Eating well and achieving a healthy weight is an important part of prehabilitation.

It can play a major factor not only in how you feel, but also your overall medical outcome. Research supports the vital role of nutrition in cancer care. It underlines the impact that a good diet can have. This includes:

  • Improving nutritional and functional status
  • Increasing treatment options & viability
  • Enhancing recovery post treatment
  • Reducing the risk of complications
  • Improving immunity and reducing illness
  • Reducing length of hospital admission
  • Improving medical outcomes
  • Enhancing overall quality of life and survival
A balanced diet

Simply put, eating well means opting for a healthy balanced diet. It involves choosing a variety of foods from the 5 main food groups. This will help provide your body with enough nutrients to achieve an optimum nutritional status and healthy weight.

The 5 main food groups are:

  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates
  • Dairy and alternatives
  • Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
  • Oils & spreads

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Weight gain and loss

You may find you have been losing weight unintentionally before or after your cancer diagnosis. You may need to maintain or regain some of this lost weight before starting treatment.

In this case, the general principles of healthy eating remain, However, you may need to consider more nutrient-dense food  to help make every mouthful count. The following resources can help support you to improve the nourishment of your diet:

Losing weight is generally not encouraged during cancer treatment. But if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is high, you may be encouraged to lose some weight before treatment.

In this case, you will be offered support and closely monitored by a member of the prehabilitation team.  The following resources can help support in achieving a gradual weight loss:

If you are concerned about your nutritional status or weight, please speak with one of the team. They will be able to support you and signpost to the most appropriate advice.