provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Good anticancer fruits and vegetables include: tomatoes, berries, cauliflower, broccoli and spinach.

• 2

  Provide a wide range of lean protein and healthy fat sources for the remaining 40 percent of their diet, ideally split evenly between the two. Each meal should be balanced in composition, with a fruit, a vegetable, a whole grain (optional), a lean protein source and a fat source. Doing this with each meal will make it near impossible to accidentally fail to provide a sufficient amount of any one nutrient. Lean protein sources include chicken, turkey, eggs, seafood, and other meats, whereas healthy fat sources contain most unsaturated fats. These include nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, and the like, along with oils (olive, flax and fish). A good way to ensure that healthy fat requirements are met is to cook with these healthy oils or sprinkle some over a serving of vegetables.

• 3

  Change your approach slightly when dealing with more advanced forms of cancer. In preparing meals for individuals who are suffering from symptoms such as loss of appetite or nausea, providing endless platefuls of plain fruits and vegetables will likely not compel them to eat. As keeping bodyweight normalized is important when fighting cancer, if the patient's weight begins to slip, starting looking for creative ways to introduce more calories into the diet, whether that involves feeding them more of their (slightly unhealthy) favorite foods, or providing a tempting dessert at the end of every meal. Preparing protein shakes with tablespoons of natural peanut butter and berries contained therein can make a quick and easy milkshake that is relatively healthy and fairly calorically dense, as just two scoops of protein and three tablespoons of natural peanut butter add up to over 500 calories. When mixed with milk, one shake can provide a reasonably sufficient total of near 800 calories, helping to keep bodyweight high in a more tasty fashion.