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Nutrition Services for Cancer Patients
Nutrition Services for Cancer Patients
Nutrition is an important part of life, cancer treatment, recovery, and prevention. Food is one of the few things you can be in control of during your treatment. The oncology certified registered dietitians at the Stanford Cancer Center are here to help you make informed choices about nutrition, answer your nutrition-related questions, and help you to achieve and maintain good health.
Care and Treatment
Exercise to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
If you are new to exercising, start out with a goal of 10 minutes every other day. Set a goal to increase the number of minutes gradually. Always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program.
Changing your diet to decrease your risk of developing cancer is a good idea but starting an exercise program might also be helpful. Exercise is an important part of any weight loss program.
Being overweight and inactive could be hazardous to your health. Some studies on obese subjects are showing that being overweight may place you at risk of developing cancers of the prostate, cervix, kidney, breast, endometrium, liver, rectum, ovary, esophagus, colon, prostate, and gallbladder. The exact mechanism behind this increased risk of cancer for overweight people is unknown.
Whether you are a beginner to exercise or a seasoned athlete, you need to aware of basic exercise guidelines. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the following:
- Exercise at a moderate intensity 3 to 5 times a week.
- Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before aerobic activity.
- Maintain your exercise intensity for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Gradually decrease the intensity of your workout, then stretch to cool down during the last 5 to 10 minutes.
- Aim for 20 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise each time you exercise.
Target heart rate
To benefit from exercise, it is important to maintain a level of intensity. A method of monitoring physical activity intensity is to determine if your heart rate or pulse is within the target heart rate zone during physical activity.
For moderate-intensity physical activity, your target heart rate zone should be 50-75% of your maximum heart rate.
How to determine your target heart rate zone:
To determine your target heart rate zone, follow these steps:
- An estimate of a person's maximum age-related heart rate can be calculated by subtracting the person's age from 220. For example, for a 55-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 - 55 years = 165 beats per minute (bpm).
- Next, multiply the maximum age-related heart rate by 0.50 to determine the 50 percent level. For example: 165 beats per minute x 0.50 = 83 beats per minute (bpm).
- Finally, multiply the maximum age-related heart rate by 0.75 to determine the 75% level. For example: 165 beats per minute x 0.75 = 124 beats per minute (bpm).
Thus, moderate-intensity physical activity for a 55-year-old person will require that the heart rate remain between 83 and 124 beats per minute during physical activity.
During exercise, you should stop exercising briefly and check your pulse from time to time to determine if you are exercising within your target heart rate zone. To check your pulse, using the first and second fingertips, press lightly over the carotid artery located on your neck, just to the left or right of the Adam's apple. Or check your radial pulse by pressing on the artery insert your wrist, just below the base of your thumb.
Count your pulse (heartbeats) for a full 60 seconds, or 30 seconds and multiply by 2, or 10 seconds and multiply by the number 6.
The target heart rate zone is a guideline. Always consult your physician if you have questions about your heart rate, or starting an exercise program.
Aerobic exercise:
Examples of aerobic exercise include the following:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Bicycling
- Rollerblading
If possible, try to add strength training or lifting weights a couple of times a week. This improves strength and muscle tone along with raising your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories at rest.
Besides trying to find time for structured exercise, you should also attempt to incorporate more activity into your daily routine.
Getting exercise in everday activities
Examples of everyday activities that also burn calories include:
- Vacuuming
- Mowing the lawn with a push mower
- Washing your car by hand
- Gardening
- Scrubbing your floors and bathtub
- Golfing
If possible, walk or bike to work or the grocery store. Park your car far away from the front door of work or shopping mall.
By incorporating more physical activities and routine exercise into your life, you will not only feel better but possibly decrease your risk of developing cancer as well.
Recipes
Cancer Fighting Recipe of the Week: Week 3
In honor of Colon Cancer Awareness month, we'll be featuring four colorectal cancer friendly recipes each week during the month of March.
Basil Broccoi
Broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are all cruciferous vegetables. This vegetable family contains powerful phytochemicals, including carotenoids, indoles and glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, which have been studied and shown to slow the growth of many cancers.
- Asparagus and Scallion Soup with Almonds
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Broccoli Sunflower Salad
- Butternut Squash Soup
- California Citrus Greens Salad with Garlic Dressing
- Carrot and Apple Soup
- Creamy Irish Soup
- Crunchy Chicken Salad
- Curried Chicken Salad
- Curried Chickpea Salad with Walnuts
- Easy Pea Soup with Tarragon
- Egyptian Red Lentil Soup
- Fall Stew in a Pumpkin with Poblano-Cucumber Salsa
- Pumpkin Bisque
- Roasted Asparagus Salad
- Salmon Salad with Pimento and Herbs
- Shredded Carrot and Beet Salad
- Spicy Black Bean Salad
- Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Spinach, Red Bell Pepper and Feta Cheese Salad with Yogurt Dressing
- Spring Pea Soup
- Summer Rice Salad
- Sweet and Spicy Carrot Salad
- Vegetable Soup
- Whole Grain Salad
- 10 Minute Italian Chicken Stir Fry
- Anytime Burrito
- Baked Tofu Kabobs
- Barley, Turkey & Butternut Squash Casserole
- Bean and Vegetable Enchilada Casserole
- Bean Surprise
- Broiled Portobello Mushrooms
- Cajun Salmon over Polenta
- Chicken Chili
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Cranberry Salmon
- Cranberry-Turkey Salad Sandwiches
- Crispy Parmesan Turkey Cutlets
- Crunchy Veggie Wrap
- Easy Spinach Lasagna
- Eating Well Sloppy Joe
- Egg, Spinach, and Bacon Sandwiches
- Fish Filet with Squash and Herbs
- Greek-Style Scallops
- Grilled Ginger Tuna
- Grilled Halibut with a Tomato-Herb Sauce
- Grilled Portobello Burgers
- Grilled Vegetable Polenta with Pan Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce
- Halibut with Citrus and Garlic
- Healthy Jambalaya
- Hearty Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables
- Hearty Mediterranean Stew
- Herbed Polenta with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
- Indonesian Salmon
- Lasagna Rolls
- Lemon Dijon Salmon
- Mediterranean Grilled Veggie Pockets
- Molasses-Cured Pork Loin with Apples
- Mushroom Goulash
- New American Plate "Tetrazzini" Casserole
- New Tuna Salad
- Peppers Stuffed with Barley, Parmesan and Onion
- Pizza Meat Loaf
- Pumpkin Gnocchi
- Quinoa and Mushroom Pilaf with Dill
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Maple Mustard Sauce
- Scallion Crusted Arctic Char
- Seared Scallops with Beet Puree and Arugula Salad
- Soft Tacos with Southwestern Vegetables
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
- Speedy Summer Ratatouille
- Spicy Broccoli, Cauliflower and Tofu
- Steamed Halibut on Spinach with Lemon Sauce
- Stuffed Cornish Hens
- Summer Tofu Kebab with Peanut Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Tofu
- Tofu Cutlets Marsala
- Turkey & Cranberry Wrap
- Turkey Reuben Grilled Sandwiches
- Udon Noodles with Spicy Peanut Ginger Sauce
- Veggie Pita Pizzas
- White Wine Coq au Vin
- Whole Wheat Pasta with Fennel, Peas and Arugula
- Zesty Roasted Chicken
For Patients
PREPARE FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT
Review the New Patient Packet for information about:
- What to expect on the day of your appointment
- Maps, directions, parking, public transit options, and contact information
- Other patient resources
Ask your physician for a REFERRAL for a Cancer Center Nutrition Appointment
Our dietitians are available for 45 minute consults by appointment only, Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Download our nutrition appointment flyer.
Questions about your appointment or need to make a change?
For Health Care Professionals
Our dietitians are available for 45 minute consults by appointment only on: Mondays – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
HOW TO REFER
Call us at 1-650-498-6000 to refer a new patient for a nutrition consultation. If you wish to refer a patient to the Stanford Cancer Center, please call the Physician Helpline.
Download our nutrition appointment flyer.
Returning Patient
Questions about your appointment or need to make a change? Call:
Nutrition Services for Cancer Patients at Stanford Cancer Center Palo Alto
650-498-6000
Nutrition Services for Cancer Patients at Stanford Cancer Center South Bay
408-426-4900