Unlocking the Power on Your Plate During Cancer Treatment

As a cancer survivor and oncology nutritionist, I am on a mission to educate individuals facing a cancer diagnosis about why nutritional intervention, or therapy, should be a mandatory part of any cancer treatment. 

Even though nutritional intervention is recognized as essential during cancer treatment, most cancer patients do not have access to nutritional support. Given the incidence of malnutrition and tissue wasting among cancer patients, a multidisciplinary approach with targeted nutrition should be central to any cancer treatment. 

For a deeper dive into the most scientifically validated diet for reducing your risk of cancer, improving cancer treatment outcomes and reducing the risk of recurrence, check out my brand new ecourse, the 7 Day Anti-Cancer Diet Kickstart (launching September 1st). To learn more about it, click here.

Nutrition is a key factor in oncology. It influences the development of the disease itself, tumor-driven symptoms, and response to and recovery after medical treatment. Therefore, it has a strong impact on an individual's nutritional status, body composition, and quality of life and on disease prognosis and survival. 

Malnutrition influences treatment outcomes and can also impair a person’s tolerance and response to cancer treatments, which leads to extended hospital stay, treatment interruptions, and even potentially reduced survival. A common outcome of malnutrition in cancer patients is wasting of muscle mass, which is linked with reduced body function, higher incidence of chemotherapy toxicity, increased risk of postoperative complications, delayed wound healing, as well as mortality. 

The statistics on malnutrition in cancer patients are mind-blowing:  

• 1 in 5 cancer patients dies from malnutrition
• 15-40% of patients report weight loss at time of diagnosis 
• 40-80% of patients have signs or symptoms of malnourishment during the course of the disease 

Conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation also have a significant influence on a patients’ nutritional status. More than 50% of patients undergoing chemotherapy experience symptoms of nausea, vomiting, impaired swallowing, and mucositis. Radiation therapy can also cause these symptoms. 

While cancer treatments are indispensable, it doesn’t make sense to rely solely on Western medicine and neglect the natural capacity of our bodies to fight the disease itself as well as protect us against malnutrition and its severe consequences.  

If you are facing a cancer diagnosis or have completed treatment, the simplest and most important tool in your toolkit is nutrition. 

Nutritional therapy during care treatment will: 

• Enable you to take control of your health with greater clarity and less confusion
• Optimize your nutritional status
• Improve your treatment outcomes
• Strengthen your body’s natural defense mechanisms
• Support the maintenance of muscle mass
• Support your energy levels
• Support your mood and mental health 
• Optimize your digestive function 
• Reduce the side effects of conventional treatments
• Support healing and recovery after treatment
• Reduce the risk of disease recurrence
• Reduce the risk of secondary cancers 

During my own cancer treatment, I incorporated nutritional therapy as an adjunct to chemotherapy and radiation and what I experienced was nothing short of astounding: 

• I had ample amounts of energy when I was told the opposite would happen.
• I didn’t experience nausea or vomiting. 
• I didn’t lose very much hair. 
• I was given 1/4th of the original recommended chemotherapy due to my tumour having reduced significantly in size before I had my first chemotherapy treatment. 
• My blood markers remained stable, shocking my oncologist.  
• I recovered remarkably quickly from chemotherapy and radiation. I went on vacation shortly thereafter and back to school within months.  
• I lost approximately 20 lbs of steroid-induced weight within a couple of months after treatment. 

If only I knew then what I know now. 

This is why my mission as a nutritionist is so dear to me. You deserve to be more informed, more empowered, and more awake to the greatest potential of your health and wellbeing. My wish for you is to take an active part in your healing and be the driver in your healing journey. 

Whether you’re facing a cancer diagnosis or have completed treatment, you don’t have to live in fear anymore. You just need the right (evidence-based) information, tools, and guidance!

To learn more about the optimal cancer-fighting diet and what to eat during and after cancer treatment, check out my new ecourse, the 7 Day Anti-Cancer Diet Kickstart, here. 

Your biggest cheerleader in health,

Hanna