My friend has cancer and we just found out that sugar is not good for cancer patients. Infact Cancer survives with sugar. Is this true and if so, what about fruit that has natural sugar is this the same? Is there anything he can eat for snacks in the middle of the night, this seems to be when he is hungry the most. He also has dry mouth and water and tea don't seem to be helping. Please give me suggestions for this and also for regular meals. Thanks for your help! I await all your answers! God Bless You!
2007-07-18 18:52:45 · 11 answers · asked by Starla 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
tell him to eat whatever he can eat, anything, his body needs all the nutrition he can get. a lot of people cant eat much of anything, so if he can eat, tell him to eat. bless you and your friend and good luck.
2007-07-20 12:14:53 · answer #1 · answered by barb 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had cancer and I couldn't really eat any kind of fruit or vegetables unless they were cooked or the fruit had a peeling on it such as a banana, otherwise they wouldn't them. I still had sugar, but they might be limited to so much sugar depending onto the diet. I was on a low sodium diet for a few days since my sodium level was too high.
2007-07-18 18:58:38 · answer #2 · answered by Roxas of Organization 13 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He will be the one to determine what to eat. Fruits and veggies will have plenty of antioxidents to make them worth eating if he's up to it. Avoid too many processed foods. But if he's craving a McD's burger and fries once in a while, by all means encourage it.
As for the dry mouth - there are oral rinses that can help quite a bit. Oasis is a brand that works well. If he gets ulcers or sores in his mouth his doc can prescribe a rinse to help w/that.
Water w/lemon or another citrus may help stave off any other dryness. The citrus does seem to help. Best of luck to your friend and to you.
2007-07-19 02:12:24 · answer #3 · answered by lma0814 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My mother had cancer and we were always told that she should eat whatever she wanted. If she wanted it, eat it. For the dry mouth, I bought her some Lemon Heads. She loved them and said that they were the only thing that helped when her mouth was so dry.
When she got to the point where she didnt want to eat much, she drank Resource. These are awesome for someone who doesnt really feel like "eating" because they are pached with vitamins and nutrients. Also, peanut butter is great for protein and helps to keep strength up.
Hope these suggestions help. Take care and Good Luck.
2007-07-21 18:22:27 · answer #4 · answered by meem1013 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell your friend that NUTRITION (the food pyramid) should go 'out the window on wings' ... tell him to 'listen to his body and feed it what it wants/craves,; no matter how 'silly' it is. When a person has cancer, the body is 'extremely off-kilter' and any 'cravings' will NATURALLY be for something that contains what that person needs most to 'fight the cancer.' So, he may 'crave' nothing but chocolate (try to give him only DARK chocolate, it's much better for him) one day, and crave oysters the next day. Let him eat what he wants, when he wants. And try getting some 'lightly flavored' UNSWEETENED 'carbonated beverage' with a 'twist' of citrus or berry flavor ... that will help his 'dry mouth' much more than 'plain water or tea' ...
2007-07-18 19:01:23 · answer #5 · answered by Kris L 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I agree with most of the folks who posted answers, let him eat whatever he feels like eating. Sugar in moderation(like anything else) is not going to cause his cancer to come back or get worse. Crushed ice is excellent for dry mouth, so is hard candy. Sucking on hard candy is also relaxing. Just make sure he stays hydrated. Your friend is very lucky to have someone as caring as you. I am undergoing radiation for breast cancer.
2007-07-19 01:03:33 · answer #6 · answered by janice 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would say, let him eat whatever he has an appetite for, he must maintain his weight as so often cancer patients rec. chemo and/or radiation become nauseous and unable to hold food down resulting in great weight loss. Foods high in antioxidants..tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, red grapes as well as dietary supplements and milkshakes to maintain body weight. This is not the time to worry about sugars. Wait until he has recovered or in remission before undertaking a specific diet.
2007-07-18 19:13:41 · answer #7 · answered by flamingo 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My mother has cancer, too. She can eat. It depends on the type of cancer and treatment options. The only person who can answer this question is your friend's health-care professional, specifically his oncologist. This is what they have studied and trained for years for. On the question of meals and midnight snacks, pure protein, such as steaks and chops, have little if any sugar. Avoid processed meats, such as hot dogs, as one of the fillers is starch, which breaks down into sugar. Check out peanuts, too, as a midnight snack. I think they are naturally sugar-free, but don't quote me on that. Wish your friend luck on his treatment for me.
2007-07-18 19:01:29 · answer #8 · answered by Chuckles 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think they are talking about sugar added to food. You will find that it is nearly impossible to buy anything without sugar - and without a sugar substitute. Some healthy suggestions whole wheat grains like couscous, dark green veggies stir fried with a little bit of olive oil, fresh veggies, millet, lots of clean water, fruit with yogurt, rest and TLC.
2007-07-19 05:49:12 · answer #9 · answered by AC2 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
when my friend had cancer...we were told that ANY nourishment he can get is good nourishment. We made him shakes with Ensure and rootbeer and ice cream and crushed ice....that seemed to sooth his dry mouth and he got some needed calories and protien in the same drink. (And he could keep them down). I must have made a million of them!!
Try anything....your friend will need the nourishment for the really tough times....and there will be some.
2007-07-18 19:02:56 · answer #10 · answered by Karla T 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋