Common Nutrition Questions During Treatment

What foods will bring up my blood counts?

There are no specific foods which will increase your blood counts, but good overall nutrition will help the body recover more quickly from low blood counts.
Aim to keep your weight stable which helps the body make new blood cells.
If you are advised to increase iron in your diet to help rebuild red blood cells, ask the dietitian about high iron food sources.

I want to lose weight…why are you telling me not to lose weight now?

Should I avoid sugar?

You may have read that “sugar feeds cancer”. Every cell in our body is fed by sugar including cancer cells. Eventually everything you eat breaks down into sugar to feed all cells.
Sugary foods are not the most healthful foods choices since they contain calories but little nutrition.
It is important not to stress about avoiding sugar, but do try to eat more healthful foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans/peas/legumes, nuts, fish, poultry, etc.

Why should I eat high fat foods now since I usually follow a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet?

Is it ok to take antioxidants and high-potency multivitamins?

Ask your oncologist and follow their advice.
Chemotherapy and radiation are trying to kill (oxidize) cancer cells. Most oncology experts advise against taking high doses of vitamins and antioxidants (over 100% Daily Value) in pill, powder or supplement form during treatment. Antioxidants include Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Selenium and CoQ10.
Foods that contain antioxidants are allowed and encouraged to eat.

Is it OK to take herbs and other supplements?