By Cari-Lee Stevens

As much as I try to keep this word out of my vocabulary it seems to be everywhere these days. Recently I received two separate referrals from friends who have family members who have cancer.  I was pleased that my words have not fallen on deaf ears and they took to heart the importance of what I have been saying for all these years. Diet is very important, not just to keep you healthy but to get you back to health. The body needs good supportive nutrition to repair cells that are damaged through tough treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. When people have cancer, they often lose their appetite, food doesn't taste very good and they begin to lose weight, so caloric intake is important but what kind of calories is equally important.  Patients should aim for a minimum of 1500 calories a day in small easily digestible meals taken frequently.  Liquid meal replacements are excellent because they can pack a lot of nutrients and are easy to swallow.  They are also easy to prepare, this is key because fatigue is a big factor for people dealing with cancer.  Dr.'s will often suggest drinks to their patients like ENSURE.  ENSURE, in my opinion is not a satisfactory protein supplement because it is filled with multiple forms of sugar and dye. It is a known fact that cancer feeds on sugar so reducing sugar intake is important. Milkshakes are also not a good meal replacement though they do seem to be popular.

Find a protein powder that has lots of vitamins and minerals, minimal sugar and a good amount of fiber.  I personally like the Isagenix brand of protein shakes, they have everything the body needs plus live enzymes to help with the delivery of the nutrients. The addition of fiber will help with those who are experiencing diarrhea.  In addition to this, drinking lots of water is important, especially while in treatment.  Typically we should aim for at least half our body weight in ounces of water.  If you weigh 150 lbs, then drink 75 ounces of water. Often sports drinks will be recommended for the replenishing of elecrolytes, however, the problem with this is that they often have high amounts of sugar in them, or they have fake sugars, which contribute nothing good to the body and are the cause of many health problems.  There are some good electrolyte drinks on the market that are natural and delicious without any unnatural colorings in them.  One of my favourites is Want More Energy. It is also loaded with Vitamin Bs.