|  | Making positive changes to diet and activity levels are things that most cancer patients and their carers can do to help themselves
Sometimes there are specific guidelines about what patients should and shouldn’t eat but usually moderation is the key. We should all try to:
 | Eat enough fruit and vegetables |
| Limit alcohol intake |
| Cut down on fatty and sugary foods |
At some point during treatment many people will experience neutropenia (low white cell count) and may need to follow a ‘clean diet’ to reduce the risk of infection. There will be local information available about this from each hospital.
One of the problems associated with cancer and its treatment is fatigue. Sometimes this is caused by anaemia (lack of red blood cells) and can be treated but in other cases there appears to be no biological cause. Studies have shown having a normal amount of sleep and rest alongside keeping active with manageable exercise helps. Sleeping or resting too much appears to make fatigue worse.
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| | | More information about diet and exercise |
www.nci.nih.gov/cancerinfo/eatinghints.
'Eating hints' for cancer patients before, during and after treatment is produced by the US National Cancer Institute and offers advice on nutrition relevant for patients with all forms of cancer, including blood cancers. Some of the food products referred to may not be available in the UK but overall the site is very useful.
Dietary advice for patients who are neutropenic
This publication has been produced and prepared by the London Haematology Dietitians Group (Review date January 2009) for patients who may be at risk of food borne infection due to high dose chemotherapy and/or bone marrow or stem cell transplants.
Leukaemia Research are acting as publishers but responsibility for content and the copyright in the content remain with the London Haematology Dietitians Group.
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