How to Gain Weight when You Have Cancer
Keeping a healthy body weight is important when undergoing treatment for a disease such as cancer. Whether you begin treatment with a low body weight or develop a low body weight as a result of your treatment, gaining your weight back to a good level is very essential, as low body weight can reduce the effectiveness of your treatment. For the less fortunate, cancer treatments mostly make it hard for them to eat anything at all, but you can learn tips and tricks about how to gain weight when suffering from cancer.
Instructions
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1
Eat good food
Try to consume calorie dense foods such as nuts and seeds at all times. Small changes like adding nuts to the vegetables and peanut butter to the toast can make a huge difference. Also consult your doctor about the medications that could reduce your nausea and increase your appetite.
Eat small meals every two hours rather than eating three big meals. Small meals are helpful to boost your metabolism. On the other hand, increase your protein intake. If you are not able to eat meat or fish, try substituting easily digestible proteins such as eggs, dairy and soy.
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2
Take part in regular physical exercise
You should involve yourself with physical activity shortly before enjoying your meal. Exercise can help improve your appetite and will make the meals more appealing for you. Moreover, drink four ounces of water mixed with one tablespoon of lemon juice half an hour before you eat.
Water and lemon juice aid in stimulating digestion. You also have to increase your calorie and fat intake, so foods you have avoided before may be what you need now. If a certain kind of food attracts you and your appetite can handle it, then you can go ahead and eat it.
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3
Choose a good protein powder
Add protein powders to your regular diet. Normally, it is ideal to get your protein from natural sources, but if that is hard, whey, soy and powdered milk are good options. Furthermore, add flavor. Even with the help of anti-nausea medications, around 70 to 80 percent of patients experience nausea during their treatments. This makes it tough for them to eat, so it is crucial to make food more attractive to them.
Curry, oregano and cinnamon are viable alternatives. Ginger would be a good option, in addition to adding flavor as it also serves as a natural nausea remedy.
