6 Nutrition Tips for Leukemia
Diet can play an instrumental role in managing symptoms of leukemia. Medical experts recommend people to include more antioxidants and healthy foods in their diet to strengthen their body’s immune system. Read on to know more about nutrition tips for leukemia that will help you make the necessary dietary changes.
- Choose protein-rich food
Chemotherapy can induce vomiting and nausea that can interfere with your appetite. However, a protein-rich diet will help nourish and strengthen the body by preserving muscle mass. Some good sources of proteins include nuts, oats, seeds, and soy products like tofu and soy milk. - Add more whole-grains
Leukemia and its treatment can deplete your body of its strength. Therefore, your diet should be replete with energy and strength, boosting nutrients and minerals. So, consider adding whole grains such as wheat bread, brown rice, whole-grain cereal, and quinoa to your diet. However, read the labels before buying products to ensure that you are getting 100% whole wheat. - Variety of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are known to fortify your immune system and fight cancer cells. So, people who are diagnosed with leukemia must consider consuming a diet of fruits and veggies every day. This can be easily done by adding veggies to half your plate during meals, sprinkling breakfast cereal with fruits, and adding fruits like blackberries, strawberries, apples, and bananas to your midday snack. - Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day
Leukemia causes unhealthy weight loss due to nausea and loss of appetite. However, it is necessary to maintain your body weight for a strong immune system. If you find it hard to eat big meals, consider eating small meals every 2-4 hours. - Choose healthy sources of good fat
Good fat keeps you energetic and facilitates a constant supply of vitamins to different parts of the body. Good sources of healthy fat include vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, olive, and sunflower. You can also add some avocados to your breakfast and nuts to your daily snacks. - Stay active
While you may think that it is impossible to add exercising to your routine when you already feel weak, but staying active works counterintuitively. Including 30 minutes of low-impact exercise will help you fight fatigue and be energetic.
It is natural to feel overwhelmed during cancer treatment. Therefore, other than following these nutrition tips for leukemia, you can also consider asking for mental help. Speak with your doctor to recommend a counselor or a therapist who can help you deal with mental issues associated with cancer treatment.