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The Throat Cancer Foundation has built a network of esteemed medical and health professionals who have offered us their expertise and time.
In this section we are going to look at the importance of nutrition and eating well when suffering from cancer of the head and neck. A healthy diet is a balanced diet.
A balanced diet is a diet that provides the correct nutrients at the right time. In health we need:
All of the above constitute the makings of a balanced diet when taken at the right time, in the right amounts, at the right frequency.Even the most balanced diets can result in weight gain if eaten in excess, or weight loss, if sparsely consumed.
When we are ill, our nutritional requirements change, and focus on food can become tiresome. Frustratingly, just when we need to increase certain nutrients our appetite disappears. .
It may be helpful then, to understand that quality is more important than volume and for some enteral feeding may be required. Enteral feeding simply by- passes the need to chew and swallow. It may be via a naso -gastric tube (NG) tube passed into the stomach through the nose. Or if enteral feeding is required for a longer period of time a PEG tube may be placed directly into the stomach via the stomach wall to allow delivery of optimal nutrition when you are unable to chew or swallow effectively. We will look at this in more detail later .
Many people diagnosed with cancer will experience a reduction in their interest and desire for food. This can be for many reasons, physical, psychological and functional. Patients diagnosed with cancer of the throat mouth or neck present with many different challenges.
Here we have also to acknowledge ‘The Elephant in the Room’. Just when you need to improve your diet, or increase your intake you are unable to, due to one, or many of the physical and psychological aspects of your illness,- obstruction, dry mouth, lesions weakness anxiety or depression.
Your Dietitian if you have one,will take into consideration your likes, dislikes, existing conditions, nutritional requirements and any physical barriers that exist and will create an eating plan that will be achievable, practical, of the correct consistency and as nutritionally complete as your condition allows.. Not all hospitals will have access to a dietitian. Speak to your Consultant and ask for a referral to a Dietitian if a specialist Dietitian is not a member of your medical team..
Because Head neck and throat cancers are so diverse and the areas affected may impact strongly on ability to eat, swallow taste smell and communicate it is not possible to consider every aspect of any individuals experience but we hope we can be of some general assistance and help boost your ability to choose wisely for your own situation.
It is possible the medical team treating a head and neck cancer patient will recommend a PEG feeding tube – PEG stands for Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Percutaneous means through the skin, endoscopic means a tube and gastrostomy means an opening into the stomach. So a PEG basically is tube inserted through the skin and into the stomach,
This is to enable delivery of optimal fluids and nutrients to your body at a time when oral intake would be too painful or inadequate. Patients are individuals, there is no ‘ One size fits all’ approach. Your medical team will assess and advise you as to the best way forward for your recovery.
It is advisable to ask lots of questions so patients and their carers can understand why a treatment is being recommended. If you cannot think what to ask or want to be sure you have covered everything have a look at our questions to ask your doctor section.
There is no specific diet for cancer patients. What is recommended is that any diet taken is nutritious, calorie and protein dense and one which provides a vast array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.Of course your appetite and ability to consume some foods may be altered and this is the challenge.We have put together some hints and tips for a good nutritious diet. Each patient is an individual though and should listen to their own medical team and specifically their dietitian/nutritionist for personalised advice.
As with everything each individual is different. We have provided these hints and tips as a general guideline but we would urge any patient to consult with a dietitian as soon as they can during their treatment journey. A personalised consultation will ensure that individual requirements can be explored and catered too. If a nutritionist/dietitian is not part of your care plan we would urge you to ask for a referral to ensure individual needs are being met.
In order to ensure that patients are getting the right amount of calories and nutrition dietary supplements are often used to ensure that patients can get nutrition in an easy to swallow form. There are lots of different ways to supplement meals and drinks to give them more calories and nutrients. A dietitian will be able to help by ensuring that a throat cancer patient is getting the right, nutritionally complete supplements.
Here are some examples of supplements which a head and neck cancer patient might encounter. We have listed some brands but this does not imply endorsement – we are providing them as examples of what is available and links to their websites which have serving suggestions and further information.
There are quite a few different supplements available. There are lots of different brand names and the supplements given to a patient will vary from hospital to hospital – depending on who the hospital has a contract with. A dietitian will be able to assess a patient’s individual needs and ensure that the right supplements are being used.
Nourishing Drinks
There are many high energy drinks available in the supermarket, such as milkshakes and smoothies. Some drinks are fortified with vitamins and minerals and can be a quick and easy to get a lot of nourishment when the throat is too sore to eat solid foods.
• Build Up is available in sweet and savoury flavours. The sweet flavoured drinks are mixed with milk. You can add ice cream to make a thick milk shake. Build Up soup is easy to make by just adding boiling water.
• Complan is available in sweet and savoury flavours and is mixed with milk or water.
• Nutrament is available in sweet flavours from most large supermarkets.
Drinks with a milk like consistency .These are like milkshakes and are available in a wide variety of flavours. There are also some savoury choices.
Juice/squash flavoured drinks. These are non-milky and have a similar taste to squashes and cordials. They are also available in a wide variety of flavours.
Yoghurt flavoured drinks. This is a yoghurt-based drink available in fruit flavours. It has a similar taste to drinking yoghurt.
Energy Supplements
Energy supplements are available as powders and liquids. Ask your dietitian for advice on how much to use each day. They can be added to both food and drinks. Glucose polymer powders are highly soluble, tasteless powders that dissolve easily in liquids and most soft food.
Glucose Drinks
There are Glucose drinks which you can get in orange or neutral flavours.
As you can see there are lots of products available which can help a patient get the right amount of nutrition when going through treatment for cancer. We have provided this for information only, for an individual nutrition plan please speak to your dietitian/nutritionist.
If there is not a dietitian as part of your care programme please remember that you can ask to be referred to a dietitian.
Simple Dietary tips for seniors
It is one of those facts of life that as we get older, we often pay less attention to following a healthy dietary regime. For some, that means a tendency to indulge in unhealthy snacks such as crisps and chocolate at the expense of proper meals. Others find that they go in the opposite direction, losing interest in food and skipping meals entirely.
Of course, the irony is that the later years are exactly when we should be paying more attention to what we eat, not less – and this is doubly the case for those who are battling with throat cancer or indeed any serious illness.
If you think following a better diet means living on boring, tasteless food and saying goodbye to all your favourites, think again. By following these simple tips, you can get back to enjoying mealtimes, and do your body a favour at the same time.
The Throat Cancer Foundation has built a network of esteemed medical and health professionals who have offered us their expertise and time.
When people are facing a cancer diagnosis and undergoing treatment it can be a long and difficult journey.
A problem shared is a problem halved – we want to use section of our website to share other patients journeys from diagnosis to living beyond cancer.
When dealing with doctors and other medical professionals, there may be terms used that you don’t quite understand. To help make things clearer, we have created this glossary and hope you will find it helpful.
There is lots of help available though and we have compiled a list of useful resources which will guide you through the support that is available to patients and their families.
Here we have gathered a number of useful resources and phone numbers for those facing up to a cancer diagnosis. This includes general help and information on cancer, smoking cessation, help with stress and more.
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There is lots of help available though and we have compiled a list of useful resources which will guide you through the support that is available to patients and their families.
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