Nutrition Tips for Mesothelioma Patients

Nutrition is important for everyone, especially those battling aggressive cancers like mesothelioma. Cancer and its treatments trigger muscle and weight loss and even nutritional deficits. Nutrition tips for mesothelioma patients include working with a dietician and focusing on healing foods.

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Why Nutrition Is Important for Cancer Patients

Patients with mesothelioma, lung cancer, or any type of cancer should pay special attention to nutrition for several reasons:

• A healthy diet helps a patient maintain optimal health, which makes cancer treatment more effective and more tolerable.
• A healthy diet boosts immunity. Cancer patients are vulnerable to illness and infections.
• Getting adequate nutrition helps patients avoid losing weight and important body tissue and avoid or prevent getting infections.
• Good nutrition is also important for helping patients avoid or find some relief from the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of cancer treatment, improving quality of life.
• Being well-nourished may actually improve a cancer patient’s odds of survival and overall prognosis.

Malnutrition and undernutrition are common in cancer patients. Being malnourished is bad for anyone, but for a mesothelioma patient, malnourishment can increase the risk of:

• A poor quality of life
• Uncomfortable side effects from treatments
• Complications from surgery
• Weight loss and muscle wasting
• Being unable to tolerate or continue treatments

What Is Good Nutrition?

Good nutrition means eating a balanced diet that provides an adequate intake of calories for a healthy weight. It also means getting the right balance of macronutrients like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

You’ll also need good amounts of micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Avoid harmful foods, such as sweets, and foods fried in unhealthy grease.

Most people need to eat a good mix of lean proteins, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, or whole grains.

What Is Good Nutrition for Cancer Patients?

Good nutrition for a cancer patient is not always exactly the same as for someone who is healthy. Cancer may impact how the body digests and uses nutrients from food, depending on the type.

For instance, someone with peritoneal mesothelioma may have a large abdominal tumor that affects the release of nutrients into the bloodstream.

Most cancer treatment treatment also impacts nutrition, often because the side effects make it difficult to eat. Chemotherapy, for example, causes mouth sores, making eating painful.

The complexity of living with mesothelioma and going through treatments is why it is important to work with an experienced dietician or nutritionist.

Is There a Best Diet for Mesothelioma?

No single diet works best for every patient. Broadly, there are certain foods mesothelioma patients should include in their diets and foods they should avoid. The details, however, depend on individual needs.

In general, a good diet for a mesothelioma patient includes:

• A good balance of nutrients
• Plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean proteins
• Healthy fats
• More whole foods than processed foods

Foods to Promote Healing

Cancer patients should try to load their plates with foods that combat inflammation and other factors that may promote cancer growth.

Some of the foods that promote healing and can help cancer patients enjoy optimal health include:

• All fruits and vegetables
• Dark, leafy greens
• Tomatoes
• Berries
• Olive oil
• Nuts
• Fatty fish

What Foods Should You Avoid With Mesothelioma?

Good nutrition is about eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong foods. For anyone, including cancer patients, it is important to avoid or restrict foods that contain carcinogens, compounds known to cause cancer and foods that promote inflammation in the body.

These foods have the opposite effect of healing foods and can make a cancer patient feel worse or heal more slowly.

Some examples of carcinogens in food include compounds called HCAs, found in the charring on grilled or overcooked meat, and nitrites and nitrates, which are used as preservatives in some meats, especially deli meats.

Researchers found a correlation between red meat consumption and higher cancer risks, so limiting meat is often recommended for anyone.

It is also best to avoid foods that cause inflammation. Low-grade, chronic inflammation in the body has been linked to cancer risk and is most often associated with being overweight or obese.

Foods that promote or trigger inflammation in the body include:

• Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and sugar
• Fried foods
• Red meat
• Soda
• Margarine
• Saturated fats
• Processed meats
• Alcohol

Dietary Supplements for Mesothelioma

Supplements can provide essential benefits for mesothelioma patients. It is important to talk to your medical team before trying any supplements. A supplement might interfere with a medication or cause other issues.

Certain supplements are generally considered safe and could help you feel better or promote healing:

• Ginger has long been used to manage nausea and indigestion.
• Fish oil supplements can make it easier to get more healthy fats in your diet and reduce inflammation.
• High-calorie supplements, like shakes, can help cancer patients slow or reverse weight loss.
• Fiber supplements can regulate bowel movements and also reduce inflammation.

How Can Nutrition Manage Mesothelioma Treatment Side Effects?

A healthy diet that avoids carcinogens and inflammatory foods and includes plenty of healing foods is essential for everyone. For cancer patients, though, a healthy diet often means considering specific factors, particularly the side effects of treatment strategies and the nutritional deficits that these treatments may cause.

Here are some examples of common complaints mesothelioma patients have that dietary strategies can help manage:

• Dry mouth. Hard candy and gum have helped some people with dry mouth issues. Also helpful is eating foods with sauce or gravy or pureeing foods to make swallowing easier. Avoid alcohol and smoking.

• Diarrhea. Foods that are lower in fiber and fat can help combat diarrhea. Also important in balancing nutrition is to increase fluid, sodium, and potassium intake.

• Constipation. On the flip side, combating constipation means eating more fiber. Warm drinks also help.

• Mouth sores or sore throat. It is difficult to eat with mouth and throat soreness, so being careful to get enough nutrition is important. Nutritional shakes may help, as can avoiding spicy, hot, acidic foods.

• Nausea and vomiting. With nausea, it is important to stick with bland foods and foods that don’t have strong odors and to avoid fatty and greasy foods.

• Changes in taste and smell. This side effect also makes eating challenging. Trying different foods helps until you find something that is appealing. It also helps to use lemonade or ginger ale to rinse the mouth of the characteristic bitter flavor.

• Fatigue. Include lots of fluids, as hydration exacerbates fatigue. Stabilize blood sugar levels by including protein, fat, and fiber in every meal or snack. Good choices include nuts with fruit or cottage cheese with fruit.

Should I Work With an Oncology Dietician?

Since nutrition is such an important part of healing, feeling well, and battling mesothelioma, it makes sense to work with a professional. A dietician is a health professional with training in food, nutrition, and the body.

An oncology dietician is a professional with additional training and experience with nutrition, diet, and cancer patients. This expert can help you figure out what you should be eating every day, which takes the stress of making those choices out of your hands. Check with your medical center or medical team to find out if a dietician is on staff.

An oncology dietician can do more than plan your diet. They also help you choose specific foods that will have beneficial effects. Your dietician can help you choose foods for mitigating the side effects of chemotherapy, for instance, or to help you better respond to treatments, reduce fatigue, or to minimize pain.

Additional Nutrition and Diet Tips for Mesothelioma Patients

• Include plenty of protein in your diet to reduce the risk of muscle loss and muscle wasting.
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals if you have digestive issues or a poor appetite. Snack if you feel hungry, even if it is between meal times.
• Let friends or family help you eat better by doing grocery shopping or making healthy meals.
• Eat what tastes good. There are plenty of healthy foods to choose from, so don’t force yourself to eat those you don’t like.
• Listen to your body and avoid foods that don’t make you feel good.
• Prep meals and snacks for a week or several days to avoid reaching for unhealthy foods and snacks.

Food Safety for Mesothelioma Patients

Food safety is even more important for cancer patients than for healthy individuals. If you have cancer and are going through certain treatments, your immune system could be compromised. You are more likely to get sick and may have a harder time recovering from illnesses and infections.

Food safety tips can reduce the risk of getting sick from any of the foods you eat:

• Wash fresh produce with soap and water. Rinse it thoroughly.
• Wash your hands before preparing food and before eating.
• Only eat foods that have been thoroughly cooked. Use a thermometer to check the temperatures of cooked meats.
• Avoid cross-contamination. Keep raw meat separate from other foods and wash utensils after using them on raw meat.
• Do not consume unpasteurized dairy products.
• Be aware of sell-by dates on foods.
• Store food properly and date it to avoid eating anything that has gone bad.

Good nutrition is vital to overall health and wellness, but it takes on a new level of importance for someone living with mesothelioma. If you are battling this or another type of cancer, you can use food to aid your treatment, improve your ability to heal and recover, and generally enjoy a better quality of life.

If you feel lost when deciding what and how to eat, rely on the professional guidance of a licensed and experienced dietician.