Chinese Dietary Care for Cancer Patients
Chinese medicinal diet is about adding functional foods or herbs in everyday cooking, which is a practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has a significant role in promoting health and preventing disease. The concept of dietary care in the treatment of disease has long been advocated. The earliest TCM theoretic book, the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, clearly states that diet is as important as herbs for treating disease. For cancer patients, Chinese medicinal diet helps them restore from a weakened condition and reinforce their immune functioning. It can also speed up the healing process and lower their risk of cancer recurrence and spreading. Chinese medicine diet is provided according to the disharmony pattern of individuals, which is a characteristic of TCM approach.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are invasive treatment methods that not only kill cancer cells, but also damage the healthy tissues of cancer patients, leading to various adverse or toxic reactions. The diet for cancer patients usually has unique nutrition needs; a healthy eating plan can ensure them regain the strength and improve overall wellbeing. During my years of TCM practice, I have observed how Chinese medicinal diet aids in cancer treatments and recovery, I would like to share my experiences as below.
Chinese medicinal diet for radiotherapy
In TCM views, radioactive beams are a kind of "toxic heat" or "fire evils", they consume the body’s yin fluids, and cause cancer patients to develop signs like sore throat, thirst, irritability, constipation, and yellowish urine. Radiotherapy causes localized or general damages depending on the body parts to be treated, common health problems are mouth dryness, mouth sores, poor appetite, diarrhea, bone marrow suppression, and a low immune function. Chinese medicinal diet can effectively manage the adverse effects and enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy. The usual therapeutic strategies are nourishing yin, promoting body fluid production, clearing toxic heat, replenishing qi, invigorating organs, activating blood and resolving stasis, which are selected according to individual conditions. Below are dietary suggestions for cancer patients during and after radiotherapy.
During radiotherapy, there may have symptoms like mouth dryness, skin dryness, itchiness, mouth sores or constipation, nourishing yin and promoting body fluid production are indicated. It is advisable to eat more ingredients such as spinach, Chinese cabbage (bok choy), celery, three-colored amaranth, laver, mushroom, cauliflower, potato, bean sprouts, bitter melon, eggplant, cucumber, wax gourd, luffa, watermelon, pear, tangerine, orange, persimmon, grape, peach, banana, fig, honey, sugar cane, oyster, mung bean, rice bean, black fungus, lily bulb, lotus seed, Chinese date, Chinese yam, apricot kernel, lotus root and hyacinth bean. They help promote body fluids production and clear the heat signs.
Immuno-depression is common after radiotherapy, which leads to low levels of red and white blood cells. Herbs like ginseng, astragalus root, pilose asiabell root, reishi mushroom, glossy privet fruit, Chinese wolfberry and Chinese date can be added in daily meals to promote the proliferation of blood cells.
Patients should keep a light and easily digested diet, cut down the amount of spicy and fried foods, and choose a wide variety of foods to eat, including plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals and grains so as to stimulate the appetite and promote bowel movements.
Healthy recipes for radiotherapy
Method: boil with 1000ml of water for one hour. Add salt to taste and serve warm.
Benefits: relieve heat signs like sore throat, thirst, irritability, mouth sores and painful urination
Method: boil with 1000ml of water for one hour, then serve as tea.
Benefits: enhance the immune functions, relieve fatigue and general weakness
Chinese medicinal diet for chemotherapy
Generalized symptoms, digestive problems and bone marrow suppression are the major side effects of chemotherapy, and the cancer patients are particularly susceptible to serious digestive problems, such as nausea, vomiting and poor appetite.
Appropriate eating plan ensures cancer patients can finish the treatment courses smoothly.
Schedule a light, nutrient rich and easily digested diet, semi fluid or soft foods may improve swallowing problems. If necessary, eat 5-6 small meals per day.
When the digestive symptoms are serious, drink fresh juices that make by ginger, fig and reed rhizome to relieve the nausea or vomiting, and stimulate appetite.
In order to prevent or alleviate the adverse effects of bone marrow suppression, it is required to eat more high protein foods, pork, chicken or fishes are good sources. Some foods like spinach, celery, tomato, peach, raisin, pineapple, waxberry, fig, Chinese date and peanut are able to protect again the treatment damages too.
Mushrooms or fungi herbs help enhance the immune functions of body, and so are encouraged to add in daily meals.
Cooking is an important process in aiding digestion and absorption of food, methods like steaming, poaching and boiling are better, while deep-frying and broiling should be avoided.
Healthy recipes for radiotherapy
- Tea to relieve nausea and mouth dryness
Fresh reed rhizome (120g) and rock sugar (30g), boil with 750ml of water for 30 minutes
- Congee to promote appetite and relieve nausea or vomiting
Fresh lotus root (500g), fresh ginger (3-6 slices), and rice (90g), add 1500 ml of water, bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer until it turns into a thick soup
- Congee to promote appetite and relieve abdominal distention
Finger citron fruit (20g), rice (90g), proper amount of rock sugar and green onion. Decoct the citron fruit with 500ml of water for 20 minutes, keep the solution and discard the residues. Pour the solution in a deep saucepan, add 1000 ml of water, bring to a boil and then add in the rice, lower the heat and simmer until it turns into a thick soup. Turn off the heat, add rock sugar and sprinkle on the green onion
Chinese dietary care during cancer recovery
For cancer survivors, due to the progressive exhaustion by cancerous tissues, their bodies are generally lack of nutrients for normal functioning. It becomes a challenge for them to recover or prevent recurrence after the cancer treatments. A well-balanced diet can minimize nutritional deficiencies, rebuild strength and optimize the immune system, and thus help shorten the recovery time, and reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. It is necessary to modify the eating habits, and food choices at this time should be light, easy to digest and absorb. Greasy and heavily spicy food will increase the workload of the digestive track. TCM advocates bland and unprocessed food, and dietary changes also have to go comfortably and persistently so as to protect the spleen and stomach.
Cancer survivors need special nutritional management, eating the right food can make them feel better and thus maximize the quality of life. Dietary suggestions often emphasize eating high caloric, high protein and fiber foods, it should also be included a variety of foods and properly combined too. Clinical studies and statistics have showed that this can help them restore from the depleted state caused by the treatments and also speed up the overall healing of body. Fresh fruits, vegetables, grains or other plant sources are healthful food choices, TCM especially recommends sweet potato, carrot, Chinese radish, cabbage, bitter melon, watermelon, mandarin orange, banana, asparagus, corn, garlic, tomato, mushroom, broccoli, celery, eggplant, pepper, cucumber, papaya, loofah and soybean sprout.
It is common for cancer survivors to have nausea, vomiting, taste changes, loss of appetite and bowel changes which interfere with their usual eating patterns. Certain food or herbal ingredients can be added in the daily meals to manage the symptoms and improve the overall condition of body. Ingredients that suitable for most individuals and for long-term consumption are Chinese yam, coix seed, hyacinth bean, lotus seed, sesame, pine nut, walnut, white fungus, poria, hawthorn fruit, Chinese wolfberry, glossy privet fruit, donkey-hide gelatin, caterpillar fungus, pilose asiabell root and pseudostellaria root. If necessary, they can consult a physician and ask for an individualized dietary plan for their disharmony patterns, and also ingredients that are beneficial to them. For example:
- Yin deficiency / yin and qi deficiencies that present with palpitations, irritability, fatigue, breath shortness, sensitivity to low temperatures, mouth dryness, low fever and constipation, are recommended to use ingredients like water caltrop, mushrooms, banana, fresh lotus root, lily bulb, water melon, bitter melon, laver, kelp, chrysanthemum, rehmannia root, white peony root, mulberry fruit, coastal glehnia root, dwarf lily-turf tuber and figwort root for making medicinal dishes.
- Yang deficiency / yang and qi deficiencies that present with limb coldness, chills, poor appetite, loose bowels, palpitation and chest tightness, are recommended to use ingredients like mutton, beef, Chinese dates, longan aril, apricot, peach, astragalus root, largehead atractylodes rhizome and caterpillar fungus for making medicinal dishes.
Healthy recipes during cancer recovery
1. Ginseng and lotus seed soup
Yin deficiency pattern: dizziness, shortness of breath, feeble voice, fatigue and sweating
Recipe: Asia ginseng (9g) and lotus seed (60g)
Method: rinse the ingredients, soak in water for 4 hours, add rock sugar and double-steam for 1 hour
Benefits: promote the production of qi, invigorate the spleen and kidneys, and calm the spirit.
2. Candied snack
Blood deficiency pattern: paleness, dry skin, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, limb numbness and menstrual disorders in women
Recipe: red dates (60g) and peanut (60g, with red skin)
Method: rinse the ingredients, boil with 700ml of water, simmer over low heat, when there remains about 30% of solution, add honey and continuous to cook until the solution turns thick
Benefits: replenish blood and qi
3. Duck meat and cordyceps soup
Deficiency of lung and kidney: breath difficulty, irritability, night sweats, hot flashes, lumbar soreness, knee weakness and emission
Recipe: duck meat (60g) and cordyceps (15g)
Method: put the duck meat and cordyceps in a double steam container, add salt to taste, add 300ml water, steam under high heat for 60 minutes
Benefits: Invigorate the lungs and kidneys
4. Herbal porridge
Spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation: fatigue, weakness, poor appetite, skin rashes and loose bowels
Recipe: poria(20g), largehead atractylodes rhizome(20g), coix seed (30g), millet (15g) and cloud mushroom (10g, powdered)
Method: boil the first two herbs with 1200ml of water for 40 minutes, keep the solution and discard the residues. Add the coix seed and millet, simmer over low heat until it turns into a thick soup. Turn off the heat, add the cloud mushroom powder and ready to serve
Benefits: invigorate the spleen and dispel dampness
Written By:
Prof. Hou Ping
Chairman of International Association of Medicinal Food Therapy
Vice Chairman of Special Committee of Medicated Diet and Dietotherapy - World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies
International Association of Medicinal Food Therapy is founded by a group of Hong Kong professionals, including nutritionists, TCM physicians, specialists and professors from the local colleges of TCM, which aim to promote and disseminate the heritages of Chinese medicinal food therapy. Groups or individuals who have an interest in this area are welcome to contact them, joining forces to serve community and enhancing the public awareness on health.
Contact information:
Mail address: Front, 9/F, Nathan Apartments, 506 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Tel: 27811035 Fax: 27811159
E-mail: peterhoukl@yahoo.com.hk
