Navigating Cancer: Food safety rules during cancer treatment.

Keeping your nutrition going during cancer treatment is hard. The medicines make you sick and decrease your appetite. Side effects from the treatment can dry your mouth, cause mouth sores and make swallowing painful. You can't look at foods you liked before. You feel full before you can finish a small portion. In addition your immunity has taken a hit, so you have to be careful about what you eat.

What is safe to eat when I am on chemotherapy?

When you are on chemotherapy, your immunity is low, and you have to watch for food borne illnesses.

Follow general food safety rules.

-Wash your hands well with soap and warm water before any food preparation.

-Keep meat and fish, and produce separate from each other.

-Refrigerate food promptly after buying.

-Do not thaw food on the kitchen counter; thaw in the refrigerator or microwave, or in cold water. Use promptly.

-Check cans to make sure they are not dented.

-Buy pasteurized milk and milk products

-Cook meat and fish well; use meat thermometers if possible

-Cook eggs till yolks and whites are firm

-Boil soups and gravy when reheating

-Reheat deli meats and hot dogs.

-Wash all salad ingredients well

-Cook all vegetables.

The mantra is Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.

Make sure you don't skimp on these steps and keep up with your nutritional needs. Consult a dietician at your Cancer Center. And there are many resources on the web that can guide you- take a look at my Resources Page.