Diet for nasopharyngeal carcinoma chemotherapy

For nasopharyngeal cancer patients, chemotherapy is a painful treatment process. While chemical drugs can treat cancer pain, the strong side effects are also a torture for patients. Many patients vomit violently, resulting in inability to eat. Therefore, the diet plan during chemotherapy is very important.

Dietary adjustments during chemotherapy are mainly aimed at helping increase appetite, reducing vomiting, helping the recovery of hematopoietic function, and improving liver and kidney function.

Improve appetite and reduce vomiting

People with weak spleen and stomach can choose to eat ginger, jujube, mustard greens, pepper, coriander, wild rice stem, onion, Chinese cabbage, pigeon, mutton, etc.; people with weak spleen and heat can choose to eat winter melon, white melon, white lentil, red bean, mung bean, wolfberry, celery, amaranth, lotus seeds, etc.

Restoration of hematopoietic function

To restore hematopoietic function, you can choose to eat milk, eggs, pork liver, black chicken, placenta, red dates, black fungus, walnuts, black sesame, sea cucumber, hair algae, etc. To improve liver and kidney function, you can choose liver-clearing and liver-softening foods, such as wolfberry, milk, carrots, lotus seeds, coix seeds, yam, hawthorn, bitter melon, winter melon, bananas, watermelon, pomegranate, etc.

Special note: After chemotherapy for NPC, many chemotherapy drugs can change the patient's taste and smell. What changes occur depends on the individual. Strangely, sweet foods may taste sour, and sour foods may taste sweet. Meat may taste a little bitter because it releases proteins in the mouth. Sometimes after chemotherapy, you will feel a persistent metallic taste in your mouth, which will naturally affect your eating. The change in taste may not last long, but making some adjustments in diet will make a big difference.