Nutrition & Cancer : What is the Correlation ?
                     
NUTRI
TION & 
CAN  WHAT IS THE CORRELATION ?C E
R 
• Good nutrition is important for cancer 
Overview of patients.
• Healthy eating habits are important 
Nutrition in during and after cancer treatment.• Cancer and cancer treatments may 
Cancer Care cause side effects that affect nutrition.• Cancer and cancer treatments may 
   cause malnutrition.• Anorexia and cachexia are common 
causes of malnutrition in cancer patients. 
 
NUTRITION IN JOURNEY OF 
CANCER
         Ms. Suvarna Sawant
Chief Dietician
HCG Cancer Centre
Borivali Unit


WHY NUTRITION IS IMPORTANT 
DURING CANCER TREATMENT ? 
▪ Maintain Weight 
▪ Maintain Nutrition stores
▪ Lower Risk of Infection
▪ Better Treatment Toleration (lesser Side effects)
▪ Fast Recovery
▪ Improve Quality of Life
RAINBOW IN YOUR 
PLATE
IDEAL PLATE 
KITCHEN 
INGREDIENTS  
Methi - Controlling Haldi- Anti inlammatory
blood sugar 
Garden cress seed 
(haleem) 
- Hemoglobin 
Hing- Good digestion
Flaxseed (alsi) - Heart 
protective
KITCHEN 
INGREDIENTS  
Vitamin C- Antioxidant
Walnuts (akrot) –Anti 
Inflammatory
Elaichi- decrease nausea & acidity
MANAGING TRATMENT 
SIDE EFFECT 
● NAUSEA:
-Remove your self from the cooking process.
-Avoid strong smells.
-Add mint, ginger & lemon to dish.
-Sit upright for eating and drinking.
● TASTE CHANGES:
-Cleanse your mouth properly.
-Maintain good oral hygiene.
-Avoid metal utensil.
-Try to eat food at room temperature.
-Increase your fluid intake.
LOSS OF APPETITE
● Eat five or six smaller meals per day.
● Eat the largest meal when you are hungriest.
●  Start with high-protein foods while your appetite is strongest.
● Keep favorite high-calorie foods and beverages within easy reach.
●  Try to be as physically active as you are able to be to help stimulate your 
appetite.
● Avoid high-fat, greasy, spicy, or overly sweet foods.
● Sip on beverages between meals rather than with meals.
Diarrhea  
●Drink plenty of  fluids 
●Eat small amounts of soft bland foods  Examples:  moong dal 
khichadi, curd, 
●Bread
●Avoid fried foods like bhajya, samosa, puri
●Have fruit like apple, pomegranate, banana
●Avoid spices
●Avoid Gas forming foods & beverages (beans, cabbage, 
carbonated beverages).
●Avoid milk, instead take buttermilk or curd
●Limit foods and beverages with caffeine and beverages 
extremely hot or cold.
  
Constipation
● Eat whole grains  such as whole wheat, legumes and 
nuts.
● Eat vegetable and fruits 3-4 serving in a day. 
● Drink plenty of fluids. Example 8-10 glasses of water 
or buttermilk
● Avoid processed or packet food
● Avoid maida products such as biscuit, bread, etc
● Do some exercise like walking or stretching exercise. 
Mucositis/Esophagitis 
● Encourage good oral hygiene practices to promote comfort, enhance taste and 
stimulate appetite. 
● Avoid intake of known irritants such as: acidic foods or fluids o Spicy, salty or 
very sweet foods or fluids o Dry or rough foods Tobacco, alcohol.
● Encourage adequate fluid intake. Well-tolerated fluids include warm or cool milk 
based beverages, cream soups.
●  Alter the consistency and temperature of foods to suit individual tolerances (for 
example cool or lukewarm temperature, soft solids, mashed solids, pureed 
solids, baby foods, thick or thin liquids). 
● Recommend dunking or moistening dry foods in liquid.
● Recommend small, frequent energy and protein dense meals or snacks.
●  Ensure vitamin and mineral needs are met if nutrition modifications are to be 
long term.
NUTRITIONAL MYTHS AND FACT
Many people have been taught that juice 
diets/fasts are a safe and productive 
practice
 • Juice should not be used to meet basic 
nutrient needs as it significantly reduces 
consumption of multiple food groups 
• People who practice these methods need 
to be aware that it significantly reduces the 
amount of fiber in the diet
• Sugar feeds cancer  
• A raw food diet prevents/cures cancer
• Carrot beet juice is a medicine for cancer
• Meat and dairy products cause cancer
• HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS WILL HELP TO FIGHT 
CANCER
NUTRITIONAL MYTHS AND 
FACT
Neutropenic Diet
● √
√

Physical Activity
●  Check with your healthcare provider regarding the right 
physical activity for you. Physiotherapist will help you with this.
● Engage in regular physical activity.
●  Avoid inactivity and return to normal daily activities as soon as 
possible. 
● Aim to exercise at least 150 minutes per week.
●  Include strength training exercises at least 2 days per week 
(exercises in which you work against resistance such as 
weights), with your healthcare provider’s approval.
Low cost Protein Foods
MILK & MILK PEAS
PRODUCTS SOY & SOY 
PRODUCTS
EGG SATTU 
SPROUTS 
Low cost protein food
● Egg custard
● Dry fruit 
milkshake
● Lassi/ Thick 
Buttermilk
● Amylase Rich 
Flour
● Soyabean bhaji
● soyabean roti
● Peas roti
● Sattu 
● Sprouted salad/ 
Sprouted pan 
cake
● Hummus
EGG CUSTARD RECIPE
Ingredient:
● 1 EGG
● 1 CUP MILK
● 1 TSP SUGAR
● VANILLA ESSENCE – OPTIONAL 
Method:
● Beat the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla essence.
● Pour in katori, in double boiler cook till it thickens.
Amylase Rich Flour
Ingredient
3 Parts cereal (rice/wheat) + 1 Part pulse (moong dal)
Method:
▪ Soak the grains in water until sprouting takes place (around 48 hours)
▪  Dry in the sun / roast lightly on low flame
▪ Powder by hand pounding or in an electric grinder
▪ Store in a wide mouthed screw cap bottle
Sattu
● Ingredients:2 cup channa dal
Method:
● Soak gram dal or gram in water for 8-9 hours.
● Remove out of water, and dry well in the pan.
● Keep a pan in medium flame and roast until they are golden brown.
● Grind them into a mixer.
● Put it in an air tight pot.
● Use as drink or can be added in chapatti.
Soyabean cutlet
Ingredient 
● 100 grams soya chunks
● 10 grams ginger
● 2 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
● 1 teaspoon Mint leaves
● 4 Carrot  finely chopped
● 3 tablespoons sweet corn
● 1 green chilli finely chopped
● 3 bread multigrain
● salt to taste
● 1 tablespoon oil for shallow frying
Methods 
● Soak the soya chunks into the hot water for 30 minutes.
● drain the water and in a large bowl squeeze off excess water.
● Now put these soya chunks into a blender jar and add carrot, corn, green chilli, ginger, mint leaves, coriander leaves, salt to taste and blend 
everything to a coarse paste.
● Take it out in a big bowl.
● In another jar break bread into smaller chunks and whizz them to make fresh bread crumbs.
● Add these bread crumbs in soya chunks and veggie paste. Mix and make a smooth very soft dough.
● Shape these in form of round cutlets also known as tikki. And once again roll these cutlets with bread crumbs.
● While rolling take care to firmly press the bread crumbs around these soya cutlets. This will yield in crispy cutlets.
● In a pan heat oil and place these cutlets. Cook them over medium heat.
● Once golden brown from one side flip them over and cook till crispy from the other side as well.
● Serve these delicious protein rich snack of soya cutlet with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

THANKS
FOR YOUR
TIME!