Dietary guidelines for cancer patients during Chinese New Year.👍👍👍

It's the Chinese New Year recently, and there are celebrations in many places. Many people will change their eating habits in order to celebrate Chinese New Year. Normal people may only eat slightly unhealthy during the festival days and not be affected too much. However, some patients cannot eat too freely. Cancer patients should also pay attention to a reasonable diet during this period to avoid exacerbation of the disease. This article will summarize some doctors' dietary recommendations for them.

Health products.

During Chinese New Year, some relatives and friends will give gifts to each others. Health products are one of the popular gifts. Do those health products really make you health? Are they suitable to every one?

1. Ginseng.

Ginseng has a good effect on the prevention and treatment of cancer. It can fight tumors through multiple mechanisms of action. It regulates the body's immune system and increases resistance to disease. This can achieve the effect of inhibiting tumor growth. In addition, it can also reduce the drug resistance of cancer cells and enhance the efficacy of drugs. However, not all cancer patients are suitable for eating ginseng. In some patients, consuming ginseng may worsen the condition. Therefore, cancer patients should consume appropriate ginseng according to their personal constitution under the guidance of a doctor.

Ginseng acts on the nervous system. It can cause insomnia, tremors, neurasthenia, euphoria and other excitation symptoms of central nervous system. Cancer patients with insomnia should not eat ginseng. It can make the patient's sleep quality worse. Drugs such as cardiac glycosides, anticoagulants, steroids, and sedatives have synergistic or inhibitory effects with ginseng. Drugs such as chloral hydrate and phenobarbital in combination with ginseng can enhance the inhibitory effect of the central nervous system. Therefore, cancer patients should not consume ginseng if they are taking the above medicines.

2. Royal Jelly.

Sex hormones are associated with the occurrence and development of breast cancer. Long-term maintenance of high levels of estrogen in the body will significantly increase the incidence of breast cancer. Royal jelly contains sex hormones. Therefore, breast cancer patients should avoid royal jelly and other foods that contain more sex hormones.

3. Protein powder.

The daily protein intake target for cancer patients is 1-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That is, if the patient weighs 70 kg, he needs to consume 70 to 140 grams of protein per day. However, the liver and kidneys will be burdened too much by excessive protein intake. This can be detrimental to the recovery of cancer patients. 

Protein powder supplementation is not recommended for patients who are able to absorb protein through their diet. Patients should consume adequate protein through food whenever possible. Protein powder contains a lot of protein, so patients with liver and kidney insufficiency should not take protein powder. Additionally, most protein powders are primarily composed of soy protein. They generally contain high amounts of purines, which can aggravate the symptoms of gout.

Should cancer patients eat more meat or vegetables?

Which is healthier, meat or vegetables? This is a long-standing debate. Some people think that eating red meat increases the risk of cancer. Some people think that eating meat will make you live longer. Some of the following studies may explain this.

Does eating red meat increase the risk of cancer?

Red meat is red because it is rich in heme iron. It includes frequently eaten meats such as beef, pork and lamb. Studies have pointed out that dairy products and red meat contain a particular type of sugar. It is directly linked to the development of antibodies in the blood that increase the incidence of tumors. Eating large amounts of red meat produces large and different types of antibodies. This increases the incidence of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. In addition, the World Health Organization classifies red meat as a Group 2a carcinogen. This also confirms that long-term consumption of large amounts of red meat is harmful to health.

Will eating meat make you live longer?

A study across 11 countries found that older adults who ate higher amounts of protein (mainly eggs and meat) had lower cancer rates and lived longer than those who ate more vegetables. 

To sum up, eating meat in moderation may be healthier, but too much red meat should be avoided. When eating meat, you can choose to eat more white meat such as chicken.

What should cancer patients eat during Chinese New Year meals?

The staple food should be paired with more whole grains such as brown rice. But don't just eat whole grains, which can easily cause indigestion. 

Eat more vegetables and choose several different colors of vegetables, you can absorb more and different nutrients.

The meals during this period generally consist of a lot of different meats. Cancer patients should eat more high-quality protein foods such as chicken, duck, fish, and eggs. It boosts immunity and maintains muscle mass in the body. But avoid eating too much red meat, fatty meats, and offal. In addition, it is necessary to properly consume soy products. Plant protein and animal protein will complement each other.

Avoid fried, grilled and pickled foods. These foods contain carcinogens.

Pay attention to salt intake and should not consume more than 6 grams per day.

It is not recommended for cancer patients to drink beverages high in sugar. It also does not recommend drinking pure juice. Substitute vegetable and fruit juices. In addition, cancer patients can drink green tea in moderation. Green tea contains ingredients that remove oil and prevent cancer.

Cancer patients try not to drink alcohol and smoke.

In fact, the above advice also applies in general.😂