Chemo-friendly food suggestions

I thought for this post I'd go a bit lighter and leave a few menu suggestions. I love cooking and it's certainly helped to provide me a little focus. What's more is I love programming, both diet and workout, and whilst I'm not in fighting trim the cancer battle has given me a new challenge - to keep myself as strong and healthy as possible and to aid a fast recovery. It's a bit vanilla, but it's a decent side project. So here goes.

Noodles

I adore noodles and have thankfully come a long way from my Supernoodle uni days, regularly whipping up cheap imitation ramen dishes. It's a great way to belt-feed nutrients into me, particularly when my treatment can be cancelled due to borderline anaemic conditions. A good way to boost my iron and hence haemoglobin levels is a bowl of noodles with green leaf veg, meat and a boiled egg for good measure. Spinach and kale are regulars, and for meat I'll mix it up with leftover roast meat, ham, chicken strips and crab sticks. Sometimes I'll go a bit drier pending the toppings, but if I'm feeling in need of a health kick I'll go big on the broth, particularly heavy on the ginger, garlic and chilli.

Fry the veg and meat in some soy and sesame oil, leave a packet of noodles in a bowl of boiling water covered in clingfilm, use a stock cube to flavour the noodle broth, and add the toppings with a boiled egg when the noodles are cooked. Done.

Fruit salad

I have a large bowl in the fridge, pre-made and always being topped up. It's worth being cautious about raw fruit if suffering with neutropenia, but otherwise I've found it refreshing and a good way to help my immune system. Top tip: consult a nutritionist in the hospital, and if they suggest you need additional protein (as I did) just add a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Wraps

I was starting to run out of ways to keep food interesting whilst giving me massive boosts I needed, particularly in things like iron where I had to rely on high volumes of low density  products like spinach (mass and nutrient-density). Wraps helped me to bulk out foodstuffs in a way that didn't detract, made it easier to stack flavours, and helped me favour protein in place of carbs but without feeling too cheated. Sometimes I would go for a quesadillas-style pan fried wrap, usually opting for ham, cheese and some tomatoes or chilli. For breakfast I would often layer bacon with eggs, cheese and spinach, hoping to score a double hit on protein and iron. If I really felt like it needed padding out, or that the protein/fat content was too overwhelming, toasting a potato waffle and throwing it in helps to sneak in minimal carb.

Dried fruit

Easy snack to have prepped, is neutropenic-friendly, and great for things like haemoglobin production.

Neutropenia

Whilst undergoing chemo it's important to be aware that your immune system will take a battering and may result in neutropenia, a condition whereby your white blood cells are killed by the chemo faster than your bone marrow can reproduce new ones. Not only does this make you prone to infection, but can delay your chemo if the neutrophil count is too low. For those who are neutropenic, here are some diet guides taken from a variety of NHS sources:

Good

• Water - tap (boiled then cooled) or carbonated water.
• Meat and fish - cooked and tinned.
• Eggs and dairy - fully cooked (hard yolk) eggs; pasteurised and processed cheese; pasteurised milk products; sour cream.
• Nuts, fruit and veg - washed, peeled and fully cooked veg; fruit juice; tinned fruit; frozen fruits; thick-skinned fruits (apples, oranges, bananas).
• Bread, carbs and baked goods - all bread, rolls and muffins; cooked rice and pasta, cooked potatoes, cooked and ready-to-eat cereals.

Bad

• Water - bottled mineral or spring; water from fountains and coolers.
• Meat and fish - raw meat; pate and paste; not fully-cooked (well done) meat, poultry or fish; cold cuts and cured meats; raw sushi.
• Eggs and dairy; partially cooked eggs (runny or soft yolk); foodstuffs containing raw egg (e.g. mousse, fresh mayonnaise); unpasteurised or blue cheese; unpasteurised milk products; probiotic yoghurt; yoghurts with live or active cultures.
• Nuts, fruit and veg - raw veg, including salads; bruised veg; unwashed raw fruit; unpasteurised fruit juice.
• bread, carbs and baked goods - any with raw nuts; raw oats; uncooked pasta; pasta or potato salad.

A little bit more preachy than I like to go for, but maybe a couple of ideas in there. Possibly even to introduce you to the idea of neutropenic diet, which no one mentioned to me when my chemo was delayed due to a mild neutropenic state.