Nutrition and Healthy Eating for Cancer Patients

Consumption of red meat increases the risk of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. Red meat contains compounds that have been shown to damage the lining of the gut and possibly promote cancer. While white meat (fish and poultry) is not associated with colorectal cancer risk and is recommended as an option to replace red meat. Cooking red meat at high temperatures can also produce other cancer-causing compounds, especially grilling, pan- frying and barbecuing for a long period. So, the best is to consume below 500g of red meat a week or approximately 70g per day without raising cancer risk.

Studies have yet to prove the correlation between consuming organic food and cancer, whether in prevention or delaying cancer. There is no evidence of a difference in nutrient quality between organically and conventionally produced food.

Processed meat includes hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage, and some deli meats. It refers to meat that has been treated in some way to preserve it or flavouring that includes salting, curing, fermenting, and smoking. Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite are used as preservatives to add colour and flavour to processed meats. The International Agency for the Research of Cancer (IARC) has reviewed ingested nitrates and nitrites and classified them as probably carcinogenic (cancer causing) to humans.

Every 50g portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by about 18%. Besides processed meat, it is also recommended to reduce canned food, salted fish, egg or vegetables. Get more food from fresh sources. It is recommended to minimise overall intake of processed food or avoid it at all.

Microwave ovens use microwave electromagnetic energy to heat or cook food. Water molecules within the food are vibrated by the microwaves and produce heat, which cooks the food. Microwave ovens do not make foods radioactive. Having said this, it is important the instructions for use for a microwave oven. For example using microwave-safe containers only. Heating your food in plastic containers or with plastic wrap that is not labelled as microwave safe may cause the chemicals in the plastic to break down and contaminate food it holds. It is these chemicals that show possible cancer-causing features.

Sugar is naturally found in fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products. It is also added to foods to make them sweeter, such as soft drinks and desserts. All cells, cancerous or not, use sugar for energy. Because cancer cells can grow fast, they use a lot of sugar. However, eating food with sugar does not make cancer cells grow faster nor does depriving your body of sugar slow down the cancer growth. If you avoid sugar in your diet, your body will make sugar from your body’s muscle and fat stores. This is unhealthy as your cells can also starve from important nutrients from the avoided food. Our recommendation is to reduce simple sugar intake and should choose more wholesome, wholegrains, fresh fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy products.

Our blood is slightly alkaline, with a pH between 7.35 and 7.45. This is tightly regulated by the kidney and respiratory system. Because of the body’s natural regulatory mechanisms to keep the blood pH level constant, a selectively alkaline diet has not been shown to elicit a sustained change in blood pH levels, at most, change the blood pH minimally and transiently. Only the urine may have a variable pH from acid to alkaline depending on the need for balancing the internal environment. Even though there are no clinical trials on benefits of alkaline diet, it is still considered a healthy choice as it encourages more plant based food that provides protective nutrients, phytochemicals and fibre.