Diet & Activity Overview
Focusing on Your Health
When you are fighting lung cancer, a healthy diet and activity are good for you! Both can make a difference in how you feel and how much energy you have. Naturally, a life-threatening illness such as cancer, as well as its treatment, can sometimes make it hard to eat well or move around easily, but focusing on diet and activity should be among your most important goals.
The best strategy is to remain active and to have a balanced diet such as the one that the American Cancer Society recommends for cancer prevention in people who do not have cancer (see
Diet Tips).
Healthy Eating Benefits Everyone
Adapting recipes to reflect the American Cancer Society guidelines can benefit your whole family. Even "meat and potatoes" people learn to enjoy smaller portions and leaner cuts of meat. Eating healthy actually can be quite tasty. For instance, children who refuse to eat vegetables may actually like them in a curry sauce. Just remember to consult with your healthcare team, including a dietitian, before making drastic changes in your diet.
At different points in your treatment, you can visit the pages below to learn more about healthy diets.
Diet & Chemotherapy
Good Foods
Recipes
Hints
Diet Tips
Staying Active
Fatigue is common during cancer and its treatments. If you are feeling unusually tired, be sure to talk to your doctor. Even though fatigue can make it hard to find the energy to do anything, doing nothing can lead to more fatigue. Taking just a few extra steps every day—or doing other simple activities—can go a long way in helping you live as normal a lifestyle as possible.
The following are some of the health benefits that can be gained from staying active:
- You may improve your prognosis. Getting or keeping your body in good condition may help you better tolerate more aggressive treatment, if it is needed to help improve your chances of remission or cure.
- You may maintain muscle tone and strength. Muscles that are not used for a long time, such as after extended bed rest, can shrink in size and strength. Even daily movements, such as walking up and down stairs or doing errands, help to exercise muscles.
- You may recover faster from treatment. Remaining active after surgery or other cancer therapy may relieve boredom as well as prevent weak muscles, minimize joint deterioration, and prevent other complications, such as blood clots and bedsores.
Always consult your physician before starting any exercise program. Once you get the okay, you may want to visit the following page of this Web site:
Activities