Foods and Drinks — That Help With Energy

Tell your team before taking any supplement — including protein powders, iron tablets, multivitamins or herbal preparations. Some interfere with how chemotherapy works in the body, and not all are safe to take during active treatment. If your protein intake from food is genuinely insufficient, your team or a dietitian can advise on what is appropriate for your specific regimen. Dal, eggs, curd and paneer are safe food sources and usually the better starting point than a supplement.

Start with the smallest possible amount of something you do not actively dislike, even if it does not appeal to you. A few spoons of curd, a small banana, a piece of plain roti — the point is to eat something rather than the right thing. Cooking smells often worsen nausea, so cold food or food at room temperature is often easier. Tell your team if appetite loss is severe. There are medicines that help, and losing too much weight during treatment affects how well you tolerate the chemotherapy.

There is no single chemotherapy diet, and you should be cautious of programmes or products that claim otherwise. The consistent guidance from ESMO and ASCO is adequate protein, adequate calories, small and frequent eating, and good hydration — all achievable through normal Indian cooking without special foods or supplements. Avoid raw and undercooked foods during periods when your immunity is low, which your team will advise based on your blood counts.

It could be. Anaemia — low red blood cells — is a common and treatable cause of fatigue during chemotherapy, and it feels different from ordinary tiredness: a heaviness that sleep does not touch, shortness of breath on mild effort, or noticing your heart beating faster than usual. If you are experiencing any of those, tell your team. A simple blood test will show whether anaemia is contributing, and if it is, there are options your team can discuss with you.

Avoid raw or undercooked meat, fish and eggs during periods of low immunity — your team will tell you when your counts are most affected by your treatment. Unpasteurised dairy, raw sprouts and foods washed with untreated water also carry higher infection risk at those times. Very spicy, oily or fried foods may worsen nausea rather than cause direct harm. If a specific food is consistently making you feel worse, leave it out and try again between cycles.

Fruit is safe and nutritious during chemotherapy. The idea that sugar feeds cancer is a significant oversimplification: all cells, including healthy cells, use glucose for energy, and restricting fruit or carbohydrates does not starve the cancer — but it does reduce your intake of vitamins, fibre and calories that support recovery. ESMO and ASCO guidance does not recommend carbohydrate or sugar restriction during cancer treatment. Eat fruit as part of a varied diet.