Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer in China, with 400,000 new cases each year. Once a lung cancer patient is diagnosed, besides entering the hospital to start standardized treatment, family members are also very concerned about what to give the lung cancer patient to eat and drink. Especially during the treatment period, it is difficult to avoid the side effects and discomfort caused by the treatment, such as pain and fatigue of surgical wound, as well as nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite caused by radiotherapy, etc. What kind of dietary adjustment can be made during this period? Professor Lin Lizhu, Director of the Oncology Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, gives specific dietary suggestions.
Daily diet for lung cancer patients
Prof. Lin Lizhu said that a reasonable diet is crucial to ensure lung cancer patients adhere to various treatments and recover normal body functions. Patients should eat in moderation and should not overeat and eat less fatty, sweet, spicy, moldy, pickled or smoked foods. Usually, the diet should be light and nutritious, with more foods containing vitamins, carotene, fiber or foods rich in trace elements, such as radish, carrot, cauliflower, garlic, loofah, kelp, green leafy vegetables, bean products, freshwater fish, etc.
Recommended dietary recipes.
★ Horse chestnut fig juice
The fresh horse’s feet 500g, figs 150g. soak the horse’s feet in water for a few moments, brush the skin, cut off the head and tail of the horse’s feet, cut into slices with the skin, and set aside. Then wash and slice the figs and set aside. Put the horse’s feet and figs into a blender, add cold boiling water as needed, and puree into juice.
Effect: Clearing heat and nourishing yin, resolving phlegm and fighting cancer, especially suitable for lung cancer patients who have difficulty coughing up phlegm.
★Barley and almond stewed pork lung
60g of barley, 20g of almonds and 1 pig lung. First, the pig lung is treated clean, blanched in a pot of boiling water, skim off the froth, put onion, ginger, add yellow wine, the lung stew cooked, take out and cut into thick slices. Then wash barley and almonds, put them into the casserole, soak for a moment, add thick slices of pork lung and fresh soup, continue to simmer over low heat, and finally add salt and monosodium glutamate to taste.
Effect: It is suitable for all types of lung cancer patients to nourish deficiency, strengthen the spleen and stop cough.
Diet during surgery
Lin Lizhu said, after surgery, lung cancer patients are weak, immune function is reduced, lung qi is greatly injured, and they have poor appetite, poor digestive function, dry mouth and throat, easy to catch cold, cough with little phlegm, etc. They can eat more food to nourish qi and blood as appropriate, such as yam, jujube, walnut, lotus seed, lean meat, river fish, egg and dairy products.
Recommended dietary therapy.
★Guiqi Astragalus Lean Meat Soup
Angelica 10g, 30g of raw astragalus, decocted in water to extract juice, add 200g of lean pork slices, cook until the meat is rotten, eat meat and drink soup.
Efficacy: It has the function of nourishing blood and replenishing qi. It is suitable for those who see fatigue, pale face, claw and nail not honored after lung cancer surgery.
★Chicken Soup with Prince’s Ginseng
15g of prince’s ginseng, appropriate amount of chicken (duck, pig) meat. Wash the prince’s ginseng, put it into the pot with the cleaned chicken, stew it with low heat until the chicken is cooked and rotten, then add the seasoning.
Efficacy: prince’s ginseng is similar to ginseng, and is a clear tonic among qi tonic medicines; chicken can replenish qi and blood, replenish essence and add marrow, and the effect of qi is more significant after stewing with prince’s ginseng. This soup is suitable for those who are weak and lack of qi and blood after lung cancer surgery.
Diet during radiotherapy
Lin Lizhu points out that during or after radiotherapy, lung cancer patients’ lung yin is greatly injured and fluids are depleted, so the diet should be made of horse chestnut, pear, loquat, lotus root juice, mung bean, watermelon, almond, honey, green tea, etc.
Recommended recipes.
★Sarcocarpus lily soup
Soak ginseng and lily for 30 minutes, take the juice and add snow pear, cook for 10 minutes, then eat pear and drink soup.
Effects: Nourishing Yin and moistening lung, suitable for lung cancer patients with dry lung cough, sticky sputum or blood in sputum, dry mouth and tongue after radiotherapy.
★Ginkgo and olive ice sugar water
Soak 20 shelled ginkgo, remove the membrane and heart; 10g fresh olives, remove the core and pound slightly; appropriate amount of rock sugar. Decoct in 3 bowls of water, slowly to 1 bowl and eat the dregs.
Effects: Nourishing the lung and promoting the production of body fluid, suitable for lung cancer patients with dry throat and cough seen in radiotherapy.
Diet during chemotherapy
During or after chemotherapy, lung cancer patients suffer from qi and blood damage and liver and kidney loss.
Recommended dietary therapy.
★ Bird’s nest and ginkgo congee with lean meat
5g of bird’s nest, washed; 15g of silver fungus, soaked and softened; 15g of lean pork, chopped; 50g of rice, boil thin porridge over slow fire, season to taste.
Effects: Nourishing the lung and replenishing deficiency, suitable for those with physical deficiency after chemotherapy for lung cancer.
★Lily and almond soup
The lily of the valley is 250 g, 20 g of maitake, 15 g of almonds. first pick the lily of the valley, break it into cloves, wash and set aside. The almonds are soaked in warm water, remove the skin tip, and put into the casserole with the maitake, add the right amount of water and boil over high heat. Then add lily, change to low fire simmering until lily is crisp, with wet starch thickening into soup.
Effects: Nourishing Yin and moistening lung, relieving cough and resolving phlegm, suitable for lung cancer patients with dry mouth and thirst and dry cough after radiotherapy and chemotherapy.