With the mid-term elections behind us (thankfully!), one
thing that probably is on everyone's mind is change. Clearly, no matter what
your political leanings or whether you are happy or sad about the election
results, one thing that is clear is that we are in for some serious change in
the very near future.
This is an excellent reminder to take stock and think
about how things change in your life and what this means.
A diagnosis of cancer brings many things, including
immense change and upheaval. Along with fear, anxiety, stress, and for many
people, an overwhelming feeling of losing control, cancer brings change. Your
entire world is turned upside down and much of this is due to all of the changes
occurring in your life.
What does change have to do with nutrition? A lot, it
turns out.
In addition to the many changes you'll be facing after a
cancer diagnosis, changing nutrition needs are an important issue to consider.
For most people, change is stressful. We are creatures of habit and we like
predictability. Eating is no exception. Most of us eat for more reasons than
simply meeting our nutrition needs. We eat when we are happy and when we are
sad. We eat to celebrate and to mourn. We eat to experience and strengthen
our connections to our family, our friends and our culture. We eat because food
tastes good! In short, feeding our bodies often is the last thing on our minds
when we decide what, when, where, and how to eat. But when coping with cancer, feeding your body is one of
the most important things you can do to help yourself.
Knowing in advance that cancer can change how and
when you need to eat can go a long way toward minimizing the stress associated
with all of the other changes you are experiencing. If you are having trouble
eating well during cancer treatment, the last thing you need is more stress! And
resisting change can increase your stress. Instead of adding to the list of
things that are causing you stress, try to learn to "go with the flow". Know
that your eating habits may change. Accept that being flexible in how,
what, when, and where you eat will help you cope with the changes you face.
For example, maybe your typical eating pattern is to
have one or two large meals each day. During cancer care, your appetite may be
smaller. You may not have the ability to eat enough in one sitting to fuel your
body for the whole day. What does this mean? It means you need to "go with the
flow" and learn to "graze" or snack on small bits of food all day long. This is
one way to feed your body what it needs. This pattern of eating may not feel
"normal", but it will help you feel better and get through cancer treatment.
Talk to your family and friends about this. Likely,
you'll be amazed to find that when you let people know exactly what you need,
they will rise to the challenge.
Maybe one of the ways that you connect with a friend is
to meet for dinner on a regular basis. If eating out doesn't work for you
because of your changing appetite, energy levels, and nutrition needs, find another way to connect. Invite your friend
over to watch a video. Let him or her know that you value their companionship,
even if you can't keep your ritual of eating out at this time. You can even plan
to have a snack together while watching your video. Just keep in mind that the
most important thing to do is to make sure you eat in a way that meets
your changing needs and keeps up your connections with family and
friends.
Be flexible, go with the changes as best you can, and be
sure to feed both your body and your soul!
Nutritionist Suzanne
Posted
Nov 10 2006, 03:47 PM
by
SuzanneDixon