[[{"@type":["BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/importance-of-diet-when-fighting-colon-cancer\/#BlogPosting","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":["https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/importance-of-diet-when-fighting-colon-cancer\/","https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/importance-of-diet-when-fighting-colon-cancer\/"],"publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/importance-of-diet-when-fighting-colon-cancer\/#BlogPosting_author_Organization","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates"}],"inLanguage":"en-US","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/importance-of-diet-when-fighting-colon-cancer\/#BlogPosting_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Woman-Taking-Eggs-From-Refrigerator.jpg"}],"headline":"How Important is Diet When You\u2019re Fighting Colon Cancer?","dateModified":"2021-11-11T13:02:07+00:00","datePublished":"2019-10-18T07:50:28+00:00","description":"When it comes to colon cancer, diet plays an important role in treatment and survival. Visit the Regional Cancer Care Associates website today to learn more about how diet can affect your fight against colon cancer.","articleBody":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 18, 2019\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\nBefore and after certain cancer treatments, your oncologist and cancer care team at Regional Cancer Care Associates may ask you to follow a specific diet, such as a low-residue (fiber-restricted) diet, or to eat from a specific list of foods. Adhering to these diets helps ease your healing process, as it may be more difficult to digest certain foods after a treatment.\nIn addition, colon cancer and colon cancer treatment can affect how the body absorbs nutrients and fluids, making it more difficult for patients to get the vital building blocks for a healthy immune system that can help fight off the cancer. That\u2019s why it\u2019s especially important for patients with colon cancer and survivors of colon cancer to eat nutrient-rich foods and avoid empty calories. Here\u2019s a look at some of the general food guidelines that can help your body stay nourished while battling colon cancer.\nSmall Meals to Ease Digestion\nPatients with colon cancer should eat small meals several times a day. This can help ease digestion and help manage some of the side effects of colon cancer treatment, such as diarrhea, acid reflux, and appetite changes. Eating smaller meals more frequently can also aid with nutrient absorption.\nDrink Plenty of Water to Stay Hydrated\nYour body needs ample water in order to work efficiently. Drinking plenty of water, sucking on ice chips, and eating foods high in water content can also help manage certain side effects, including constipation and fatigue. On a related note, you\u2019ll want to avoid alcohol and caffeine, since both can lead to dehydration and may interfere with certain medications.\nAvoid Sugar, Refined Carbs, and Processed Foods\nAvoiding sugar and processed foods is good advice for anyone, since consuming too much sugar on a regular basis has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, and the development of some cancers. But it is critical for patients with colon cancer to avoid refined carbs and other highly processed foods, as they don\u2019t have the same nutritional value as plant-based foods and lean proteins. When you\u2019re fighting colon cancer, you need the vitamins and minerals found in healthy foods to give your immune system a boost.\nResearch has also shown that consistently high levels of insulin play a role in colon cancer recurrence, and that people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing colon cancer.\nEat Protein-Rich Foods to Help with Cellular Repair\nWhen your body is undergoing cancer treatments, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy, it\u2019s important to eat a diet rich in protein because it helps repair your cells and tissue. Because digestion can be more difficult for patients with colon cancer, it\u2019s best to stick to lean meats like chicken, as well as fish, eggs, and low-processed dairy products.\nYour diet may need to change throughout your battle with colon cancer, depending on the type of treatment you\u2019re receiving and other factors, so it\u2019s important to talk with your oncologist and primary care physician to develop new plans as things change. It may be beneficial to have your oncologist refer you to a dietician, who can help you make healthy food choices. At Regional Cancer Care Associates, our goal is to give you personalized, compassionate care that\u2019s tailored to fight your unique cancer. Contact us today to set up an appointment at one of our convenient locations throughout Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey.\nwe are here for you\nFor more information or to schedule an appointment, call 844-346-7222. You can also schedule an appointment by calling the RCCA location nearest you.\nRELATED ARTICLES\nRegional Cancer Care Associates is one of fewer than 200 medical practices in the country selected to participate in the Oncology Care Model (OCM); a recent Medicare initiative aimed at improving care coordination and access to and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy treatment.\n\u00a9 2022 Regional Cancer Care Associates. All rights reserved.","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/importance-of-diet-when-fighting-colon-cancer\/"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"LocalBusiness","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Corporate Office 25 Main Street, Suite 601","postalCode":"07601","addressRegion":"NJ","addressLocality":"Hackensack","addressCountry":"USA","name":"Postal Address","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/#PostalAddress"},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"1024","height":"468","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"contactPoint":[{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Corporate Office Regional Cancer Care Associates 25 Main Street, Suite 601 Hackensack, NJ 07601 info@regionalcancercare.org Phone: (844) 346-7222","name":"Contact Corporate Office","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#CorporateOffice"},{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (201) 510-0922","email":"msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Media Inquiries: Mary Lou Salvemini Regional Cancer Care Associates Phone: (201) 510-0922 Email: msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","name":"Contact Media Inquiries","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#MediaInquiries"}],"areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Treatment_of_cancer","alternateName":"RCCA","description":"Leaders in Advanced Compassionate Cancer Care. Fight cancer with leading-edge treatments, experienced skill and local caring\/convenience from one of the nation's largest networks of cancer specialists.","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/rgnlcancercare","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/regionalcancercareassoc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/10059183","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCFlVzU4UvZcyXBCe9ZSvAUQ"],"telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Important is Diet When You\u2019re Fighting Colon Cancer?","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/importance-of-diet-when-fighting-colon-cancer\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]