Cancer Treatments and Protein

As I quickly found out when starting chemotherapy, diet and nutrition are really important during cancer treatment. Your food intake may change during treatment. Chemotherapy and its side effects – and medications to counter the side effects – seemingly altered my appetite, taste buds, and sense of smell – particularly when I was on my first round of daily chemotherapy for six weeks. I became hypersensitive to anything spicy, oily, or acidic, and on occasion even the slightest scent of anything with vinegar (think pickles, mustard, hot sauce…) made me open a window to air out the room.

Soon after starting chemotherapy, I met with a registered dietitian through my local hospital. We reviewed my daily eating schedule, and came up with a plan to ensure that I was getting enough calories and enough protein each day. If you’re about to start treatment or are currently in treatment, I highly encourage you to consult with your health care team about your diet. They can take your specific medical condition, dietary needs (vegan in my case) and treatments into account when working with you. In my case, I was advised that high daily protein intake was particularly important during the initial post-operation healing and treatment period.

With the support of family & friends who organized a ‘meal train’ for me, I was able to get lots of healthy food in during my initial treatments – including protein. I’m admittedly not a fan *at all* of protein shakes – never have been. However, during the initial chemo weeks, I did make a protein shake each evening as a final snack of the day that usually included protein powder, unsweetened plant-based milk, and half a banana. Some of the other ways that I consciously upped my protein intake are listed below:

1. Peanut butter & almond butter: These are a go-to! I make peanut butter sandwiches, add peanut butter to oatmeal, smoothies, and even just eat peanut butter with bananas. During my initial chemo, my morning snack usually included a rice cracker with peanut butter and two pieces of baked tofu. I’d sometimes also do a ‘dessert’ snack of peanut butter with bananas. Almonds, cashews and peanuts eaten as a stand-alone snack or integrated into meals are another nice way to incorporate protein into your diet.

2. High protein plant-based milk: While some plant-based milks have a lot of protein, others don’t! Check out the labels and select ones that are high in protein. This is a very easy way to get some of your protein in – using the milk with oatmeal, in shakes or in soups and sauces.

3. High protein grains: This is another way you can sneak protein into your diet. For example, quinoa is high in both protein and fiber. Oatmeal also has a fair amount of protein, and you can boost by adding in plant-based milk, nuts or peanut butter!

4. Tofu in soups, salads, on bread, and in sauces: I used and continue to use tofu quite often. It takes on the flavor of what it is paired with and is an easy way to add protein to the diet. I know soy isn't for everyone, and there are many non-soy based ideas on this list!

5. Garden burgers: If eating store-bought garden burgers, check the labels – some have a LOT of protein and others don’t. Taste is a factor as well – some taste much better than others. If making from scratch, consider adding tofu, beans, or quinoa for additional protein content.

6. Chickpeas and other beans: Chickpeas and other beans are such a great source of protein and can be eaten in so many ways! You can put them in salads, soups, make as a warm side dish, pair with veggies for chili…so many options! Hummus is also a great protein source and can be spread on sandwiches, eaten with veggies or pasta, or even just eaten by the spoon.

These are a just a few ideas for how you can boost your diet with protein when on a plant-based diet. What resonates with you, and anything else you’d add?

December 29, 2021

Photo: bowl of vegetable soup with tofu, carrots, and greens

#bewellnow #eatwellnow #cancerandprotein #plantbasedprotein

Post updates

Several friends shared some great feedback on this post on FB that I'm including below:

• Edamame pasta is also a good source of plant-based protein. Edamame beans are too!

• A friend who is a chef reminded me of the importance of amino acids as the building blocks of protein - and that buckwheat is a good "complete" source of essential amino acids, and has a lot of B vitamins and iron.