Healthy Eating Is Key To Supporting Cancer Healing

In the years leading up to my cancer diagnosis I thought I was eating a healthy diet. We cooked most of our meals at home, enjoyed dessert, and regularly ate vegetables. Healthy right?

It wasn't until I was diagnosed with cancer and was going through my chemotherapy treatments that I started to question what I had been putting in my body. When my body was at its most vulnerable was when I realized that the type of food I was eating wasn't as supportive of my health as I thought it was.

Cooking at home didn't equate to cooking healthy. Prepared foods, processed foods, sugary sauces and dressings and canned vegetables could no longer be part of my home cooked meals. I needed to learn a different way to heal my body. And, when I learned what I really needed to be eating and started to make those changes, it made a huge difference not just in my body, but in my entire lifestyle.

If you’re currently living with cancer, eating a healthy diet can be a great place start supporting your healing process both during and after cancer. Healthy eating is very important for supporting your body and goes a long way towards rebuilding your health. Therefore, to truly live the best lifestyle possible, it is important to start eating a healthy diet. And, as they say, it is never too late and there is no time like the present.

To help you get started here are a few ideas that you can put into action today.  

Get rid of the temptations

A great first step when you want to start eating healthy is to rid your home of all temptations that will distract you from following better eating habits. Ideally it would be wise to keep junk foods and sugary beverages that don't support your health out of your house so as not be tempted to snack on them during the day. Great healthy snacks are carrot sticks, yogurt, fresh fruit, smoothies, berries, bananas or whole-wheat crackers. 

Make the decision to do it

Another great step to eating healthy is to decide that this is an important part of supporting your health and healing. Making this decision will put you into a state of action. Then you can start to make small changes that can make a big difference. Swap out sugary drinks for water, add fruit and vegetables that feel manageable and that don't upset your stomach, eat protein everyday to help support your cells and tissues, and avoid processed foods as they contain little to none of the nutrients that you need right now. You can support your health one decision at a time.

Consider meal planning and meal prepping (and your friends)

Preparation can be an important part of eating healthier. Take into consideration your schedule for meals, what is good for you, and what you are able to eat, especially if cancer treatments are wearing you down. Instead of trying to figure out a meal in the moment, prepare the meal the night before so it is ready to reach for when you are ready to eat. Having a meal plan for the week can make it easier to eat, especially if you are tired or unable to cook. Give the meal plan to friends and family and ask them to help you with health-building meals. You can get support with meal plan programs that focuses on nutrition and cancer and helping ease the burden on yourself and your family here.

Change is a process

Initially you may find it difficult to make those necessary changes to healthier eating. Along with the difficulty of change, you may not know how to implement new eating habits. Start with baby steps. Even if you only replace one sugary drink a day with a glass of water, you are improving your physical health. If you eat fast food throughout the week, slowly start replacing those meals half of the time with better quality foods until you are no longer eating fast food. When you start by taking small steps you aren’t cutting out all of the foods you love all at once. Or, you can just decide it is time to make changes and dive right in. Remember, it is a process but it is a very important part of the healing process.

Your body needs support and healthy foods are one of the key ways to give it that support. By taking your time to learn about and make changes to your eating habits you will feel much better within yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.  Want to learn how to navigate healthy eating when you have cancer? Learn more about my 6 Week Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching that will give you the information and support that you need and deserve as you navigate cancer.