DiET - Now (rad/Chemo just ended) - and LATER

Our son in Milwaukee just finished the last radiation this week (& final Chemo week before), for Tonsil / lymph .   He was told to stay away from certain 'good' foods during treatment, but WHAT NOW?

 

We are all trying to learn what this means and WHAT diet items are better NOW and what are "Verboten".  The last radiation was Thur 15 Jan and last chemo the week prior.

We kept hearing that certain, normally "Good", anti-oxidents like Acai, Blueberries, etc. should be avoided - so as not to "feed" the cancer during treatment.  SO... when do we consider treatment "ended" and those nutrients can start ?  Is that the 2 weeks  more while the Rads continue to "cook"..  OR... can that start now.

AND...

What's on the LIST of good and bad... from here on out?   From YOUR experience?

Mom & Dad / Florida

PS - they'll be here in a month.  What NEW "good habits" can we help them start.

Comments

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    I was told the same thing

    about antioxidants during treatment....so I stayed away from them.  When I finished treatment, I started experimenting about 2 weeks out with anything that sounded good.  Some things (like spicy foods I knew better than to try)....but soups, bread slathered in butter and dipped in that soup was really good to me :).  Chances are the taste buds aren't going to kick in for a while, so most of what I ate was for the sheer pleasure of not using my tube....I waited till my first PET scan to go back on actual supplements (Multi-vitamins, extra D, etc....never did go back to extra Vit E or C.....).

    The first really GOOD experience I had eating was a Chinese Buffet.....something about the flavors, and the fact that I could jump from one dish to another allowed my taste buds to experience different flavors over and over.  That was about a month out.

    p

    So I started thinking....and then remembered a couple rules of thumb I learned when I first started eating again.  Blander is better...for some reason, things like cooked veggies with butter were waaaay better than something that was seasoned...Things I didn't like before treatment became "go to's" after treatment, like cauliflower and cheese soup.  Fruits are off the menu for a while (maybe a long while)....but veggies....darn near all of them taste really good.   

  • wmc
    wmc Member Posts: 1,804
    To stay away or not?

    Just my 2cents, but I would staw for awhile longer. When the Tx are done you still "cook" for several weeks up to two months, so I would stay away for now. You can always call the Dr and ask how long he should keep away. Then start back SLOWLEY to see how he reacts to them. It's the "New You, or New Normal" to adjust to.

    I guess you might say; Food for thought.

    Bill

  • KTeacher
    KTeacher Member Posts: 1,103 Member
    Mom and Dad

    Thank you for checking in with us.  It might still be rough 1 month out.  Some were living on smoothies (greek yogurt has more protein).  You might have frozen fruit and bananas to make the smoothies.  I ate a lot of cream of wheat.  We eat what we can.  Don't be upset if something tasted good one day and horrible the next, for that matter one bite is good and the rest has no taste or tastes bad.  I used to love cottage cheese, now it tastes sour.  Meat is a challenge, fish worked the best.  Veggies need to be cooked as well as fruit in the beginning.  I agree with Phrannie, a buffet was a wonderful way to explore tastes.  Sauces or gravey help food go down easier.  It's hit and miss, don't take it personally.  Enjoy your visitl  He might need to rest more than usual also.

  • MrsBD
    MrsBD Member Posts: 617 Member
    Diet

    My doctor also said to minimize the intake of antioxidants during treatment. I got the go-ahead last week at 3 1/2 months post-treatment. Fruit and chocolate are totally out as they burn my throat. As Phrannie said, veggies taste great and are good for you. There is something about Chinese food, too. Chow mein, egg foo yung, and the blander dishes taste great. Ice cold or steaming hot foods hurt. If you want to instill good eating habits, you might teach your son how to cook from scratch. You can control the salt, sugar, and spiciness in items like homemade soup and steamed vegetables. I don't think there are any truly forbidden foods. It is going to be trial and error to see what works for a while. Support like yours will mean so much to your son. Good job, Mom and Dad!

     

     

     

  • Sailor123
    Sailor123 Member Posts: 97
    Just stick to the most

    Just stick to the most nutrient rich food you can.  We can't eat much at this stage of the game so make it count. Some of us prefer warm soups and others cold smoothies.  I would just give him whatever he wants but try and work with whole foods.  I live on soup but always healthy and fresh.  When I could only ingest cold smoothies I blended beets and carotts in the vitamix with avocado and goats yoghurt.  Adding scoops of whey and a raw egg yolk really help with protein.

  • HehnBuhl
    HehnBuhl Member Posts: 6
    Sailor123 said:

    Just stick to the most

    Just stick to the most nutrient rich food you can.  We can't eat much at this stage of the game so make it count. Some of us prefer warm soups and others cold smoothies.  I would just give him whatever he wants but try and work with whole foods.  I live on soup but always healthy and fresh.  When I could only ingest cold smoothies I blended beets and carotts in the vitamix with avocado and goats yoghurt.  Adding scoops of whey and a raw egg yolk really help with protein.

    Thank you - all your comments are welcome.

    It's a journey,... and everyone is a bit different.

    But at the same time, hearing from y'all about what works and what does not, and the experience, the struggle and the small victorys along the way - it is all helpful.     We are grateful to find so many kindred souls.  

    Thanks,

    Bob & Reenie

    (Mom & Dad)

     

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    i just had a Snickers

    Mom & Dad,

    Congratulations to your son and to you for a task that is hard to do and hard to watch.

    Whichever way his eating goes (soft, bland, eggs, soup, smoothies, etc.) is mostly dependent on his taste buds and what he can handle.  What he wants to eat will quickly become clear and this he should exploit. 

    For many of us the diet choices grows till it reaches the “new normal”, which in my case is most anything I want (now days).  I rode the smoothie train for 7 months, then click my taste buds switched on and I was golden.

     Relax and good luck!

    Matt

  • scarytimes
    scarytimes Member Posts: 16
    HehnBuhl said:

    Thank you - all your comments are welcome.

    It's a journey,... and everyone is a bit different.

    But at the same time, hearing from y'all about what works and what does not, and the experience, the struggle and the small victorys along the way - it is all helpful.     We are grateful to find so many kindred souls.  

    Thanks,

    Bob & Reenie

    (Mom & Dad)

     

    Mom and Dad

    Isn't this a wonderful site? Love you!!Smile

  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    CivilMatt said:

    i just had a Snickers

    Mom & Dad,

    Congratulations to your son and to you for a task that is hard to do and hard to watch.

    Whichever way his eating goes (soft, bland, eggs, soup, smoothies, etc.) is mostly dependent on his taste buds and what he can handle.  What he wants to eat will quickly become clear and this he should exploit. 

    For many of us the diet choices grows till it reaches the “new normal”, which in my case is most anything I want (now days).  I rode the smoothie train for 7 months, then click my taste buds switched on and I was golden.

     Relax and good luck!

    Matt

    Popeye

     

    It took about 3 months before my taste came back just a little and the first things I remember tasting was some Popeye chicken. That was it from then on, I could not pass up a fried Chicken place, the wheel on my truck would automatically turn in for a box of whings.

    Hondo      

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    Hondo said:

    Popeye

     

    It took about 3 months before my taste came back just a little and the first things I remember tasting was some Popeye chicken. That was it from then on, I could not pass up a fried Chicken place, the wheel on my truck would automatically turn in for a box of whings.

    Hondo      

    each different

    You are so right about each of us being differrent. I had to have most everything at room temp for quite awhile, except my milkshakes.  Milk worked well with everything and I could't pass a Denneys without getting chocolate chip pancakes!  Eggs also topped the list with crab legs dipped in butter.  Buffets worked really well as you can pick and choose to see what works and what doesn't. Bob Evans mashed potatoes worked but others didn't. 

  • Moki
    Moki Member Posts: 53
    Antioxidants

    My doctor told me that you need to ingest or get infusion of tons of antioxidant to counter the effect of oxidation coming from radiation so he said it was OK for me to keep taking antioxidants: I take curcumin, fish tail mushrooms, acai, ala,elderberries, vegetable pills, carotene, vitamin C, omega, resveratol and fish oils.

    I also read a lot of studies on antioxidants and in Europe they suggest to take them to fight cancers

    I can honetly say my healing is going fast and even with my kids taking tons of germs home, I am the only one with no cold in the house. So to me antioxidant are good

  • scarytimes
    scarytimes Member Posts: 16
    Sailor123 said:

    Just stick to the most

    Just stick to the most nutrient rich food you can.  We can't eat much at this stage of the game so make it count. Some of us prefer warm soups and others cold smoothies.  I would just give him whatever he wants but try and work with whole foods.  I live on soup but always healthy and fresh.  When I could only ingest cold smoothies I blended beets and carotts in the vitamix with avocado and goats yoghurt.  Adding scoops of whey and a raw egg yolk really help with protein.

    smoothies

    Is there anyplace we could find some recipies? I suppose on here somewhere.

    I am placing an order for the Liquid Hope for him but it's expensive. I thought he can at least get one a day and get started with real food (even though he is still eating albeit less than before). He is eating things at room temp so I think any smoothie would need to be the same.

    Thanks much!!

  • MrsBD
    MrsBD Member Posts: 617 Member

    smoothies

    Is there anyplace we could find some recipies? I suppose on here somewhere.

    I am placing an order for the Liquid Hope for him but it's expensive. I thought he can at least get one a day and get started with real food (even though he is still eating albeit less than before). He is eating things at room temp so I think any smoothie would need to be the same.

    Thanks much!!

    You might want to Google "bone broth". My cancer team recommended it because of the high protein content. If you have ever made soup from scratch, the process is similar. It can be made in a slow cooker and simmered for two or three days. I made soup, gravy, or mixed it in potatoes or vegetables. Canned soup tended to be too salty or spicy. No salt added green beans were easy to eat at first, too. I'm sure you will get many more suggestions on this site. It's been a blessing for me!

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member

    smoothies

    Is there anyplace we could find some recipies? I suppose on here somewhere.

    I am placing an order for the Liquid Hope for him but it's expensive. I thought he can at least get one a day and get started with real food (even though he is still eating albeit less than before). He is eating things at room temp so I think any smoothie would need to be the same.

    Thanks much!!

    scarytimes, check the

    scarytimes, check the superthread, the very first topic on the topics page.  the superthread has information about everything.  you should be able to find receipes there.

    dj