
So, I was excited when Living Beyond Breast Cancer recently hosted a Twitter chat, called "Healthy Eating After A Breast Cancer Diagnosis." One of the panelists of the LBBC Twitter chat was Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN, a fellow Registered Dietitian (RD), and a Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition, who works at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Stacy shared a great resource for those who have questions about nutrition, and food safety, during and after a cancer diagnosis.
Closer to (my) home, Jackie Topol, MS, RD, CDN, an RD friend of mine from NYP, and currently a Clinical Dietitian at NYP, has found an innovative way to help her oncology patients beyond her regular patient follow-ups and dietary recommendations. Jackie passionately designed The Nourishing Kitchen, a bi-monthly program on the leukemia/lymphoma unit that provides cooking demonstrations for patients, their family members and caretakers. Participants learn easy, nutrient dense recipes and how to manage various treatment side effects. Jackie tirelessly worked to get the funding needed to make the program a reality; now that it is up and running, she is already seeing results, reporting that feedback from her patients suggests her lessons are helping them to maintain or regain weight. Learn more here.
Certain side effects of cancer treatments may contribute to a patient's difficulty in consuming enough energy- and nutrient-dense foods in order to maintain a healthy weight & lean muscle mass during cancer treatments, and to keep the body strong enough to support treatments, including surgery. That said, a registered dietitian can provide suggestions to help manage these side effects and help maintain a healthy weight (or help prevent further weight loss) and healthy diet throughout cancer treatment. If you or someone you know is being treated for a cancer diagnosis and would like nutrition advice, seek out nutrition services affiliated with your medical center or a local registered dietitian who specializes in oncology nutrition.