Carolyn Lammersfeld

Nutrition plays a key role when you’re fighting cancer — and knowing what to eat is important. When you’re being treated for cancer, you may face a variety of unwelcome side effects — everything from nausea to a sore mouth to diarrhea. But you’re not powerless over these side effects, some foods can combat them!

Cancer and its treatments can contribute to loss of appetite. Because the calories you get from food are energy, if a poor appetite results in not enough food intake, you may experience fatigue. Poor food intake may also result in weight or muscle loss, which can impair your immune function and make it more difficult to recover in between treatments.

When it comes to cancer, a risk factor is a feature present within an individual that is associated with a statistically greater risk for the development of the disease, but is itself not necessarily the cause of the disease. For example, it has been shown that women who are obese have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Because some types of cancer and its treatments can weaken or suppress your immune system, you may be more susceptible to infections and have a harder time recovering from them when they occur. That’s why taking measures to bolster your immune system and prevent exposure to potentially harmful germs is so important.

When stocking your fridge, you need to think about where you are with your cancer treatment and what you can handle. Are you struggling to eat, experiencing decreased appetite, or losing weight? If so, your shopping list should include high-calorie items that can help you get through these effects. Because the items stored in the refrigerator and freezer are perishables, you need to be mindful about their use-by dates.

Spices and herbs have long been used for medicinal purposes, such as fighting indigestion and other digestive problems. Although science is uncertain about the direct benefits of consuming certain spices and herbs with regard to protecting against and fighting cancer and its side effects, their indirect beneficial effects may be more easily recognized.

When you eat clean, you’re already naturally boosting your immune system, because you’re giving your body the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and other nutrients it needs to keep your cells healthy and to protect your body from cancer-causing agents like environmental toxins and pathogens like cold viruses.

These 10 superfoods have been studied the most for their potential to protect against and fight cancer, and they’ve shown good results. This isn’t surprising given that these foods score high in nutrient density, and they’re particularly high in antioxidants and phytochemicals, both of which keep your cells healthy and trigger the bad ones to die off (a process your oncologist may refer to as apoptosis).

The pantry is where you may keep some cancer alleviators, like crackers, hard pretzels, and popcorn. When arranging your pantry and introducing items, you’ll want to keep the items you use most toward the front. Because the items stored in your pantry are non-perishables, they’ll generally have a longer shelf life than refrigerator items.