Best Fruits For Lung Cancer Patients are a wonderful addition to any diet, and can provide valuable vitamins. Eating fruits can help you reach your daily recommended servings of daily fruits. Fruits are known for their fresh, sweet taste, but they actually play an important role in the fight against cancer.
Best Foods for Lung Cancer
There isn’t a particular diet that can prevent or even treat lung cancer. But by choosing shrewd foods that will support your body and help you maintain your strength, you may offer yourself an advantage both throughout treatment and after.
According to Alicia Romano, a registered dietitian at Tufts Medical Center and a representative for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, it can be beneficial — and perhaps less intimidating — to take a step back and think about receiving excellent overall nutrition.
Eating a healthy diet may help with treatment tolerance, keep you strong during treatment, and hasten your recovery, according to the author.
But it’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t a single “correct” diet that works for everyone. The foods that are effective for your lung cancer kind and stage might not be effective for those who have the same disease.
According to Zhaoping Li, MD, “every lung cancer is different.” She is the director of the University of California, Los Angeles’ Division of Clinical Nutrition and a researcher at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Your own objectives will determine the optimal diet for you. Your nutritional requirements are different if you are going to have surgery for lung cancer than while you are recovering from treatment.
Even so, there are broad principles you can abide by while choosing your diet.
Foods to Choose
Here are some dietary advice you should remember while you make meal plans and shop for groceries:
Consume adequate protein.
For the healing of cells and tissues, your body needs protein. Protein, according to Li, is crucial for maintaining the health of your organs and is the foundation of your immune system. She advises setting a goal of roughly 20 grams every meal. This translates to a chunk the size of a deck of cards for lean meats like chicken, fish, or turkey. A few additional sources of protein are:
- Eggs
- Low-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese)
- Nuts and nut butters
- Beans
- Soy foods (miso, tofu, edamame)
Put plants on your plate. Strong antioxidants and phytonutrients are added by colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet, which can help prevent cell damage. The key is variety, whether your fruits and vegetables are cooked or raw. Get roughly five different portions every day to fill up. A serving size is roughly 1 cup for the majority of fruits and vegetables and 3 cups for leafy greens.
Go with whole grains.To keep your energy levels high, you need carbohydrates. Instead of processed grains, choose whole grain sources for your carbohydrates. Good choices consist of:
- Whole-wheat bread
- Oatmeal
- Whole-grain pastas
- Brown rice
Include healthy fats. Not all fats are made equally. Your brain and neurological system are supported by omega-3 fatty acids and other good fats, which also aid to lower inflammation in the body. These options are suitable:
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Olive oil
Keep it simple. Romano advises against changing your diet completely. “Focus on adding excellent nutrition items to your diet if you’re feeling well and experiencing no side effects from your medication, weight loss, or reduced appetite.” She suggests making simple adjustments like including a piece of fruit as a snack, switching to whole grains for half of your cereals, or selecting fish as a protein source once a week rather than beef.
Eating Tips for Treatment Side Effects
The most frequent adverse effects of lung cancer therapies are fatigue, thirst, nausea, and loss of appetite.
With your diet, you can lessen these discomforts:
- For nausea: eat little, frequent meals. Choose bland and low-fat foods if strong aromas and fragrances make you queasy.
- For lack of appetite: Eat four to six times a day in servings the size of snacks. Include high-calorie foods in all of your meals, such as cheese, butter, avocado, olive oil, peanut butter, and olives. These will provide you with many calories in a modest amount of food. To help you add calories to your diet, talk to your doctor or dietitian about taking liquid nutritional supplements.
- For weight/muscle loss: The goal is to consume enough calories. Calorie-dense foods, such as those found in eggs, poultry, fish, dairy, meats, peanut butter, and tofu, as well as smaller, more frequent meals are beneficial.
- For fatigue: When you have the energy, prepare freezer dinners so you have ready-to-eat food that just has to be heated up. When meals seem too much, keep wholesome snacks on hand. Stock up on fruit, yogurt, granola bars, nuts, cottage or string cheese, peanut butter, and cheese for quick and simple nutritious calories.
- For dehydration: Aim for 64 ounces or more of decaffeinated liquids per day. If you find it difficult to drink plain water, consider milk, juice, or sports drinks.
Making healthy food choices can enhance the effectiveness of lung cancer treatments. Learn which foods to include in your diet to prevent lung cancer.
Your body can fight against illnesses like cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infections with the aid of proper nutrition, which is crucial for optimum health. Healthy food choices can help you stay nourished and improve the results of your lung cancer therapy, even though your precise dietary requirements may change based on your medical condition.
To find out which meals or supplements might be most effective for you, speak with your doctor or dietician. Remember, though, that neither diets nor supplements can prevent or treat cancer.
Along with appropriate therapy, the following foods may aid in the fight against lung cancer:
- Fresh fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Nuts and seeds (avoid if you have allergies)
- Fatty fish (such as trout, salmon, cod)
- Oats
- Lean meat (such as poultry without skin)
- Beans
- Low-fat dairy
- Soy (after consulting your doctor)
- Healthy oils (such as olive oil)
- Plenty of water
Maintaining a healthy diet may help you control your symptoms and mitigate the side effects of cancer therapy. Try eating smaller, more frequent meals if you experience nausea or easily become full.
What is lung cancer?
Uncontrolled cell development that forms a mass or tumor in the lungs and can spread to other parts of the body is known as lung cancer (metastasis). Because they are exposed to so many different contaminants and dangerous compounds in the air we breathe, our lungs are extremely susceptible to the development of cancer.
Regardless of gender, lung cancer is the cancer that kills the most people in the United States and is the third most frequent cancer overall.
Can supplements help fight lung cancer?
Instead of using supplements, attempt to meet your nutritional needs through eating.
A doctor’s prescription is required before taking any supplements because they occasionally interact with other medications or have unintended adverse effects. Supplements can potentially interfere with lung cancer treatments, such as radiation and some chemotherapies, especially when taken in large dosages.
Can certain foods cause lung cancer?
There isn’t enough concrete data to support these assertions, despite some research suggesting that eating items like processed meat, red meat, and alcohol may raise your risk of developing lung cancer.
However, it’s crucial to avoid consuming too many processed or sugary meals because maintaining a healthy weight and managing blood sugar levels may aid in the prevention of lung cancer.
Fatty or spicy meals should be avoided while receiving therapy for lung cancer as they may exacerbate some side effects such diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and appetite loss.
What do your lungs want you to eat?
Can your diet truly have a significant impact on how well you treat cancer? Yes is the obvious response. While some foods do help our immune system fight cancer, others also prevent the growth and division of cancer cells.
Food should never be used as a substitute for cancer therapy, but it can help your medical team’s efforts by hastening your recovery.
Lung Cancer Fighting Foods
Let’s examine five things you should eat regularly and why.
- Apples and Pears
Fruits like apples and pears contain a chemical called phloretin. Phloretin was discovered in recent investigations to cause non-small cell lung cancer cancer cells to undergo programmed cell death.
It is better to eat these uncooked, having first given them a good washing.
- Green Tea
Theaflavin and EGCG, which are contained in green tea, have been shown to increase the efficiency of cisplatin, a drug frequently used in lung cancer chemotherapy. This may imply that green tea will benefit chemotherapy patients.
Green tea without caffeine is preferable since caffeine may keep you awake when your body needs to rest the most.
- Flaxseeds
According to studies, flaxseeds both reduce the formation of lung tumors in mice and stop the disease from progressing to more severe stages.
In Hindi, flaxseeds are known as alsi, and they have long been a staple of Indian cuisine. You can use these in dishes like raita (curd) or khakra, or you can eat two spoonfuls of them every day.
- Ginger
You’ve probably heard that ginger can lessen nausea brought on by chemotherapy. However, its advantages go far beyond that. According to a mouse-based study, the substance 6-shogaol slows the spread of cancer to other organs. Due to the presence of this chemical in ginger, it aids in preventing cancer spread.
The majority of Indian curries can include ginger, especially in chutneys and tea.
- Berries
Berries offer a number of advantages for lung cancer. According to studies, the berry compound delphinidin stops tumors from growing new blood vessels, which inhibits tumor growth.
Additionally, blood clots can occur in up to 15% of lung cancer patients. This is avoided with delphinidin, which also enhances the patient’s general wellbeing and standard of living.
Berries like squash berries (phalsa), gooseberries (amla), and star berries are readily accessible and reasonably priced in India. For optimal benefits, eat them uncooked.
Foods to limit
- Salt
Minimize your salt intake to less than 5 gms per day.
- Meat
Limit your weekly meat intake to no more than 300 g. Do not eat any red meat.
- Tobacco
Totally abstaining from tobacco, both smoked and in chewable form, can affect how well your cancer is treated.
- Alcohol
It is strongly advised to stay away from alcohol, especially spirits for males and beers for women.
Beta Carotene and lung cancer
Many people take beta carotene supplements because it can be converted into vitamin A, an essential ingredient for our bodies. Beta carotene supplements do, however, raise the risk of lung cancer among smokers. Non-smokers and former smokers do not have the same effects. Supplemental beta carotene has the opposite effect on malignancies such as prostate and non-melanoma skin cancers.
Micronutrients and lung cancer
Vitamins and minerals are referred to as micronutrients. They are necessary for generating energy and for the growth and operation of the body. Micronutrients like zinc, iron, and calcium, on the other hand, raise the risk of lung cancer among smokers. This holds true whether these micronutrients are consumed naturally through diet or as supplements. Only current smokers are affected by this.
So, what’s the best diet for a lung cancer patient then?
The Mediterranean diet, which is primarily followed in nations in that region including Greece and Italy, has been dubbed the greatest diet for those with lung cancer. Let’s examine the main elements of this diet and how it might benefit you.
- Mostly vegetables
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes a variety of colored vegetables. Every meal typically includes a sizable salad along with fresh, raw veggies. This keeps their nourishment intact.
- Herbs and nuts
Most recipes use fresh, home-grown herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary, and parsley as flavorings. This lessened the need for artificial flavors and store-bought flavors, which may contain hazardous chemicals and preservatives.
Nuts give significant nutritional value to meat meals, breads, spreads, and salads.
- Healthy Fats
Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in fats like olive oil and in seafood like mackerel, salmon, and sardines. Omega-3 fatty acids lower the risk of blood clotting, heart disease, and inflammation.
- Beans and whole grains
Oats, whole wheat, beans, and chickpeas are staples of Mediterranean diets. With fewer proportions of poultry and dairy products, the majority of meals are predominantly plant-based. Rarely are red meats consumed.
Studies have also shown that a Mediterranean meal’s quality is affected by how it is prepared and consumed in addition to the specific items that are used.
To preserve their natural flavors, colors, and nutrients, the vegetables and fruits are cooked only briefly.
Meals are consumed more leisurely and frequently with friends or other family members. Therefore, meals not only provide sustenance but also a time for enjoyment and relaxation, which benefits both physical and mental health.
Fruits, vegetables, teas may protect smokers from lung cancer
More than 90% of lung cancers are caused by tobacco use, thus UCLA researchers discovered that smokers who consumed high levels of the natural compounds called flavonoids in their diet had a decreased risk of acquiring lung cancer.
The study was published this month in the American Cancer Society’s peer-reviewed journal CANCER.
“What we found was highly interesting,” said Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, a researcher at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center and a professor of public health and epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health. “Several types of flavonoids are related with a lower risk of lung cancer among smokers.” The results were particularly intriguing given that tobacco use is the main cause of lung cancer.
Plant pigments called flavonoids are water-soluble and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics that help prevent tissue damage. In the UCLA study, researchers examined the food histories of 837 individuals without lung cancer and 558 individuals with lung cancer.
Researchers discovered that those who consumed meals rich in certain flavonoids appeared to be protected against acquiring lung cancer. According to Zhang, the flavonoids that proved to be the most protective included quercetin, which can be found in apples, beans, and onions, as well as catechin, which can be found in strawberries and green and black teas.
Should smokers stock up on tea, apples, beans, and strawberries right away? The best course of action, according to Zhang, is to stop smoking, but consuming more fruits, vegetables, and black and green teas won’t hurt either.
Since this is the first study of its kind, Zhang added, “I would typically be reluctant to offer any suggestions to people about their diet.” “For our conclusion to be supported, we really need a number of larger studies with comparable findings. However, it wouldn’t hurt for everyone to consume more fruits, vegetables, and tea.”
According to Zhang, flavonoids may protect against lung cancer by preventing a process known as angiogenesis, which allows tumors to grow and spread by forming blood vessels. Additionally, they might inhibit the growth of cancer cells, allowing apoptosis, or naturally scheduled cell death, to take place.
According to Zhang, the flavonoids’ antioxidant qualities may also operate to mitigate the DNA-damaging effects of tobacco use, which would explain why they had an impact on the development of lung cancer in smokers but not in nonsmokers.
According to Zhang, “the naturally occurring compounds may be helping to lessen the harm produced by smoking.”
In order to understand how flavonoids are preventing smokers from developing lung cancer, Zhang noted that the following step in the study process will involve laboratory tests of flavonoids on cell lines and animal models. Further research is required to determine whether flavonoids are also protective against other smoking-related cancers, such as bladder, head and neck, and kidney cancers, in addition to bigger trials to corroborate these results.
Zhang and his team also intend to research the best serving sizes per day that would offer the most protection, as well as which fruits and vegetables contain the highest concentrations of the beneficial flavonoids observed in this study.