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Best Diet and Nutrition Tips for Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer treatments can often lead to symptoms that affect your appetite or digestion. Try these diet tips to help get the nutrition you need to stay healthy and strong.

A healthy diet is beneficial for everyone, but it can be especially important for people who are being treated for kidney cancer. Eating nutritious and healthy foods before, during, and after treatment can play an important role in helping you feel better and maintaining your strength.

Unfortunately, many kidney cancer treatments, particularly systemic treatments — prescription pills or intravenous infusions, such as targeted therapy, designed to reach cancer cells throughout the body — can lead to nausea or gastrointestinal problems. These side effects can interfere with your ability to eat and process food normally.

“Some people may experience diarrhea or constipation from the treatments and may also experience gas and bloating,” says Melissa Prest, DCN, RDN, who provides medical and nutritional therapy at the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois in Chicago and is a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Patients often lose their appetites completely or experience mouth sores that can make it difficult to eat anything, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Because there can be a variety of eating issues associated with kidney cancer treatments, it’s a good idea to work with a registered dietitian or nutritionist to create a plan that’s best for you. A nutrition expert can help you identify strategies to avoid malnutrition or excessive weight loss and find the right diet to maintain your strength, keep your bones and body healthy, and decrease the side effects of your treatment. If your cancer care facility doesn’t include a dietitian or nutritionist who can be part of your care team, you can find an expert in your area at eatright.org.

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