What to eat before and after lung cancer surgery? Dietary precautions before and after lung cancer surgery

Nowadays, many people are afraid of cancer, especially lung cancer, because it is one of the malignant tumors of the lungs and is difficult to cure. There are many factors that cause lung cancer, which puts a lot of pressure on our physical and mental health and family after we get sick. Today, I will introduce to you the dietary precautions before and after lung cancer surgery:

Dietary considerations before lung cancer surgery

1. Add elemental diet before surgery

Lung cancer patients should take an elemental diet in addition to three meals a day half a month before surgery. The elemental diet is rich in various nutrients necessary for the human body. Since the nutrients can fully meet the needs of the body, they can be absorbed in the upper small intestine without digestion and can be taken orally or by tube feeding. The elemental diet can supplement protein nutrients. When the calorie supply is met, it can promote the formation of muscle protein. When the calorie supply is insufficient, branched-chain amino acids can also provide more heat energy. When using the elemental diet, start with a low concentration, usually 5% and gradually increase the concentration. If there is no diarrhea or vomiting, it can be gradually increased to 10%-20%. If taken orally, pay attention to drinking slowly. Drinking too fast can easily cause diarrhea and vomiting. Pay attention to the appropriate temperature to avoid diarrhea caused by excessive cooling.

2. Increase nutrition before surgery

Lung cancer patients who do not have difficulty swallowing should eat more foods with high protein and carbohydrate content, such as lean meat, chicken, duck, rabbit, fish, shrimp, soy products and various cereals, without affecting treatment. If the patient's nutritional status is poor, it will be difficult for the patient to tolerate the surgical wound, the postoperative healing will be slow, and the wound will be easily infected. Therefore, lung cancer patients should increase nutrition before surgery.

Dietary considerations after lung cancer surgery

1. Postoperative diet: After surgery, the diet should be determined according to the condition. Some patients can eat on the second day after surgery, but they should start with clear liquids. The food should be light, soft, and easy to digest and absorb. Because surgical trauma can cause dysfunction of the digestive system, do not rush for success when choosing and supplementing food. Start with simple food, then transition to semi-liquid food and normal food. Within one week after the surgery, in addition to clear liquid food and semi-liquid food, you can also eat vegetarian food to supplement the body's nutrition at one time;

2. Supply elemental diet: In addition to three meals a day, lung cancer patients should also take elemental diet half a month before surgery. Elemental diet contains various nutrients necessary for the human body. Since the nutrients are complete, they can meet the various needs of the human body and can be absorbed in the upper small intestine without digestion. In addition to supplementing protein nutrition, elemental diet can promote muscle protein synthesis when supplied in sufficient amounts.

3. Improve nutrition: Lung cancer patients can eat freely when they have no difficulty swallowing. They can eat more protein and carbohydrate-rich foods without affecting treatment, such as lean meat, chicken, duck, rabbit, fish, shrimp, soy products and various cereals. Generally, there is no restriction on food intake to ensure good nutrition. Slow healing and easy infection after surgery are extremely unfavorable to surgical recovery, which requires improving the quality of diet before surgery;

4. Cancel vegetarian meals: Whether before or after the operation, you should eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, such as green, yellow, and red vegetables, mushrooms, black fungus, reeds, lemons, red dates, etc., because fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C, which is an anti-cancer substance that can block the formation of cancer cells. You should eat less or no irritating food and fried food. You can often eat garlic, which contains anti-cancer substances. You should not smoke or drink, develop good living and eating habits, and go to a regular hospital for regular health checks. Only by diagnosing and treating the disease in time can you prolong your life.

5. Dietary choices for cancer patients: It varies from person to person according to different conditions of the patients. For example, patients with weak spleen and stomach can be given milk, fresh mushrooms, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Patients with excessive dampness or indigestion should avoid greasy and gas-stagnant foods, such as turtles and fish. Patients with excessive heat toxins should not eat spicy, fried, smoked or grilled foods, but light, boiled, steamed or soup-cooked foods.

6. Do not emphasize dietary taboos: Since patients have poor nutritional status and low immune function, it is not conducive to the recovery of their bodies. Therefore, cancer patients should not overemphasize dietary taboos. The recurrence and metastasis of cancer patients have nothing to do with dietary taboos. As long as you want to eat, you can eat as long as you feel comfortable.

7. The diet should be extensive: The Neijing states: "Poisons attack evil, five grains are for nourishment, five fruits are for assistance, five animals are for benefit, and five vegetables are for filling. Take them with a combination of flavors to nourish the essence." After radiotherapy and chemotherapy, cancer patients often have obvious gastrointestinal reactions, such as loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, which seriously affect the nutritional status of patients. Therefore, after chemotherapy, a light, easily digestible, high-vitamin, high-protein diet should be given to enable the body to recover as soon as possible. Try to make the nutrition comprehensive and rich.

Dietary considerations for lung cancer patients during recovery

1. Suitable food

(1) It is advisable to eat more foods that can enhance the body's immunity and prevent lung cancer, such as water chestnuts, oysters, jellyfish, yellow croaker, crab, horseshoe crab, cockle, sea cucumber, coix seed, sweet almonds, green beans, mushrooms and walnuts. Recommended reading:

(2) Patients with fever should eat winter melon, bitter melon, cucumber, lettuce, eggplant, lily, amaranth, shepherd's purse, water spinach, purslane, pineapple, pear, persimmon, orange, lemon, olive, mulberry, water chestnut, duck, and herring.

(3) Patients with cough and phlegm should eat radish, almonds, ginkgo, radish, tangerine peel, loquat, olives, tangerine cake, jellyfish, water chestnut, kelp, seaweed, winter melon, loofah, sesame, figs, pine nuts, walnuts, mussels, monk fruit, peach, orange, grapefruit, etc.

(4) Patients with hemoptysis should eat green plum, lotus root, sugar cane, pear, cotton, jellyfish, sea cucumber, lotus seed, water chestnut, kelp, mustard, black bean, tofu, shepherd's purse, eggplant, milk, crucian carp, turtle, grass carp, squid, yellow croaker, oysters, and mussels.

(5) Foods that can reduce the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy include goose blood, mushrooms, longan, walnuts, soft-shelled turtle, eel, water shield, day lily, jujube, sunflower seeds, apples, mung beans, soybeans, red beans, shrimp, and silver beans.

2. Foods that should not be eaten

(1) Avoid hot foods such as frying and grilling.

(2) Avoid greasy, sticky, and phlegm-producing foods.

(3) Avoid spicy and irritating foods, such as leeks, ginger, onions, garlic, peppers, chili peppers, cinnamon, etc.