Nutrition for patients after surgery for gastrointestinal cancer

Gastrointestinal cancer surgery is a major and widely used surgery. This method helps to remove tumors or cancerous cells in the digestive tract. In particular, they also play an important role in the treatment process. Many patients after surgery experience anorexia, fatigue, making the body increasingly weak and increasing the risk of malnutrition. Therefore, choosing foods to improve health is a very important factor.

Gastrointestinal cancer is classified in the group of dangerous cancers, caused by the disease having no obvious symptoms, easily confused with other diseases. Therefore, making the patient subjective, so the disease is difficult to detect early, leading to an increasingly dangerous disease. Types of cancer of the digestive tract can be mentioned such as: rectal cancer, stomach cancer, colon and anus...
For treatment, people use a combination of three main methods: radiation therapy, chemotherapy. treatment and surgery. Depending on the type and stage of cancer, the doctor will prescribe appropriate measures to use. Surgery for gastrointestinal cancer at an early stage can help patients completely recover. Therefore, it is very important to have regular health check-ups to detect the disease early.

After gastrointestinal surgery patients are at high risk of malnutrition. Typical symptoms may be encountered such as loss of appetite, fatigue leading to weakness in the body, not providing enough energy for the body. Therefore, patients after gastrointestinal surgery should eat:
Eat liquids that are easy to digest and divide meals during the day: After surgery, patients should eat easy-to-digest liquid foods, otherwise it will increase risk of intestinal obstruction. So porridge, soup is the most suitable food at this stage. In addition, you need to divide the meals during the day, do not eat too full or too much in one meal. Eat healthy fats: There are many studies that show that the use of animal fats increases the absorption and dissolution of carcinogens. In addition, they also stimulate the body to increase excretion of bile acids into the intestine, which damages the intestinal lining, easily causes inflammation and after a long time the patient can get cancer. Therefore, instead of using animal fat, patients after surgery should use beneficial fats such as olive oil, fish oil. Besides, it is necessary to limit the intake of foods containing a lot of animal fats such as: lard, chicken, beef, coconut oil and fried foods.... Eat a lot of green vegetables, fresh fruits: In green vegetables, fresh fruits. has high fiber content, has the effect of increasing intestinal absorption and avoiding constipation. At the same time, they also help dissolve carcinogens that protect the intestines. After surgery, the patient's body is very weak, so it is necessary to add enough vitamins, minerals, and trace elements to help increase the body's immunity, prevent the disease from recurring and prevent other diseases. Two substances with anti-cancer effects are selenium and beta carotene. For selenium, it will be abundant in sea fish such as mackerel, tuna, salmon, mushrooms, egg yolks and whole grains. Beta carotene is considered a precursor to vitamin A, found in yellow, orange and dark green vegetables. Avoid fermented and processed foods: Fermented foods such as melon, salted eggplant, hot spicy foods such as chili, pepper, satay or alcohol, tobacco will have a bad effect on the incision. At the same time, foods such as hot dogs, bacon or other fast foods should also be limited because they can increase the risk of cancer. In addition to paying attention to the patient's diet, the patient should follow the rules set by the doctor for the best treatment results.

Patients after surgery for gastrointestinal cancer need to limit many foods, but patients should not abstain too strictly. Avoid the situation that the body is not provided with enough energy and nutrition on a daily basis, which affects the results of treatment. Therefore, the patient as well as the patient's family should note a few things below:
Eat less but enough, eat energy-rich and protein-rich substances Control the amount of food that the patient eats, avoid overeating much in one meal. Do not eat sugary foods, soft drinks, foods high in fat. Food should be prepared in a variety of ways to increase the attractiveness of the dish. Avoid smelling food that is in the process of being processed. Teeth and mouth need to be cleaned properly and effectively. For patients who cannot eat normal food, they can switch to liquid foods such as soup, porridge... In severe cases, complete intravenous nutrition can be used. Nutrition after surgery is very important, it determines a large part of the patient's recovery process. In the above article, Vinmec has given you nutritional suggestions for patients after surgery for gastrointestinal cancer. Please refer to get a reasonable nutrition after surgery to help patients recover quickly in the postoperative period.