Providing your body with balanced nutrition is an important part of your cancer treatment process. Eating the right foods in the right amounts can help you rebuild strength, maintain energy, overcome some side effects, and optimize the outcome of your cancer care. Nutrition can be complicated, though, especially when you are busy focusing on your diagnosis and treatment.
Dietitians are trained to help cancer patients with not just nutrition, but also exercise based on their specific diagnosis and health history. A dietician can help you understand your condition and provide information on how the foods you eat can affect it. The Willamette Valley Cancer Institute dietitians also assist patients who need tube feedings and supplemental nutrition due to surgery or treatment side effects.
We can create a personalized nutrition and activity plan based on your specific diagnosis, health history, and treatment plan. Our guidance can help you make food choices that do not aggravate your condition, and that help you feel better throughout treatment. Our dietitians at WVCI stay current with the latest nutrition information and research, and make evidence-based recommendations that focus on your individual needs. We can also help you make changes to your eating plan without settling for less taste. WVCI's nutrition counseling services, like all of our support services, are free of charge.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 541-683-5001 or toll free 888-384-9822
Good nutrition is always essential, of course, but it becomes particularly important when you have cancer. Early sessions will focus on the dietary changes you want to make right away.
“I just found out that I have cancer. What should I eat?"
Our dietitians will help answer that question and provide valuable information about food that boosts your immune system, helps in the fight against cancer, and reduces the side effects of treatment.
Radiation and chemotherapy are powerful treatments, but they can also affect your appetite, sense of taste, and digestive system in ways that make eating a healthy diet more difficult. The WVCI dietitians can help you with your particular challenge whether it's maintaining, gaining, or losing weight. Nausea or poor appetite resulting from treatment can cause you to eat less. Vomiting and diarrhea can lead to dehydration, which can cause you to lose weight. You may gain weight during treatment, especially if you have breast, prostate, or ovarian cancer and are taking certain medicines or undergoing certain treatments.
Nutrition counseling during treatment can identify the type of diet you should follow to reduce the negative effects of radiation and chemotherapy, and to help you maintain a healthy weight. Your dietitian can also suggest appetizing, healthy meals and snacks that are easy to prepare, eat, and digest.
Our dieticians at Willamette Valley Cancer Institute are always glad to answer your questions about preparing and maintaining your personalized meal plan. Some of the most common questions we hear include:
Research shows that eating the right foods at the right time can have a significant effect on healing and recovery. Eating well during your treatment can help:
Cancer treatment can trigger a number of unpleasant side effects that interfere with eating and digestion. These side effects include:
WVCI dietitian provides valuable information you can use to add or remove certain foods from your diet to help you avoid these side effects.
To function at its best, your body needs the right balance of vitamins, minerals, good carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein.
Calories are important too, as they provide your body with the energy it needs to get you through the day. Consuming too few calories can cause you to feel listless and tired, while consuming too many calories can cause you to gain unwanted weight. Your dietitian can help you determine how many calories you should consume every day to maintain a healthy weight and to feel energized through your treatments.
Nutrition continues to play an important role in your health once you have finished treatment. Often, cancer survivors have questions about the right type of nutrition for them after their cancer treatment is over. A healthy diet and lifestyle after treatment supports your recovery, helps manage long-term side effects of cancer treatments, strengthens your immune system, and can influence the recurrence of the disease.
We invite all cancer survivors to meet with our WVCI dietitians after treatment to discuss dietary changes that can reduce the risk of recurrence. We are also glad to answer any questions you may have. Some of the most commonly asked questions include:
Nutrition counseling after treatment provides the continuing support you need to stay healthy. Nutrition counseling can also help you develop an activity and exercise plan that contributes to your long-term well-being.
To schedule free nutrition counseling please call 541-683-5001 or toll free 888-384-9822
Every patient we see at Willamette Valley Cancer Institute is a unique individual – what you need to stay healthy will undoubtedly be different from what someone else needs.
It is always best to get your vitamins and minerals through food, of course, but eating nutritionally balanced meals is not always easy when you are going through treatments. Some of our patients ask us whether adding vitamin and mineral supplements could benefit their treatment. The answer varies from person to person, and from supplement to supplement. Some supplements will interfere with treatment, for example, while others boost and maintain wellness.
A wide variety of vitamin and mineral supplements are now available. These supplements include:
A consultation with our dietician can help you determine if supplements are right for you. It is essential to tell your oncologist and dietician about all the vitamins and supplements you take, as supplements can interact with some types of medications.
Our nutrition experts offer comprehensive, personalized nutrition advice for every patient at Willamette Valley Cancer Institute free of charge..
Willamette Valley Cancer Institute’s dietitians can help you develop a healthy eating plan during your cancer treatment. If you would like to consult with one of our nutrition experts about a plan that fits your needs, ask your oncologist or nurse for a referral, or call 541- 683-5001 or toll free 888-384-9822 to make an appointment. Our cancer centers are located in Albany, Corvallis, Eugene, Florence, Lincoln City, and Newport, Oregon.