“The way I like to approach it is to look at food as important as medication,” Trujillo says. “We don’t take our medication because it tastes good; we take it because we know we have to.” And food may not taste good at all during cancer treatment. Some of the side effects of chemotherapy include changes in taste buds, poor appetite, nausea and vomiting. Even water can taste funny, making dehydration a concern.
Losing weight during cancer treatment may seem like a benefit, but it’s not. “In most cases, this is not a time for weight loss,” Trujillo says. “The goal during treatment is to maintain weight, which is a challenge for many patients.” The weight lost during cancer treatment usually results from the body losing protein. Losing protein means losing lean muscle and that detracts from overall health.
Running down body fat stores also presents problems. “We really want to preserve that mass (especially lean body mass) to make sure the patient has the endurance to get all the way through to the end of treatment,” Trujillo says. She adds that people should try to lose weight, if they need to, after treatment.
Trujillo focuses her dietary advice on what each person is willing and able to eat. But for some people, swallowing or keeping food down can become particularly difficult during cancer treatment. For these people, Trujillo recommends a feeding tube. “The beauty of tube feeding is that even if you are not able to eat, we can still provide nutrition,” she says. “When it comes to that point, it gives us a safety net to help see the patient through the end of their treatment.”
Cancer patients face other barriers to eating besides finding tasty food. Cancer puts a financial strain on many families. Getting to the grocery store can be a burden, too. And cooking can tax the physical stamina of cancer patients and their caregivers. “I tell patients: don’t hesitate to ask for help,” Trujillo says. “This is the time to ask.”
About Ernestine Trujillo, MS, RD, LDErnestine Trujillo, MS, RD, LD, serves as Senior Clinical Nutritionist at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian in practice since 2001. A native New Mexican, she completed both her Bachelors and Master of Science degrees at the University of New Mexico. She has also earned her Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management with the American Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. Over the years, Ernestine has cared for patients with varying degrees of nutritional needs including hospital Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac care, Long term care, Outpatient counseling, Home Health & Hospice as well as transitioning patients on and off of enteral and parenteral feedings. Through these experiences she has developed a passion for oncology nutrition and is currently serving as the Senior Clinical Nutritionist at the UNM Cancer Research & Treatment Center. About the UNM Comprehensive Cancer CenterThe University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center is the Official Cancer Center of New Mexico and the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center in a 400-mile radius. One of the premier cancer centers nationwide, the UNM CCC has 128 board-certified oncology physicians, forming New Mexico’s largest cancer care team. It treats about 60 percent of adults and virtually all the children in New Mexico diagnosed with cancer — more than 10,000 people— from every county in the state in more than 135,000 clinic visits each year. Through its partnership with the New Mexico Cancer Care Alliance, an “exemplary national model for cancer health care delivery,” the UNM CCC offers access to more than 160 clinical trials to New Mexicans in every part of the state. Annual research funding of more than $72 million supports the UNM CCC’s 132 cancer scientists. Working with partners at Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, and New Mexico State University, they have developed new diagnostics and drugs for leukemia, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, liver and pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, and melanoma; garnered 33 new patents and 117 patents pending; and launched 13 new biotechnology companies since 2010. Learn more at cancer.unm.edu.
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