Gastrointestinal reactions are one of the most common adverse reactions to chemotherapy, with 75% of patients experiencing nausea and vomiting accompanied by peripheral discomfort. What should be eaten during chemotherapy is at the same time a common concern for patients and their families. Focusing on three goals Patients’ dietary requirements are mainly focused on three points: (1) What kind of diet can enhance the patient’s physical fitness? (2) Can diet be used to counteract the various adverse effects of chemotherapy? (3) What should patients with severe gastrointestinal reactions eat? Patients and their families would like to have food that can make their bodies “tonic”, but food is not a “stimulant” after all, and improving patients’ physique cannot be accomplished overnight, and food is not a substitute for medication to counteract the toxic and side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. However, we should try our best to improve the nutritional status and mental state of patients through reasonable diet. Focus on the overall principle The individual differences of chemotherapy patients are large, and it is difficult to have a dietary program suitable for all patients. However, the overall principle should be clean, light, not greasy, rich and varied recipes, rich in high protein, vitamins and trace elements, to achieve the standard of comprehensive nutrition. In addition, during chemotherapy, patients should drink moderate amounts of water, should not consume spicy and stimulating foods, should not eat raw and cold foods, and should abstain from alcohol. In addition to the patient’s gastrointestinal response being affected by individual qualities, patients with adjuvant and palliative chemotherapy have different tolerances, and some concomitant conditions also affect the patient’s gastrointestinal response, such as oral mucositis, constipation, and undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. There are also specific conditions that require special diets, such as anemia and electrolyte disorders. Different dietary regimens should be used for different conditions. WHO Nausea and Vomiting Grading Criteria Patients with varying degrees of nausea and vomiting are able to eat differently. According to the WHO standard grading criteria, the grading criteria for nausea and vomiting are roughly as follows: Grade 0: no nausea and vomiting; Grade I: only nausea, able to eat suitable food; Grade II: transient vomiting with nausea, eating significantly reduced, but able to eat; Grade III: vomiting requiring treatment; Grade IV: persistent vomiting, difficult to control. According to the above, the patients’ eating situation is divided into several categories: ① For patients with no gastrointestinal reaction or not heavy reaction, the diet should be based on strengthening nutrition, but the food should also be easy to digest, avoiding greasy and not spicy stimulating food. Eat less food cooked by frying, barbecuing, pan-frying and other cooking methods. Eat a varied diet with balanced nutrition and sufficient calories. ② For patients whose appetite is affected but without obvious nausea and vomiting, the main focus should be on stimulating the patient’s appetite and choosing the patient’s favorite foods. Patients can drink more porridge and soup, and more nutritious food can be added to the liquid food, for example, sea cucumber, meat, abalone grated and added to the porridge, and add salt and other electrolytes. Eat less and more frequent meals. Early morning is often the time when the patient’s reaction to nausea and vomiting is the lightest, so richer food should be prepared for the patient in the early morning. ③ Patients with severe vomiting can consider fasting on water for 4-8 hours, which can be extended to 24 hours if necessary, and then gradually transitioning from fluids to normal diet after the end of fasting. ④ Patients with anemia can use iron-rich foods, such as pig liver, fungus, spinach, yam, jujube, cinnamon and lotus root powder. ⑤ Patients with electrolyte disorders can have more mangoes, apples, citrus and potatoes. ⑥ Patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery tend to have more severe gastrointestinal reactions, and at the same time, due to absorption dysfunction, the nutritional status of patients is affected, so extra attention should be paid to the nutrition of food. Lotus root powder contains vitamin B12, iron and other necessary raw materials for hematopoiesis, and is easy to digest, which makes it one of the ideal foods for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery should eat fewer and more frequent meals. 4 directions into the diet of chemotherapy patients It should be emphasized that you can not rely solely on a certain type of food, after all, the capacity of the gastrointestinal tract is limited, a single food will not only lead to nutritional deficiencies in the patient, but may also affect the patient’s appetite. And chemotherapy may make the patient anorexic, so during chemotherapy, the most important thing is to increase the patient’s appetite. Here are some foods suitable for chemotherapy patients to eat: ① Fruits: Apple: one of the most comprehensive nutrient composition of the fruit, rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and trace elements (rich in potassium, iron), rich in dietary fiber, malic acid, tartaric acid, carotene. Apples can also calm the mind. If the patient eats little, you can juice and quote. Mango: high calorie, comprehensive nutrients, containing sugar, protein, crude fiber, vitamins, fat and so on. Mango has a soft texture and is a more ideal food for chemotherapy patients. Can laxative, has a certain anti-emetic function. Mango allergy is prohibited. Peach: contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, crude fiber, minerals (potassium, iron), vitamin B1, malic acid, citric acid), glucose, fructose, sucrose and so on. Citrus: rich in vitamin C, carotene, potassium, calcium, iron, with antioxidant function, four seasons can be eaten, you can juice references. ② vegetables: potatoes: potatoes contain a more comprehensive range of nutrients, including: starch, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals. Potatoes contain 18 kinds of amino acids, including essential amino acids that the human body can not synthesize. Potatoes contain the highest amount of potassium of almost all vegetables. They can be cooked in a variety of ways and can be used as a staple food or as a dish. Tomato: Rich in many vitamins and minerals, it also contains protein, sugar, and fiber. Should not be eaten raw. Should not be cooked at high temperature for a long time, and should not be eaten with cucumber. Simple and nutritious cooking methods are tomato scrambled eggs, tomato and egg soup. Broccoli: comprehensive nutrition, rich in protein, sugar, fat, vitamins, carotene and minerals, itself has anti-cancer effects, cold and stir-fried is suitable for chemotherapy patients cooking. Carrot: rich in carotene, and contains protein, fat, a variety of vitamins and minerals, with anti-aging, anti-cancer effect, can improve the body’s immunity. It is recommended to chop, fried in oil and eat, is conducive to the full absorption of nutrients. Cauliflower: rich in a variety of vitamins and crude fiber, but lower calorie, can also be used as one of the food for chemotherapy patients. ③ protein-rich foods: sea urchin: rich in 17 amino acid composition, equal mass of sea urchin yellow protein content is twice as much as chicken, fish, etc. In addition, sea urchin yellow contains unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, sugar, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc., of which, calcium, phosphorus content is higher than milk. Recommended practice for sea urchin egg soup, simple processing, clean flavor and beautiful non-greasy, more suitable for chemotherapy patients. Sea cucumber: The protein content is very high, containing 18 kinds of amino acids, taurine, chondroitin sulfate, a variety of minerals and vitamins. However, the safety of consumption is controversial due to the farming method and other problems. It is recommended for short-term consumption by chemotherapy patients. Abalone is extremely rich in nutritional value, containing 20 kinds of amino acids, in addition, contains fat, vitamins, trace elements. Chemotherapy patients can choose abalone crushed and cooked porridge. Other protein-rich foods are fish, shrimp, meat, eggs, milk, beans, which can be processed according to the patient’s preferred taste. Meat processing can be pressurized to make the meat fluffy and easy to digest. Steamed cake can be used as a food option for chemotherapy patients. Krill is rich in protein, omega-3, DHA, choline and is also a better choice. In addition, tofu is rich in protein and is a good choice for chemotherapy patients. ④ Other: Peanuts: contains protein, fat, sugar, a variety of vitamins and a variety of minerals, and contains eight kinds of amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids needed by the body, lecithin, choline, carotene and crude fiber. It has the effect of preventing cancer. Chemotherapy patients can choose salt water peanuts. Shiitake mushrooms: rich in vitamin B, iron , potassium, vitamin D original, etc. It is recommended to dry, diced and cooked in soup, you can add diced carrots, diced tofu, green onions in soup. Bamboo shoots: rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins, fat, sugar, minerals, carotene and so on. It is also one of the better choices for chemotherapy patients. Pumpkin: contains polysaccharides, carotenoids, minerals, amino acids, starch, vitamins, anti-cancer, laxative effect, can be boiled in soup and congee, is also one of the good food. There are also foods that are not suitable for chemotherapy patients, mainly 5-hydroxytryptamine-containing foods, common foods are bananas, walnuts and eggplants. Foods containing tryptophan should also be eaten sparingly. Common foods include millet, bean curd, tofu skin, shrimp, seaweed, black sesame, etc., but they are not contraindicated, and can be given in small quantities if the patient is willing to eat them. (This is the original article of “Medical Oncology Channel”, reprinted with authorization and indication of source.)