Your guide to nutritional well-being

Being proactive about managing nutritional well-being is one of the important ways, along with physical activity, to support the person with cancer to maintain resilience during cancer treatment, recovery and beyond. This section is a step-by-step guide to help you choose the best diet for health now and the future.

What to consider 

What does a healthy diet look like?

Base your diet on foods from plants – this includes wholegrain cereals, pulses (e.g. beans), fruits and vegetables. Include modest portions of protein foods such as chicken, fish, eggs and dairy foods. Limit how often you eat processed and fast foods, which are high in calories, fat and sugar.

• A plate made up of good food choices https://www.wcrf-uk.org/uk/preventing-cancer/cancer-prevention-recommendations/enjoy-more-grains-veg-fruit-and-beans

• Three quarters of the plate should be wholegrains, pulses, vegetables and fruit

• One quarter or less should be lean meat and poultry, fish (white and oily) and plant-based protein sources e.g. https://www.wcrf-uk.org/uk/preventing-cancer/cancer-prevention-recommendations

Tips for eating more plant-based foods 

Aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. This doesn’t include potatoes but does include fresh, frozen, dried and canned (in water or natural juice), and pulses such as beans, peas and lentils. Include grains and cereals such as bread, rice, oats, pasta, couscous and unsweetened breakfast cereals and choose wholegrain varieties as much as possible.

Which sources of protein are best? 

• Good sources of protein include chicken, fish (including oily fish a couple of times a week) and eggs 

• If you eat red meat then limit this to no more than about three portions a week, which is around 350–500g cooked weight (or 525–750g raw weight) a week 

• Dairy products are also a good source of protein and include cheese, milk, yoghurt and kefir. You may wish to choose some lower fat versions to help limit saturated fat in your diet

• Protein from vegetable sources includes beans and pulses, nuts, seeds, tempeh and tofu 

Foods to avoid 

Limit consumption of fast foods and other processed foods that are high in fat or sugar. Foods that are high in fat, starches and sugar can cause us to be overweight or obese. These types of foods include fried foods, and fast food such as burgers, fried chicken and some take-aways. It also includes sweet foods such as cake, sweet pastries, biscuits, chocolate and sweets, and savoury foods such as crisps and pastries

Read food labels 

If you are buying foods that are ready-made then it can be helpful to look at the packaging. Those that contain more than 225kcal per 100g are high in energy so eat these foods sparingly. Some other foods such as nuts, seeds, oily fish, cheese and avocados are also high in energy but they also contain valuable nutrients and so are good to eat in modest amounts.

What are the best drinks? 

Missing good choices around your fluid intake helps your health.

• Water is the best choice – if you don’t like water than try adding a slice of lemon, lime, orange, cucumber or root ginger to add some flavour

• Tea or coffee without sugar are good choices (beware of sweet or flavoured coffees). If you drink milky coffee then choose the ‘skinny’ or low-fat versions  

• Fruit juice is a good source of vitamin C but also contains a lot of sugar so keep to one glass (150ml) per day  

• Avoid sugar-sweetened drinks which are high in energy without other valuable nutrients. Drinking sugary drinks has been shown to contribute to being overweight or obese in many people

What about alcohol? 

Aim to limit how much alcohol you drink. In the UK the guidance is to limit intake to 14 units per week spread evenly over 3 or more days. A unit is 10g of alcohol. There are many ways in which you can reduce your alcohol intake: choose smaller servings, dilute alcoholic drinks with a low-calorie mixer such as soda water and have a glass of water first before having an alcoholic drink. Aim to have alcohol-free days during the week

What about your weight? 

Being the right weight for your height and avoiding weight gain is important for your health 

• If you are overweight then losing weight may be a useful long-term goal

• If you are having treatment for cancer then always discuss any plans for losing weight with your doctor or registered dietitian. There are times when it is advisable to avoid weight loss as this may affect your treatment plans and recovery   

• Some treatments may encourage you to gain weight (e.g. steroids or hormone treatments) so you may be interested in some tips that can help you prevent weight gain