If you are going through any type of cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, or surgery, it is extremely important to use food not only as a tool for maintaining your weight and nutrition status but also to minimize the side effects of cancer treatment.

Cancer is a hypermetabolic disease, which means the body needs more energy than normal. Adequate protein and calorie intake during treatment play a significant role in helping people with cancer meet their increased nutritional needs for healing, helping the immune system fight the disease and preventing weight loss. A poor nutrition status can sometimes lead to poor tolerance to treatment by having more side effects and delays in infusion or even surgery.