12 Foods to Avoid After Chemotherapy You Must Know

When undergoing chemotherapy, doctors will usually ask patients to choose healthy foods and avoid foods that do not support the success of chemotherapy. By eating a healthy diet, the patient will be able to withstand the side effects of the treatment and also speed up the healing process. Below we have a list of some foods to avoid after chemotherapy.

1. Raw Vegetables

Raw vegetables are foods full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Therefore cancer patients assume it will be good after chemotherapy to consume the raw vegetables. But the truth is the vegetables still need to be cooked to reduce the risk of disease in them.

Some studies recommend that patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment should avoid some types of raw vegetables such as cucumbers and celery, which are the most vulnerable vegetables contaminated with bacteria. Patients who have just undergone chemotherapy have low white blood levels and also low immunity. Avoiding raw vegetables becomes a sensible choice for chemotherapy patients.

2. Alcohol

Chemotherapy patients are advised not to consume alcohol which can increase the risk of further cancer such as throat cancer, oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, etc. Alcoholic drinks will increase the risk of new cancer cells. Alcohol will increase the level of estrogen in the blood so that when the alcohol goes into the bloodstream, the alcohol will be degraded by the liver into a carcinogenic acetaldehyde.

The carcinogen can not be eliminated by the liver and eventually leads to gene mutations as well as changes in the structure of DNA. This situation will lead to the development of new cancer cells that are out of control, such as lung cancer and oral cancer. The effects of alcohol will be worse for women who are overweight or obese. If you are in alcohol therapy, you may have trouble sleeping. There are several effective ways how to get sleep during alcohol withdrawal.

3. High Fat Foods

Chemotherapy patients should avoid foods with high fat content. Data from the American Cancer Society show foods containing saturated fat will increase the risk of a recurrence of cancer or even more severe.

The fats to avoid are the saturated fats found in some foods such as beef, roast beef, bacon, milk cream, chicken thighs, milk, butter, cheese, fried chicken, fries, biscuits, offal, fast food, egg yolks and packaged foods. 

4. Preserved Foods and Grilled Foods

Preserved foods contain harmful chemicals that will turn out to be carcinogenic. While grilled foods, especially on the charred, have a carcinogen substance that is the main cause of cancer. Consuming preserved foods or grilled foods may not be a problem for people who do not have cancer. But for chemotherapy patients, this will cause pain in the part of the body affected by cancer.

One example of preserved foods that should be avoided is salted fish, one of the most popular foods in the world. Salted fish is a non-fresh ingredient that has been preserved long enough so that it decomposes and eventually becomes an allergen that triggers the body’s immune reactions. This will cause the body to have a fever, itch and also swell. Salted fish is also a cause of impaired permeability or water absorption in body tissues. The wound will appear wet and sometimes also followed by bleeding.

5. Oily Foods

Frying with high temperatures using saturated vegetable oil or butter will damage the molecular structure of the food. Furthermore, some types of healthy oils such as olive oil and sesame oil can not be heated because it can damage the molecular structure of the oil. To reduce your intake of oily foods, it is a good idea to fast. There are several medical benefits of fasting for cancer patients.

6. Meat

Some types of meat such as chicken, beef and seafood are also on the list of foods to avoid after chemotherapy. Fish can still be consumed occasionally but not served as main menu. Keep in mind to never consume fish that live in waters full of toxic waste because the fish can also be toxic. Just in case, you should know the fast and natural treatments of food poisoning from fish.

7. Oranges

Various types of oranges, such as lime and grapefruit, which have high vitamin C content, should also be avoided during and after chemotherapy.

For oral cancer patients, citrus fruits should be avoided because they can be painful. High acidity levels in citrus fruits will cause a stinging sensation. In addition, citrus fruits can cause constipation for some people. Anyway there are rhizomes, such as turmeric, which are useful for the treatment of cancer. You should know how to treat cancer with turmeric.

8. Spicy Foods

Spicy foods can worsen the side effects of chemotherapy. Some spicy foods such as peppers, chili powder and curry should be avoided as they may irritate the stomach and increase the risk of diarrhea. In addition to increasing nausea, spicy foods also provide pain in the area of the throat and mouth.

9. Foods Containing MSG

Foods containing MSG are also a taboo for chemotherapy patients. Some of these foods include :

• Processed meats such as beef floss, hotdog, ham and sausage
• Canned foods such as sardines and corned beef
• Smoked meat
• Liquid or powdered broth
• Packaged juice

10. Carbonated Beverages

Carbonated beverages such as soda, energy drinks and refined sugar drinks are also carcinogenic, which will only aggravate the symptoms of cancer, especially blood cancer.

11. High Protein Foods

Some studies show that protein is a substance that can not be processed properly when a person has cancer, especially liver cancer. Consuming too much protein can lead to accumulation of toxic waste in the liver and eventually will damage the liver and aggravate the symptoms of cancer.

Chemotherapy patients should reduce foods containing high protein. Some sources of protein that should not be consumed are fish, eggs, milk, poultry, and meat. For alternatives, patients can consume vegetable proteins such as grains, beans and soy products such as soy milk, tempeh and tofu.

12. Salt

Consuming foods high in salt content can aggravate cancer cells that may still remain in the body after undergoing chemotherapy. Salt will cause symptoms of swelling and also the accumulation of fluid in the body so that eventually the body will absorb and retain water. Chemotherapy patients should reduce high salt intake such as packaged food and canned food.

That’s a review of foods to avoid after chemotherapy. Patients are encouraged to avoid the above foods to speed up the healing process and prevent cancer recurrence.