Chemotherapy dietary taboos

Undercooked raw food, moldy food, and any alcoholic beverages. The rest of the questions that people often ask, "Can we eat hair products?" "Can we touch sugar?" "Should we avoid cold foods?" should be individually adjusted based on personal physique, chemotherapy regimen, and current adverse reactions. There is no need to be bound by the general taboo list on the Internet.

It’s interesting to say that I was waiting for a friend at the oncology nurse’s station last week, and I happened to bump into a pair of family members who were yelled at by the nurse: “I just told you not to feed drunken crabs to patients, why are you still buying them? ”It turned out that the patient had just finished chemotherapy on the 7th day, and his neutrophil count had dropped below 1.0×10^9/L, and his immunity was extremely weak. He ate two bites of homemade drunken crab brought by his family, and had diarrhea for two days, which almost triggered an infection warning. He also had to take three more days of Shengbai injection, which was not worth the loss. In fact, not only common raw foods such as drunken crabs, sashimi, and soft-boiled eggs should be avoided, but also uncooked vegetable salads and freshly squeezed unsterilized fresh milk. The immunity of ordinary people can withstand a small amount of pathogenic bacteria in these foods. The bone marrow function of patients during chemotherapy is suppressed, and a slight infection may develop into a serious illness. This is a red line that all clinical doctors will repeatedly emphasize, and there is no room for bargaining. Not to mention moldy and spoiled food, carcinogens such as aflatoxin should be avoided by ordinary people, let alone chemotherapy patients with low immunity. There is also alcohol. Don’t think that only liquor and beer count. Many people think that alcohol is gone after cooking fermented glutinous rice and cooking wine. In fact, as long as alcohol is added, even if it is cooked at high temperature, there will be a small amount of residue. Chemotherapy drugs themselves must be metabolized by the liver. Alcohol will not only increase the burden on the liver, but may also affect the efficacy of some chemotherapy drugs. Even if it is fruit wine and rice wine with very low alcohol content, it is recommended not to touch it at all.

After talking about what is uncontroversial, the rest are basically "gray areas" where everyone has their own opinions. The most typical one is whether "fawu" can be eaten. I met a 60-year-old patient with lung adenocarcinoma before. Before the first chemotherapy, she asked an old Chinese doctor to give her a list of taboos. Rooster, mutton, and seafood were all on the list. But before the second chemotherapy, her family stewed sheep and scorpions. She couldn't help but eat two pieces. That night, she broke out in hives. She was so scared that she didn't even dare to touch eggs after that. Later, she was transferred to the Provincial Oncology Hospital. After looking at her condition, the nutritionist said that she was allergic to certain proteins in mutton and that she was not allergic to something. She could eat any food that she was not allergic to. She then tried to eat some steamed seabass and boiled eggs. As expected, there were no problems. During the entire chemotherapy period, the protein was always up to standard and she did not lack nutrients.

In fact, the views of Chinese medicine and Western medicine are not contradictory in nature, and there is no need to argue about right or wrong. Western medicine looks at whether there are food allergies and whether the current adverse reactions include irritants that should be avoided - for example, if you have oral ulcers, avoid hot and spicy foods; if you have diarrhea, avoid eating things that are smooth in the intestines, such as dragon fruit and prunes; if you have constipation, eat less glutinous rice and rice cakes that are difficult to digest. ； Traditional Chinese medicine looks at the matching of physical constitutions. If you have a hot and dry constitution (frequently dry mouth, dry stools, yellow and thick tongue coating), don't eat more warm and tonic foods such as durian, pepper, and dog meat. If you have a weak and cold constitution (usually have cold hands and feet, prone to diarrhea, and white greasy tongue coating), don't eat too much cold foods such as ice drinks, crabs, and watermelon. The combination of the two logics is much more reliable than sticking to a certain list of taboos.

There are also rumors that are widely circulated on the Internet: "You can't eat eggs during chemotherapy," "You can't eat seafood," and "You can't eat sweets." There is really no need to believe it. I know Nurse Zhang from the oncology department. When her mother underwent chemotherapy for breast cancer last year, she only adhered to the three bottom lines I mentioned at the beginning. The rest of the old lady could eat whatever she wanted. If her mouth felt bitter after chemotherapy, she would buy two orange candies. If her appetite was not good, she would alternate between steamed egg custard and boiled prawns. Even if the old lady wanted to eat iced watermelon in the summer, she would cut it into a small piece and let it sit at room temperature for two or three minutes before eating it. During the entire chemotherapy process, the old lady did not lose a pound of weight, and her blood test was up to standard every time. She was in much better condition than the patients who were afraid to eat one thing and another and lost more than ten pounds during the same period. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you can eat sweet foods. If you are taking chemotherapy drugs such as oxaliplatin and paclitaxel that can easily cause blood sugar to rise, or you have diabetes, you should avoid refined sugars such as milk tea and cakes. It is perfectly fine for ordinary people to eat a few bites to satisfy their cravings.

All in all, the core of the diet during chemotherapy has never been "you can't eat this and you can't eat that". Instead, you should first keep the bottom line of safety, and then try your best to eat well and ensure your nutritional intake. If you are really unsure about food, ask your bedside doctor or nutritionist, it is 10,000 times more reliable than the "30 foods that must be avoided during chemotherapy" you search online - after all, being able to eat, sleep, and feel comfortable is the best way to survive chemotherapy.