7 Day Meal Plan for Cancer Patients

Are you feeling confused about what to eat during cancer?

Have you wondered if following a 7 day meal plan for cancer patients would make life easier for you?

Could a healthy meal plan give some structure to your meals and also cover what you need?

How important are protein, complex carbs, and antioxidants anyway in a cancer fighting diet plan?

In this article, we cut through the noise and answer your most common questions about meal planning and cancer.

Keep reading to find out how to make a 7 day meal plan for cancer patients that fits your needs.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Why Eat Healthy?

Healthy eating means eating a variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, healthy fats, and lean proteins.

While avoiding most sugary drinks, processed food, red meat, and saturated fat.

And while there isn’t a cancer diet per se, a good example is the healthy mostly plant-based Mediterranean diet.

It provides the nutrients your body needs such as proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and water.

And it can also help:

Prevent cancer
Maintain nutrient stores
Maintain a healthy weight
Maximize your energy, strength, and immune defenses
Speed up healing and recovery
Lower the risk of infection
Reduce inflammation

Does Your Weight Matter for Cancer?

Yes, your weight does matter for cancer, and the closer you are to a healthy weight, the better it is.

And that’s because it gives your body the best chance to maximize your defenses and prevent cancer.

Most certainly, being overweight isn’t ideal for cancer and in some types of breast cancer, it increases the risk of getting more tumors.

However, in most cases, if you’re starting treatment and you’re overweight, it’s best to just maintain that weight.

And then, when your treatment is done, take steps to lower your weight.

That’s because treatments can be hard on the body and are often dialed in based on your weight.

On the flip side, if you’re underweight you may have a harder time tolerating cancer treatment.

And in these instances, you may need to eat more.

Always check with your treatment center for individualized advice regarding your weight.

But what is a healthy weight?

A healthy weight is a number within a range that is associated with better health and the easiest way to figure it out is to calculate your BMI or body mass index.

The BMI is calculated using your height and weight and produces a number within a range.

Ideally, your BMI should be within the 19-25-ish range, and keeping it there should be a lifelong goal.

Best Foods for Cancer

The best food for cancer is a version of the mostly plant-based Mediterranean-type diet.

And recently, there’s a lot of information and heaps of recipes available on the web making it easy to adopt.

Naturally, you could also choose to follow a pescetarian diet that would typically exclude chicken and turkey.

But what is a Mediterranean diet?

Well, it includes eating a combination of plants, whole grains, beans, nuts, olive oil, and fish that are high in:

Vitamins
Minerals
Phytochemicals
Antioxidants
Fiber
Healthy Proteins
Omega-3 Fatty Acids & Other Healthy Fats

But since no single food is cancer fighting by itself, variation is key for health.

How Much Should You Eat?

Firstly, focus on eating a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and beans every day.

Secondly, add seafood and lean fish (such as cod) often, and eat fatty fish (such as salmon) twice a week.

Thirdly, add moderate amounts of low-fat dairy, eggs, and lean chicken or turkey daily to weekly (Table 1).

And as a result, you’re most likely to get all the cancer fighting foods and nutrients you need.

Table 1. How Often You Should Eat Each Food

Frequency	Food Group
Daily	Fruit & Veggies Whole Grains Herbs & Spices Nuts & Seeds (incl. milks & butters) Beans & Peas Avocado, Olives, Olive Oil
Often	Lean Fish & Seafood
Twice Weekly	Fatty Fish
Moderate Daily to Weekly	Low-Fat Dairy (cheese, kefir & yogurt) Eggs Lean Chicken & Turkey

What Should You Avoid?

The foods you should avoid are the more inflammatory foods.

Above all, such foods are processed, fried, high in calories, sugar, and saturated fat, and low in nutrients.

Some examples are:

High-sugar sodas, juices
High-Fat & high-sugar desserts and candy
Pizza, doughnuts, chicken nuggets, French fries
Frozen meals, instant noodles, chips
Fast food, doughnuts, chips, hot dogs, sausages, burgers

Besides being inflammatory, these foods are more prone to cause you to gain weight.

Being overweight can be problematic as it can lead to higher estrogen and insulin levels and a weaker immune system.

Subsequently, that can result in a higher risk of cancer.

Recipes for Cancer Patients on Chemo and Radiation

Although you don’t plan cancer, eating well and getting enough calories is important throughout the cancer journey.

This is extra important if you’re going to have surgery or cancer treatments such as chemo and radiation.

That is to say, many treatments are tough on the body and can cause you to have trouble eating and lose weight.

For starters, food can start to taste and smell funny, make you feel sick to your stomach, or cause problems breaking down food.

This can, in turn, cause you to eat less and become underweight which can affect your strength and weaken your immune defenses.

Consequently, if you’re losing weight, focus on eating small meals of your favorite foods and adding things like peanut butter, smoothies or protein supplements.

In addition, these tips and recipes for cancer patients on chemo and radiation can help you:

Make a habit to always check with your treatment center for individualized advice.

Moreover, if you are looking for free meals for cancer patients, it’s going to vary greatly.

And finding free meals is going to depend on local availability where you live.

Therefore, your best bet is to check with your local dietitian for options regarding meals for cancer patients and family in your area.

And lastly, to prepare home cooked meals for cancer patients, here’s some inspiration:

What Is a Cancer Diet Meal Plan?

A cancer fighting meal plan is about making smart choices often a week at a time about what you’re going to eat.

And it’s following through on your plan by shopping for and preparing the ingredients and meals you’ve chosen.

Meal planning is best when it’s individualized to your budget, tastes, likes, lifestyle, allergies, dietary restrictions, and goals.

All and all, it can help you:

Choose healthy meals
Save money at the grocery store
Meet your nutritional needs
Reach your health goals.

But it’s also important to take into account where you are in your cancer journey.

If you’re going through treatment, it’s more important to maintain your weight than to be too choosy with your food.

Who’s It For?

Meal planning can be helpful for people that are pressed for time, on a budget, or need to feed a family.

It can also help survivors that have completed cancer care focus on prevention and getting to a healthy weight.

Furthermore, it can help you eat better and avoid resorting to less healthy drive-through and snack foods.

And it can help you control portions.

In short, the beauty is that meal plans don’t have to be followed to a tee.

Instead, they can be used as a rough guide to help you throughout the week.

How to Meal Plan Step-by-Step

1: Get Organized

Start with our sample template of meals below
Use a one-week calendar or an app with room for three meals and snacks
Choose foods from our example food lists below
Look for Mediterranean diet recipes in magazines, blogs, cookbooks, etc.

2: Plan

Start with dinners
Plan to use leftovers, it can be a quick lunch for cancer patients
Alternate between 2-3 different breakfasts
Add smoothies or protein powder such as Kate Farms or Naked Nutrition if you need more
Include a variety of foods:
- Add per day:
  - 1.5-2 cups of fruit
  - 2-3 cups of vegetables
  - 3 servings of whole grains
  - A handful of nuts
  - 3+ servings of beans
  - Moderate olive oil
- Choose lean fish and seafood often, and fatty fish two times per week
- Add low-fat dairy, eggs, or lean chicken or turkey in between

3: Create Your Grocery List

See what you have at home and decide what you need to get from the market
Plan to get a mix of fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable items

4: Start Preparing and Cooking!

And voilá, you now have your own personalized 7 day meal plan for cancer patients

Example Cancer Fighting Meal Plan Food Lists

FRUITS

Apples
Apricots
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapefruit
Grapes
Honeydew Melon
Kiwi
Mandarins
Mango
Nectarines
Oranges (incl. blood oranges)
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Pomegranate
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon

VEGGIES

Asparagus
Bell & Chili Peppers
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumbers
Leafy Greens & Microgreens
Onions (incl. yellow, red, green, leeks, chives)
Mushrooms (incl. maitake, portobello & shiitake)
Pumpkins
White & Purple Cabbage
Radishes
Rutabagas
Squash (incl. butternut squash)
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips
Zucchini

WHOLE GRAINS

Amaranth
Barley
Rice (incl. brown, purple, black & wild)
Buckwheat
Bulgur
Millet
Oats
Quinoa
Sorghum
Spelt
Teff
Whole Grain Pastas, Cereals & Breads

LOW-FAT DAIRY

Cottage Cheese
Cheese
Greek Yogurt
Kefir
Milk
Sour Cream

BEANS

Beans (incl. soybeans)
Chickpeas
Lentils
Peas

NUTS & SEEDS (incl. nut butters & milks)

Almonds
Cashews
Chia Seeds
Flax Seeds
Hazelnuts
Hemp Seeds
Peanuts
Pecans
Pistachios
Pine Nuts
Pumpkin Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts

FISH & SEAFOOD

LEAN FISH

Barramundi
Bass
Cod
Grouper
Haddock
Halibut
Tilapia

FATTY FISH

Anchovies
Arctic Char
Herring
Mackerel
Salmon
Sardines
Trout
Tuna

SEAFOOD

Crab
Crayfish
Lobster
Oysters
Scallops
Shrimp

HERBS & SPICES

Allspice
Anise
Basil
Bay Leaves
Black Pepper
Cardamom
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Pepper
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Coriander
Cumin
Dill
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard Seed
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Parsley
Saffron
Sage
Star Anise
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric
Vanilla

HEALTHY FATS

Avocado
Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

DRINKS

Green Tea
Tea
Water with lemon juice, cucumber, or mint

Sample Meal Plan for Cancer Patients

When you aim to complete a 7 day meal plan for cancer patients, it’s easiest to use a sample or template.

Then, by using food lists you can change items to those that you prefer.

So, as a starting point, we made a sample that you can use.

Then, it’s just a matter of substituting according to your taste, likes, lifestyle, and needs.

This meal plan would also be appropriate as a 7 day breast cancer meal plan.

Menu for Cancer Patient Diet with Recipes

Breakfast

½ cup Bob’s Red Mill whole grain muesli
1 tsp chia and flaxseeds
½ cup almond milk
1 peach
1 OWYN plant-based protein shake

PREPARATION | Mix muesli, chia, and flax seeds in a bowl and add milk. Enjoy immediately.

Lunch

¼ sliced avocado with a pinch herbal salt and ½ clove fresh-squeezed garlic
2 scrambled eggs with a pinch herbal salt, dill, and parsley
½ cup four-bean salad
1 serving pumpkin seeds

PREPARATION |

AVOCADO Slice avocado and douse with herbal salt and fresh-pressed garlic. Enjoy immediately.

SCRAMBLED EGGS Whisk eggs, herbal salt, pepper, parsley, and dill and pour in a heated pan coated with 1 tsp expeller-pressed canola oil. Scramble on medium heat until desired consistency. Let cool.

FOUR-BEAN SALAD Mix 1 cup chickpeas, black and cannellini beans, ½ red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, ½ tsp balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of parsley, dill, herbal salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stores in fridge for 3-5 days.

Afternoon Snack

Hummus with sliced fresh pepper, cucumber, and carrots

Dinner

3 ounces baked salmon
1 baked sweet potato with yogurt sauce
Steamed broccoli
Side salad with romaine lettuce, red pepper, celery, blueberries, and pecans

PREPARATION |

SALMON Cover fresh salmon in thin layer of 1 tbsp canola oil, 2 cloves fresh-pressed garlic, and a pinch of herbal salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 400 °F for 30 minutes. Let cool.

SWEET POTATOES Prick sweet potato with a fork, wrap it in foil, and bake in the oven at 400 °F for 45-50 minutes. Let cool, cut in half, and add yogurt sauce on top.

YOGURT SAUCE Mix 2 cups low-fat plain Greek yogurt with 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp tahini, juice of ½ lemon, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of coriander, sumac, chili, herbal salt, and pepper. Stores in fridge for 2-3 days.

Dessert

¼ cup oat-based chocolate ice cream
¼ cup fresh raspberries

Drinks

Water flavored with cucumber and mint

Final Thoughts

Meal planning is about making smart individual choices about what you’re going to eat when creating a weekly meal plan for cancer patients.

In short, it’s a 4-step process involving choosing foods, planning meals, creating grocery lists, and preparing foods.

Subsequently, making a 7 day meal plan for cancer patients can help you eat healthier, save money, and reach your health goals.

Practically, choose a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and beans every day.

Then add fish and seafood, low-fat dairy, eggs, or lean chicken or turkey.

That way you’re most likely to get all the cancer fighting foods and nutrients you need.

DISCLAIMER

Our 7 day meal plan for cancer patients article is for general information only. It’s not medical advice nor an individualized meal plan. Thus, visit your healthcare provider for advice specific to your situation.