Making food count throughout your cancer journey means eating as well as you can.
Choosing a variety of foods and having well-balanced meals can help you feel better and maximise your energy levels.
Some people feel well and can eat normally throughout their treatment. For others under nutrition and weight loss can occur. This can be caused due to the cancer itself or may be due to systemic anti-cancer treatments and/or surgery.
Poor food intake and weight loss (of both fat and muscle) can negatively impact our health and quality of life and can also impact on how treatment is tolerated and our ability to fight infection.
- For others weight gain after treatment can be a concern.
Remember, eating well throughout a cancer diagnosis is important to maintain or minimise weight and muscle loss. If eating becomes difficult, then it is important to choose a higher calorie diet and adjust your diet when required (See section below on resources on nutrition).
Getting support early, before and at diagnosis, can be very helpful. This is called prehabilitation (or prehab). Prehab aims to get you as ready as possible before treatment starts.
For cancer treatment, prehab usually includes support and advice from your cancer team about:
- emotional health
- physical activity or exercise
- healthy diet and weight
- stopping smoking
- drinking less alcohol
Prehab and Me is an excellent resource, developed by NHS Scotland, which features useful information to help support you in areas such as activity & exercise, diet & nutrition, mental wellbeing, and if relevant, alcohol and smoking.
The Maggie’s Centre in Forth Valley have a Prehabilitation Getting Ready for Treatment workshop that runs weekly and they also offer 1-1 support for prehabilitation.
Lots of further tips and links to websites are below but if you have any further concerns speak to the dietitian, your Oncology team or GP.
Resources for Nutrition and Self Help Leaflets
- World Cancer Reasearch Fund: Cancer and Nutrition Help Line, appointments are available with specialist oncology dietitians to provide you with the most reliable and up-to-date information about cancer and nutrition.
- Cancer Diets – Myths and More | British Dietetic Association Oncology Specialist Group
- Macmillan Cancer Support – Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.
- Cancer Information and Support Booklets
- Healthy Eating and Cancer – listen to the Audio version or watch the Video (British Sign Language enabled) – This booklet is for people living with cancer or after cancer who want to know more about a healthy diet.
- Eating Problems and Cancer – listen online to the Audio version – This booklet talks about some common eating problems and why they might happen. It also suggests some practical ways to manage them.
- The Building Up Diet – listen online to the Audio version – This booklet is for people who may be finding it difficult to maintain their weight during and after cancer treatment.
- Adding Energy and Protein to Everyday Foods
- Eating Well and Staying Active
- MacMillan’s Wellbeing Hub – A dedicated page with expert self-care advice if you have cancer or are supporting someone who does.
- Nutritional Support – Tube Feeding – If you are not able to eat or drink enough to maintain your weight, your doctors or dietitian may suggest tube feeding or nutritional support.
- Cancer Research UK – leading independent cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research, influence and information.
- Self-Screening Tool | BAPEN – Use this simple adult screening tool alongside advice to follow, if you are at risk of becoming malnourished.
- Diet and Cancer | Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
- Diet and Cancer Videos – Macmillan Oncology Dietitians from the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust have created these videos – they aim to increase people’s confidence in managing their diet before, during and after cancer treatment.
- North Cancer Nutrition – This website has been developed in collaboration with dietitians in the North of Scotland and is provided to help people with cancer manage their nutrition – Resources
Local Support
- Cancer | NHS Forth Valley – Has information on local cancer services as well as useful links
- Food Train – Have a range of services available to support older people living in Scotland. Services include supporting older people around shopping, delivering meals, befriending service, as well as supporting older people with everyday household tasks.
- Maggie’s – Forth Valley – Maggie’s Forth Valley, in the grounds of Forth Valley Royal Hospital, provides free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends.
- Connect with Maggie’s Forth Valley on Facebook
- Strathcarron Hospice – support people and their families across Forth Valley living with life-limiting conditions to live and die well.
Easy Read Resources
- Easy Health – Is an online library of accessible health information with simple words, clear pictures and films. You can sign up to access hundreds of accessible health resources for free. Find out more about their Cancer Resources – visit Other Health Conditions and search the word ‘Cancer’.
- Easy Read Booklets | Marie Curie
- Easy Read Cancer Booklets and Easy Read Cancer Information | MacMillan Cancer Support
- Easy Read Information Leaflets | Cancer Research UK
- Stay Healthy – Eat a Healthy Diet | MacMillan Cancer Support
Useful Websites, Videos and Apps
- The Beatson – West of Scotland Cancer Centre – Find a range of leaflets to print or download – Resources and Leaflets
- Carers UK – Scotland – Provide expert information, advice and support to unpaid carers.
- Cancer | NHS Inform – Identifying, treating and managing cancers and leukaemia in adults, teenagers and children.
- World Cancer Research Fund – examine how diet, weight and physical activity can affect your risk of developing and surviving cancer.
- Cancer Prevention Recommendations – Making healthier lifestyle choices.