If you or a loved one is coping with a mesothelioma diagnosis, food is probably one of the last things on your mind. However, food is more important than you may realize. Of course good nutrition can make a big difference in your quality of life. But did you know that eating well actually can help you cope better with your mesothelioma treatments?

Here’s how it works. Some mesothelioma and cancer treatments have the unfortunate side effect of breaking down tissue in your body. Tissue can be anything, from your skin, to your muscles, to your white blood cells. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that keeping yourself well nourished will give your body the tools needed to rebuild tissues that treatment can break down. And above all else, keeping your body weight stable is the way to do this. Avoiding weight loss is the goal.

In order to rebuild tissue, you need to give your body energy, in the form of food. In other words, you can’t build “something out of nothing.”  If you are losing weight, it means your body is using up its own tissue simply to function. And if your body is dipping into itself simply to keep your heart beating and your blood pumping, it won’t have the materials and tools needed to rebuild itself.

In order to rebuild the tissue that treatment can breakdown, things like your white blood cells, skin, muscle, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, you need to give your body enough calories and protein to prevent, or at least minimize, weight loss. That way, the energy and materials from the food you eat will go into rebuilding tissue.

Focus on Quality

To keep your weight up, focus on foods that provide a lot of “bang for your buck”. You need to eat things that give you as many calories as possible, in as little volume as possible. Use the following list and recipe to help yourself get the nutrition you need to best manage mesothelioma and its treatments.

Be sure to check back with the blog in a couple of weeks, when I’ll have more ideas and tips for using nutrition to deal with a common mesothelioma treatment side effect.

High Calorie Foods to Keep on Hand

•    Hard boiled eggs
•    Pre-cooked pasta that can be reheated easily for a quick meal or snack
•    Peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butters, which provide 100 calories and 5 grams of protein in a single spoonful
•    High calorie, ready-to-eat cereal, such as granola, which can provide up to 300 calories per ½ cup
•    Yogurt, pudding, and other quick snacks; you don’t need the low-calorie, low-fat, low-sugar
•    Dried fruit, such as raisins, apricots, or dried cherries and cranberries
•    Pre-cooked chicken breast
•    Granola bars, power bars or other food to carry with you when you go out

Powered Up Sweet Potatoes

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes.
Serves one.

Ingredients

•    1 medium-size sweet potato
•    1½ cups apricot nectar (juice)
•    4 ounces silken (soft) tofu
•    2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (or more to taste)

Instructions

Peel sweet potato and cube into ½-inch pieces. Steam sweet potato pieces for approximately 10 minutes, until soft. Carefully move steamed sweet potato into a mixing bowl and add apricot nectar, tofu, and maple syrup or honey. Use a blender to combine ingredients until they have a smooth consistency. Enjoy warm.

Per serving: 500 calories; 9 grams protein; 108 grams carbohydrates; 3.5 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1,255 milligrams potassium; 62 milligrams sodium