My Chemotherapy Experience - Chapter Three: Diet

                                                                   DIET

Diet is one of the most important things during chemotherapy😬. Food helps you to gain your strength and fight the side effects of chemotherapy. However, to me it is so frustrating because the diet is quiet strict. Here are some basic guidelines🍖🍗🍌🍉:

AVOID:

• raw food❌
• dairies and dairies products that haven't been pasteurized❌
• salad❌
• cheeses❌
• raw honey❌
• smoked and grilled (with charcoal) food❌
• mushrooms❌
• food that has been exposed for too long❌
• filtered water that hasn't been boiled ❌
• fruits that are too ripened and exposed❌
• leftovers❌
• half-boiled/cooked egg❌

These type of foods has one thing in common: bacteria!😱😱

In my previous post, I had mentioned that chemotherapy will reduce your white blood cell count thus lower your immunity system. Low immunity means more risks of infections. It might leads to fever or other bacteria/viruses. 

The goal of good diet is to avoid or minimize the side effects of chemotherapy

• Nausea/vomiting

Foods to avoid❌

- spicy,hot food

- fatty,greasy or fried food

- too sweet and sugary food

- large meals

• Diarrhea

Foods/beverages to avoid❌

- hot, spicy food

- rich desserts

- too hot and cold beverages

- beverages containing caffeine and milk

• Constipation

Diet tips👍

- increase intakes of fiber 

- drink plenty of fluids

After chemo, I usually eat soup and foods that are less greasy, less spicy, and non-fried food like tomato chicken, and turmeric chicken. sometimes I eat pasta bolognese without cheese and beef or vermicelli noodle soup🍜. I increased the amount of vegetables intake especially broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, and spinach🌿. I drink warm lemon every night and I noticed my swells are slowly getting smaller even after day 14 of chemo (chemo effects last for 14 days). My specialists suggested to eat banana🍌, papaya, apple, oranges and berries.

I avoid eating red meat🐄 because a lot of people warned me about it, but it is still not proven that red meat increases or provokes cancer. I eat beef to increase my blood count, however after a few days I realized that my swelling is getting huge😣😣 so I stopped. As I mentioned before, there is no scientific proves about this rumor, this is only my experience. I suggest to avoid supplements and vitamins💊 sell in the market, especially without medical approval. Just take medicines prescribed by doctors because they know better about your case and your health condition.

avoid unapproved supplements

In the next chapter I will share how I endured and reduced the side effects of chemotherapy😁