Medical nutrition therapy includes:

Screening and assessment

Identification of treatment complications with nutritional implications Nutrition intervention and nutrition prescription Continuous nutrition monitoring and reassessment with education Providing optimal nutrition care during cancer treatment requires a complete understanding of the disease, the treatment, the nutritional consequences, and appropriate interventions and practices.

Nutrition intervention and nutrition prescription

Continuous nutrition monitoring and reassessment with education.

Providing optimal nutrition care during cancer treatment requires a complete understanding of the disease, the treatment, the nutritional consequences, and appropriate interventions and practices.

It is very important to maintain proper nutrition before, during, and after cancer treatment. Such treatments may involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, biological immunotherapy, and/or surgery. These procedures and medications can cause many individuals to lose their appetite and energy, putting them at an increased risk for malnutrition. Your food choices when you have cancer and are undergoing treatment may be very different from what you are used to eating.

The main goal is to try to keep your weight constant. To minimize weight changes, heal properly, and maintain the energy to cope with all the new challenges treatment may bring, you should try to eat a wide variety of high-calorie and high-protein foods

Sometimes, the dietary recommendations you receive from your nutritionist may sound like the opposite of a healthy diet. Your care team may encourage you to follow a high-calorie, high-protein diet, especially if you are feeling weak or are underweight. Although you may not feel well or may not feel like eating, proper attention to nutrition can assist in an easier recovery.

Dr. Yogita Johar
Oncologist Dietitian