The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.108)

TZU CHI 108 55 Ng Hui Ling A nutritionist with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and a Master’s degree in Sports Science, who served at the Singapore Heart Foundation before becoming self-employed, providing dietary consultations to vegetarians and writing a nutrition column for a health magazine. low white blood cell count, causing her chemotherapy procedure to be postponed. The doctor reminded her to eat well, so she came to me for advice, lamenting, “I was told by different people to avoid different types of food. Now I don’t even know what I should eat!” During this critical period, it is best to avoid raw, uncooked food, such as half-boiled eggs, salads, freshly-squeezed vegetable juice, uncooked meat and raw fish. The myth of ‘starving’ cancer cells Chemotherapy and radiotherapy not only destroy the cancer cells, but they also damage the healthy cells to some extent. This proves that the notion of avoiding nutritious food during therapy to starve the cancerous cells has been a misconception. Think again: without sufficient nutrients, how would the body repair and regenerate benign cells adversely affected during treatment? How could a weak body bear the side effects and cope with the long treatment process? In short, without a well-balanced diet to provide sufficient energy and nutrients needed for cell renewal, internal tissues, like muscle tissues, will self-degenerate to compensate. Weight loss, low white blood cell count and lethargy are expected to follow. In fact, some cancer patients died of malnutrition instead of the cancer itself. We often encourage patients by saying, “Don’t worry too much. Leave it to the doctor.” However, this is easier said than done for introverted or less optimistic patients.Aunt Lim’s appetite and quality of sleep were affected after learning of her cancer diagnosis. I advised her to eat at regular hours instead of only when she feels hungry, besides suggesting that she stocks up ready-to-eat food supplies at home and get her children to accompany her for meals. To quote Master Cheng Yen: “Life only exists between breaths.” This reminds me that time waits for no one. As my daughter and I sat down for a meal with Aunt Lim, I broke the family rule of not talking while eating, and chatted freely with her. After the meal, she said with a sheepish smile, “My appetite is great today. I ate a lot, which rarely happens.” Yes, this is how it should be. To me, it is more gratifying to see Aunt Lim’s appetite improve than to feed her with information on nutrition.