Your body’s relationship with food is complicated at the best of times, but it becomes more critical than ever to watch what you’re eating when you’re suffering from mesothelioma.
While nothing you eat will cure your cancer, avoiding certain foods (and improving your diet in the process) can increase your comfort level and make treatment more effective. Here are the food items you need to skip:
Processed meat products
Generally speaking, you should focus on a plant-based diet as much as possible for optimum health benefits. When you do eat meat, however, skip the processed variety, like bacon, ham, salami and lunch meats. According to a report prepared by Dr. Robert Turesky, a Professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, the curing process is known to increase the risk of certain types of cancer, and it does nothing to help your condition.
Fried foods
When you do add meat products to your diet, stick to what you can bake, boil, or saute. For the most part, eliminating fried food (meat or otherwise) from your diet is a wise move. A 2020 report released in the Molecules journal stated that fried foods cause oxidative stress at a cellular level, add harmful trans fats to your diet and promote inflammation, which can make any serious medical condition worse.
Refined white flour
Whole grains are good for your diet, and white flour is really, really bad. Bread and desserts made with white flour may taste delicious, but they can wreak havoc with your blood sugar levels and increase inflammatory responses in your body, according to a report released in 2020 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They’re best to skip when you have any kind of cancer.
White sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup alike are all best consumed in moderation – especially when you have cancer. They can all contribute to unstable blood sugar levels and inflammation, and that will only add to your overall physical discomfort.
If you’re a victim of mesothelioma due to known or suspected exposure to asbestos, find out more about the funds that may be available to you and your family.
