Nutrition for Colon Cancer Recovery

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Transcript

Kara: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness. I'm Kara Carper, Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist. Today we're talking about a topic that can feel overwhelming when you or someone you love is going through it, and that is nutrition during and after colon cancer treatment. 

If you've been diagnosed with colon cancer, you may suddenly have a lot of questions about food. What should I eat during chemotherapy? What should I eat during radiation treatment? What should I eat after I have my colon surgery? You might be thinking things like, "What if I have diarrhea or constipation and food just isn't agreeing with me?" 

Colorectal cancer used to be thought of primarily as a disease affecting older adults. That picture is changing. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 159,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in this year of 2026. 

Brandy: Wow.  

Kara: Even more concerning is what's happening in younger generations. Colorectal cancer rates increased about 3% each year among adults age 20 to 49, and that was in the decade from 2013 to 2022. And currently, 45% of new colon cancer diagnoses are occurring in people that are under the age of 65. And Brandy, that is a difference, it used to be 27% in 1995. 

Brandy: Wow. That's incredible.  

Kara: Isn't that something? So colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death among Americans under age 50. So it's likely that you know someone who has experienced this or is currently going through it. This might be happening to you or a loved one. So what role can nutrition play during treatment and recovery? 

That's what we're going to talk about today is how to nourish the body during colon cancer treatment. We're going to talk about what you can eat and drink to support healing and recovery. So you probably heard the other voice pop in and I'd like to welcome my co-host, Brandy Buro. Brandy is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Thanks for joining me today for this important topic.  

Brandy: Yeah. Thanks, Kara. I just have to say, those statistics you shared are so alarming. I, I really just didn't know that that's what we're dealing with right now. But it makes sense, like we're starting to screen for colon cancer much earlier. It used to be age 50, you know, it's time, it's that age, it's time to get your colonoscopy. But now they're recommending you get it even sooner, 45 years old. Maybe even sooner if you have a family history of colon cancer.  

Diet for colon cancer prevention vs. treatment & recovery 

But before we get any further in today's topic, I just wanted to point out that what to eat for colon cancer treatment and recovery is a little different than what we might recommend for colon cancer prevention. And we do have a couple episodes on what to eat for colon cancer prevention. 

We actually did an episode earlier of this year in March, so be sure to give that a listen as well, because a diet for prevention looks very different from a diet recommended for treatment and after surgery. For example, for colon cancer prevention, we recommend eating lots of vegetables, making sure you're eating enough fiber. 

And of course, those are wonderful foods from a preventative standpoint, but while you're in active cancer treatment or immediately following colon surgery, your digestive system may be very sensitive to some of those high-fiber foods and have very different needs.  

And your nutrition plan may change week to week while you're recovering, or even day to day, depending on what phase of recovery you're in or what your treatment plan consists of, what your bowel function is doing, what your appetite is like, what are your specific symptoms. 

So your nutrition plan can vary quite a bit while you're recovering, and our goal today is to help you understand what your nutrition can look like during the different phases of your recovery and treatment. And of course, this information is intended to be educational, just give you some insight and ideas. 

If you are somebody that's going through cancer treatment, or especially if you've had bowel surgery or have had an ostomy, it's really important that you're working very closely with your oncology team to get kind of a baseline for what's best for you at that time.  

Kara: Absolutely, because there's going to be a lot of different scenarios. Not everybody has surgery. You know, some have a large part of the colon removed, others have a small part. 

Brandy: And it depends on what part, and what your treatment plan may look like. 

Kara: Right.  

Brandy: Yeah. So today's episode is just to kind of give you sort of a broad perspective on what some possibilities are, but certainly work with your care team to determine what is best for you. 

What to eat during colon cancer treatment & recovery 

Kara: Mm-hmm. So let's start with the biggest question regarding nutrition: What should someone actually eat during this time? The most important thing you can do during this stressful time in your body is to nourish yourself as best you can. You will likely have very limited energy, a low appetite, and so it's important to make whatever you're able to put in your mouth count. 

Brandy: Right.  

Kara: You know, instead of focusing on empty calories, we want everything to be as nourishing as possible and nutrient dense. One of the biggest health concerns while undergoing cancer treatment and recovery is malnutrition that can lead to significant weight loss, and it's usually muscle that is lost.  

Prioritize protein 

So when I'm working with a client who's going through cancer treatment, I'm going to prioritize nutrient dense foods that are also gentle and easy on the digestive system. And I have to say the top priority is going to be protein.  

Brandy: Yes.  

Kara: Your body absolutely requires protein to maintain muscle and prevent muscle loss. We need protein to repair tissues that have been affected by potentially surgery, chemo or radiation.  

Brandy: Yeah. Right.  

Kara: And so when your body is recovering from surgery, chemo or radiation, protein needs are even greater.  

Brandy: Exactly. Yeah, I agree with you 100%. And since cancer and its treatment contribute to poor appetite and the weight loss that can come along with that and muscle loss, if you are struggling to eat, I agree the first priority is simply trying to get enough nourishment. 

So thinking about prioritizing protein every single time you do sit down and have something to eat. I think protein shakes can be particularly handy during this time, especially if your appetite isn't great or you're battling nausea. Maybe solid foods don't seem that appealing.  

So I often recommend my clients try to stock up on a good quality protein powder, maybe even make some homemade protein shakes before they enter that phase of treatment, or maybe even before their surgery. 

A really great option is the grass-fed Wellness Whey or the Paleo Protein powders. We carry those in all of our offices in the Twin Cities or on the NutriKey website.  

Shop Quality Protein Powder! 

Really high-quality protein powders. I think the flavor is really great. They mix very well, even if you just mix it with water in a blender bottle. So I think that's pretty convenient for a lot of folks that are going through a recovery period.  

But if you have the chance to make a protein shake in a blender, you know, you can make a really satisfying meal. You can even freeze extras, maybe just make two or three at a time and divide in a mason jar and freeze that so you have a really quick grab-and-go meal when you don't have a lot of energy to make something.  

So the basic formula for a balanced protein shake, you start with that protein powder. I would add some kind of a healthy fat. Canned coconut milk works really well in a smoothie, or even heavy whipping cream will do fine;  

Some kind of a fruit just to add a little bit of flavor. Maybe fresh or frozen. Frozen peaches, mango, even pumpkin, canned pumpkin could work well. And blend it up, you know, and that can be a meal. There are lots of recipes on our website, weightandwellness.com.  

Check Out Some of Our Protein Shake Recipes!

A couple that I think might work pretty well in this scenario would be the pumpkin spice smoothie with a little canned pumpkin heavy whipping cream and vanilla protein powder.  

Kara: That's a nice combination, especially as we're getting into fall, it's kind of pumpkin season.  

Brandy: Tis the season, for sure. There's also a hot chocolate protein shake, which I think could be great for somebody that might not tolerate cold temperatures, which is, it can be common after chemotherapy or radiation to be very sensitive to cold temperatures. So that would be a good one to integrate into a meal plan.  

Kara: Yeah. Brandy, I think the protein shake is such a good idea. Especially, you know, if somebody is going to be fatigued, they have great protein needs for their body, but they don't have a lot of energy or time, you know?  

Brandy: Yep.  

Kara: And so I liked your idea of either making it in a blender and getting a protein, a healthy fat, and fruit or vegetable carbohydrate. Or if that just seems too laborious- get one of those blender shaker bottles.  

Brandy: Yep.  

Kara: You know, I, I would do this before or after a workout just for simplicity.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: Maybe 12 ounces of unsweetened almond milk, or even just water as my liquid base. 

Brandy: Yep.  

Kara: A scoop of the high-quality whey protein powder, and then a quarter cup of full-fat canned coconut milk, shake it up. And it's very satisfying, and it's going to last a couple of hours.  

Brandy: Yeah, so that could get the job done. No equipment needed.  

Kara: Right.  

Brandy: Just a little easier, less taxing if you don't have much to give. 

Kara: Now in addition to smoothies and protein shakes, some other ways to get protein that are still going to be easy to digest and softer foods could be scrambled eggs, full-fat plain yogurt. I actually like to mix in our flavored protein powder into plain full-fat yogurt.  

Brandy: Yeah.  

Kara: Just to kind of slightly sweeten it up. It's, it's sweetened with stevia, so it's still sugar-free.  

Brandy: Great.  

Kara: Fish is often really nice, like a nice mild white fish… 

Brandy: Mm-hmm ...  

Kara: …is going to be easy to digest. And of course, things like soft soup or stew. Ground meat of any kind works really well in these scenarios, you know, whether you're doing some kind of a stir fry or putting the ground meat in a soup or a stew. 

It might be chicken, turkey, beef, or pork; very easy to break down and digest. Softer proteins that don't require a lot of chewing can be really helpful after a colon surgery or even just when your digestive system is still sensitive and healing and recovering. Another option is scrambling up some eggs and have half of an avocado sliced on that. 

Brandy: Perfect.  

Kara: Again, more soft foods. And sipping on some bone broth is particularly helpful because that contains collagen. And we know collagen is very healing for the lining of the gut.  

Brandy: Absolutely. Easy to sip on that too, even between meals just to get a little extra protein, hydration.  

Kara: Mm-hmm. And you can buy good quality bone broth. We're not expecting people to, you know, in the middle of cancer surgery recovery to go and make their own bone broth. 

Brandy: Right.  

Kara: It's more likely they would go to a natural foods co-op and purchase it pre-made. For, for those who can tolerate dairy, you know, we had talked about full fat plain yogurt, and you might just sweeten that up naturally with some fresh or frozen berries. Again, easy to digest fruits.  

Consider smaller nutrient-dense meals more frequently if needed 

And if large meals or even regular sized meals seem too heavy or it's like it's too much food on a sensitive stomach, having smaller meals more frequently might feel a little bit easier.  

Brandy: I think that's a really good tip. You know, if your appetite isn't great, instead of thinking about three large, larger meals a day, maybe we think more like four or five mini meals a day. You know, something every three hours or so.  

So we- we're just getting some nourishing food periodically through the day. Considering what can you comfortably consume to get your nutrients in. And we are aiming for nutrient-dense, maybe even higher calorie meals so that every opportunity you take to eat something, we're getting you closer to your nutrient needs. 

Include healthy fats 

Healthy fats, as you can tolerate them, are a great way to get nutrients and also a good amount of calories in a small package. So incorporating something like avocado, creamy nut butter or seed butter, canned coconut milk, you know, putting that in a protein shake with some protein powder. All those little tricks can help quite a bit, especially if your appetite is just not up to par.  

Kara: That's a great tip. I mean, by nature, fat is going to be higher calorie.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: And so if it's hard at the end of the day to get enough calories, we really want to make sure we're getting healthy fats every time we eat. 

Brandy: Right.  

Kara: And really, that's the key though, right? Is the healthy, natural fats. Not all fats are the same. There are fats that we want to avoid. We want to really be avoiding anything that's fried or cooked in vegetable oil.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: Those types of oils are inflammatory, and they can create things like diarrhea, bloating, or cramping. Also, the fattier cuts of meat might also be tough to digest during these times.  

Brandy: That's a good point.  

Kara: So you might need to experiment and just figure out what you're able to tolerate as far as, like, quantities of fat.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: During treatment, you know, we have to be balancing the ideal diet with the practical diet that someone is actually able to tolerate and doesn't have an aversion to a certain food, due to, like, chemotherapy nausea. There's a lot of factors in play here.  

Brandy: Yeah, so really listening to your body and just honoring how it responds to certain things. It, it may just be sort of a trial and error when you first introduce things after your surgery to see what you can consume comfortably. 

Digestive enzymes could be a, a little tool to help digest fat, you know, if it seems like fats are triggering some symptoms for you. It won't be a cure-all, but it can help temporarily.  

Fiber recommendations depending on prevention vs. treatment phase vs. recovery 

And I do want to get into the topic of fiber because this might be one of the more confusing parts of nutrition and colon cancer. So I know that we've talked about this on other shows that fiber is important for colon health. That is absolutely true.  

But if you have colon surgery, you may be told to eat a low-fiber diet. So what's that about? So fiber recommendations can be very different regarding prevention versus active treatment versus long-term recovery. 

So immediately following colon surgery, for example, you may temporarily be instructed to follow a low-fiber diet while your colon heals. And actually, I think Kara, weren't you telling me that you have had a friend that went through colon surgery, and, and she wasn't recommended to eat anything at all.  

Kara: So her treatment was she was, after she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and I just want to mention that it was found during a routine colonoscopy.  

Brandy: Yeah.  

Kara: And she's in her 50s, she was doing everything right. Fortunately, they found it early because she did that screening. But they did need to remove part of her colon, and so she was in the hospital almost two weeks, I believe.  

Brandy: Yeah.  

Kara: And during that time post-surgery, she was not able to consume anything orally. Nothing by mouth.  

Brandy: Sure.  

Kara: And so it was all, you know, intravenous nutrition and liquid for probably 10 days because a certain amount of healing had to be done before, you know, she could have things actually pass through the intestinal tract; colon. So that was very specific and, you know, Brandy and I are, we're nutrition experts. We're not medical doctors or nurses, and so obviously follow the recommendations from your oncology team, your surgical team. 

It's going to really vary from person to person. I do remember her saying though that the first foods that they introduced at the hospital were very soft, probably things like applesauce.  

Brandy: Yeah, more like pureed foods.  

Kara: Exactly. And then eventually she had to get to a certain point where they were watching things move through her intestinal tract and making sure she was passing bowel movements normally before they would release her, so it's a real- specific process.  

Brandy: So it does sound like at the very first stage of where food was permitted, we weren't going high fiber. It was like super soft, lower fiber foods, easy on the digestive tract, while the colon heals. So if you have significant diarrhea from maybe a round of chemotherapy or radiation, you may want to think about reducing fiber, especially the rougher insoluble types of fiber. 

That may help reduce the work of your digestive tract and just help calm the GI system, help you feel a little more comfortable. This probably is not the moment to jump right into a salad, right?  

Kara: Right.  

Brandy: Well, it's already time for our first break. Today on Dishing Up Nutrition, we are talking about nutrition for cancer treatment and recovery. We will be right back.  

Kara: Welcome back. You're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. I'm Kara Carper, here with Brandy Buro, and our topic today is nutrition for colon cancer recovery, what to eat during and after colon cancer treatment. So before we went to break, Brandy was just mentioning that, you know, if somebody has surgery and maybe part of their colon removed, the things to eat and incorporate post-surgery are going to look different than the long-term nutrition plan. 

So like probably in the short term, we're looking at pureed foods, little to no fiber. Just to really let the digestive system heal, let the wound heal properly. So you had said, you know, it's not going to be a time to be eating a nice big green raw salad.  

Brandy: That's right.  

Kara: That can come later after all the healing's done. So carbohydrates that may be easier to digest would be cooked vegetables.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: Maybe the vegetables are in a soup. Fruits that are softer, or even just using a blender or a food processor. 

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: And just sticking to more pureed foods for a while. The goal is to decrease the amount of rough material passing through an irritated digestive tract, but we still want to be nourishing the body and getting nutrient-dense foods, so it can be a little tricky, but it's definitely possible with some careful thought and planning. And so the fiber can gradually be increased as the person's able to tolerate it.  

Brandy: Yeah, slowly and gradually as tolerated. So again tuning in with your body. How do you feel? What symptoms are you experiencing? Those are going to give you clues when you can progress to the next level.  

And I think it's helpful to remember that there are different types of fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs water and can form more like a gel consistency in the digestive tract, so foods containing soluble fiber may sometimes be better tolerated, especially if you're dealing with looser stools or diarrhea.  

It's the insoluble fiber that can add bulk and move things through the digestive tract a little faster, and it can be somewhat irritating if you are experiencing diarrhea or if you have a very sensitive gut. So I would trend more towards things with soluble fiber at that time. 

Kara: Yeah, that's a really good tip. And you may tolerate things like cooked carrots or sweet potatoes, but maybe you don't tolerate things like cooked broccoli and cauliflower. So it's just going to be experimenting and trying different fruits, different vegetables in small amounts until you know how you're going to digest them. 

Brandy: That's right.  

Kara: Avocado is nice and soft, and that's almost always easy to digest versus, you know, getting our healthy fat from nuts. You know, that's probably going to be too hard on the system at first. So it's not that these foods are bad. Like, broccoli and cauliflower and almonds are obviously very healthy foods, but your digestive tract may not be ready to break them down yet. 

Brandy: Yeah, and it's important to remind yourself that that's okay. You know, you're healing. You might not be able to include all the healthy foods you once did right now. It's just temporary while you're healing. And I do like to recommend our Nutrikey Key Greens and Fruit Powder in these periods where you may not be able to tolerate a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables or even certain cooked fruits and vegetables. 

The Key Greens and Fruit is kind of like an antioxidant supplement. It gives you antioxidants and the phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables, but the fiber is essentially extracted. You mix it in water. It's kind of like a drink mix. So this can be really handy if you are having trouble tolerating fruits and vegetables. Because there isn't any fiber, they are much easier to tolerate versus having a big pile of vegetables with every meal.  

Kara: Right, right.  

Brandy: So I, I do want to mention this is something that I may suggest in the later phases of recovery, not during chemo or radiation therapy. This would be, like, post chemo or radiation. So I, I would just recommend running by any new supplements with your oncology team. Make sure they sign off on it before it's something you do on a regular basis.  

Kara: It's a great idea, yeah. So diarrhea could occur, but it could also be the opposite problem for some people in recovery. They might be dealing with some constipation, and that's actually very common if someone's not eating a lot of food in general.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Tips for constipation 

Kara: And certainly can happen if they're not eating a lot of fiber, which they're not going to be right after surgery and treatment. 

Brandy: Right.  

Kara: So if constipation is the main issue, just having a little bit of gentle exercise, if possible, can be helpful, whether that's just even short walks-  

Brandy: Mm-hmm. 

Kara: That can really get that peristalsis going and just help to become more regular with bowel movements. And then very gradually, as tolerated, increasing fiber is going to lessen the chance of being constipated. 

Brandy: Sure.  

Kara: So when we talk about increasing fiber, one thing that we don't recommend is purchasing a high-fiber supplement.  

Brandy: Hmm. Mm-hmm.  

Kara: You know? And taking, like, fiber capsules. So fiber recommendations really need to be individualized and brought in slowly, preferably with real food, vegetables and fruit, instead of a supplement. 

Brandy: Right. Because those vegetables and fruit are going to come along with some water, too. 

Kara: Yes. Good point. 

Brandy: Which can help the constipation. A fiber supplement won't have that.  

Kara: Mm-hmm. That could actually make it worse, right? The fiber supplements.  

Brandy: Exactly. Now, there is a supplement that can help to gently work as a stool softener, and that's the mineral magnesium. 

Brandy: Ah, love that.  

Kara: I, I do, too. You know, I actually take this one. It's the Nutrikey Mixed Magnesium. I tend to be more on the constipated side, so I actually have 400 milligrams of Mixed Magnesium before bed every night. It helps for relaxing and sleep, but it also helps me to be regular the next day with bowel movements. 

Brandy: Great.  

Kara: And it's gentle enough, it's not going to cause diarrhea. It's just a very natural stool softener.  

Brandy: Yeah. Yeah, it is a very gentle solution for constipation without, like, a strong laxative effect. Yeah, I do like that. And that's why we keep coming back to symptoms, because it can really sort of run the spectrum. Some people might be experiencing diarrhea, while others might suffer from constipation.  

Some people even experience heartburn. So we really personalize our recommendations based on the experiences you're having, which can honestly change day to day. So it's really important to have tools in place for when your symptoms come up, but also understand what they do, how they work, so that you can adapt and adjust based on what you need at the time. 

Foods & ingredients to avoid for digestive symptoms

#1 caffeine

Kara: There are some foods or beverages or ingredients that would be best to avoid just because they may aggravate diarrhea or constipation or any kind of bloating or heartburn like you had mentioned.  

Brandy: Yeah.  

Kara: Caffeine, that can really cause diarrhea for some people.  

Brandy: Absolutely.  

Kara: So I would say this would be a good time to go caffeine-free or really just limit it during this colon cancer recovery.  

#2: Sugar alcohols 

Brandy: Mm. Yeah, especially if that's, if looser stools are something you're dealing with. Sugar alcohols are also a big one. So sugar alcohols like sorbitol, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, these are common additives in things like chewing gum or cough drops or sugar-free candy. They also very commonly cause gas and loose stools, so we certainly don't want to add something in the mix that's going to make your existing symptoms worse.  

#3: Lactose 

Kara: And some folks may have a hard time breaking down and digesting lactose which is a milk sugar, and so that could potentially cause gas, bloating, diarrhea, and so that might mean avoiding dairy just temporarily. So that's, again, something that everyone needs to individually experiment with. 

Brandy: That's right. And this is something that a dietitian can help you kind of suss out. You, you may be missing a pattern. They might be able to pinpoint some things that could be triggering some of these symptoms.  

Now, moving on to long-term health, we always want to focus on a real food diet, but especially while you're recovering and shooting for a cancer-free future, we really want to minimize heavily processed foods, and again, make whole, real foods the foundation of your diet. 

#4: Limit ultra processed meats 

Ultra-processed meats are one category I would specifically limit or really try to eliminate for anybody that is concerned about colon cancer. Less processed, nitrate-free added options could be okay, things like nitrate-free chicken sausage or nitrate-free deli meats. You know, in moderation, that could be fine, but I would say it's best to choose the fresher options, eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, other minimally processed protein sources. 

Importance of hydration 

Kara: Mm-hmm So let's move on to talk about hydration. I mean, everybody knows, right? Stay hydrated, make sure you're getting enough water. But after colon cancer surgery and chemotherapy and sometimes radiation, there's a bigger chance that the person would have diarrhea or even vomiting.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: And so in those cases, they're losing more than just water. 

Brandy: That's right.  

Kara: They're losing electrolytes as well.  

Brandy: Yeah. And dehydration can become pretty serious pretty quickly. Water may not cut it in these scenarios, especially if you have frequent diarrhea. So in some cases, I would recommend that you add an electrolyte, particularly the sodium and potassium. I think we really need to be mindful of replacing what we lose. 

So that could mean you add some salted bone broth that you sip on, or you could add an electrolyte powder. I would recommend against the pre-bottled electrolyte drinks. You've seen them at the gas station. They're brightly colored, and that's because they're full of artificial dyes, and they usually come along with added sugar or artificial sweeteners, none of which is going to make the situation better.  

So instead, I recommend a good quality electrolyte powder that you can just add to your water bottle. One that I, I really like is called Synerplex. It's essentially odorless and flavorless, so it mixes really well into plain water. You can't really tell that it's there So it's nice just to add to a water bottle and sip on it throughout the day. 

If your stomach is not settled, if you are dealing with some nausea, just sipping on a little bit of water throughout the day can help you stay hydrated versus drinking a big old glass in one sitting. So just keep that water bottle accessible, keep it near you and visible so that it's not something you forget to do, and then try to catch up at the end of the day. 

And then bone broth, of course. We've mentioned this a couple times. I think it's a great add-in to get your hydration, but you're also getting some protein, which can be a challenge right now.  

Kara: Yeah. Tea can be nice as well, you know?  

Brandy: Yeah, some herbal tea.  

Kara: Peppermint, maybe chamomile actually could be soothing on the stomach. 

Brandy: Yeah, that's a really good point. Gives you something a little different rather than just plain water too.  

Long-term recovery tips 

So let's shift into more conversation about long-term recovery because eventually the focus is going to shift. As you start to heal, we have to think about expanding your diet. So maybe you've finished chemotherapy and your surgeon has cleared you to kind of liberalize your diet. 

Your bowel movements are becoming more regular and more predictable. Your appetite is coming back. So now we're thinking beyond simply getting through treatment and managing symptoms, we're thinking about rebuilding your strength and creating a sustainable way of eating. You know, what's your new normal going to look like?  

Kara: So this is where we kind of fast-forward to our Nutritional Weight & Wellness, more of the standard meal plan that we would work with someone to incorporate. Not during cancer treatment and recovery, but this is more post-recovery. So that just looks like balancing meals around protein, vegetables, and healthy fats. 

So if you picture your dinner plate, you know, about a third of it has maybe four, five, six ounces of protein, and then you have half of it with roasted broccoli and carrots, and then your healthy fat is drizzling some olive oil on there.  

Brandy: Perfect.  

Kara: And so that's your balance of protein, vegetable carbohydrate, and healthy fat. You could also have chicken thighs as the protein, and the vegetable could be a combo of zucchini and sweet potato-and put some butter on that, and that's the healthy fat. I also like a good one-pot meal-a soup or a stew that contains the protein, the vegetables, and the healthy fat.  

Brandy: Yeah.  

Kara: And we have a lot of great recipes on our website. Now we're coming into fall and eventually winter, so weightandwellness.com has some fabulous one-pot meal recipes. You could have for breakfast an omelet with three eggs, cooked vegetables, slice of avocado on the side. And as your digestive system begins to tolerate more fiber, it's great to get that fiber naturally from vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and legumes, and whatever fiber foods you prefer. 

Brandy: 100%. Yeah, because now we're back in this mindset where, yes, fiber we need. It's a very great preventative measure.  

Kara: Yeah.  

Brandy: And we, of course, are still keeping protein front and center. We are still recognizing that protein is essential for your continued healing, even months after your treatment or your surgery, because during that time it's likely that you, you are possibly undereating protein. 

You may have lost some muscle. So now we're sort of in this rebuilding and maintenance phase when it comes to your muscle. So every opportunity you have, include protein. Protein at breakfast, protein at lunch, protein at dinner. I would even encourage protein with snacks between meals instead of waiting until dinner to catch up on all your protein needs. It's better to incrementally include it throughout the day.  

Kara: And we see that a lot, don't we, with clients?  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: They maybe first come in to sit down and meet with you- and you look at their diet history, it's very common that there's no protein at breakfast, a little bit at lunch-  

Brandy: Mm-hmm. 

Kara: And then the focus seems to be around dinner, but you know, just to maintain muscle, we really should be getting around 30 grams, I would say at breakfast and lunch and dinner.  

Brandy: Exactly.  

Kara: And another thing, this is just a reminder, but after colon cancer, digestion may not return to what it was before, especially if surgery was involved. So bowel habits may just change, and so they might be more frequent. There might be more urgency. There may be more loose stool. It might actually be on the flip side, and there might be more constipation.  

Brandy: Mm-hmm.  

Kara: So, again, we're just, we're giving recommendations, but the treatment and the plan really needs to be individualized.  

Brandy: You're right, it, it is very individualized, but I get that it can still be frustrating. You may not tolerate the same foods that you used to, and that's normal. You know, give yourself... Be gentle on yourself. Your digestive tract has been through a lot. You know, it's, it's a new digestive tract, and recovery is not always linear. You may have some setbacks. You may be able to tolerate something one day, and the next week it may not be sitting so well, and that's okay. 

Just go back to the foods that you know you tolerate, then gradually expand again. Start with a small amount and see how it goes. Again, this is where working with a dietitian can be especially helpful. They can help you approach this systematically and reflect patterns back to you that maybe you don't see, help you develop a plan so you have some guidance, you have some direction while you go through this healing phase and figure out what your new normal is. 

Kara: So I'll just give a few combinations of ways to put together some easy to digest softer foods. This would be, you know, assuming someone's home from the hospital- And they're able to consume solid foods but they still need to be focusing on, like, easy to digest and soft foods. So that might look like scrambled eggs with some cooked spinach and some avocado. 

Or ground chicken, roasted baby potatoes, and cooked carrots drizzled in olive oil or avocado oil. It might be a filet of fish with a side of cooked squash topped with some butter. Or some plain full fat Greek yogurt and slice up half of a banana and have a tablespoon of almond butter. So those are just some different ways to get that protein, carbohydrate, and healthy fat combination- and really keeping to the easier to digest foods.  

Brandy: Yeah. Softer, soft cooked, ground-  

Kara: Mm-hmm...  

Brandy: But still balanced. So these aren't exotic foods. You know, anybody could really eat these meals you just described. You don't need anything too complicated. You don't need a fancy detox or cleanse. What you really need is to consistently give your body nourishment from real food. It's been dealing with something incredibly demanding, and we just need to help it heal. 

Kara: And as we've been saying, nutrition for colon cancer recovery is going to happen in stages. Immediately after surgery or if someone's experiencing diarrhea, they may need to be focusing on only soft foods that are low in fiber and gentle on the system. And as the digestive system continues to heal, you can gradually expand the diet and bring back in higher-fiber foods, more vegetables and fruits. 

Brandy: And again, we're prioritizing nourishment and nutrient density. Make sure you're getting enough protein. Include it every time you eat. Include healthy fats as you can tolerate. Stay hydrated. Replace those electrolytes if you are losing fluids.  

And again, don't be afraid to modify your food choices as your symptoms evolve, because eating differently during different stages of treatment and recovery does not mean you're doing something wrong or you're backsliding. And sometimes the most nutritious food is the food that your body can tolerate and digest in that moment. 

Kara: We want to thank you for listening to Dishing Up Nutrition today, and we hope that our conversation gave you a clearer picture of how to nourish yourself or give tips to someone that you love that might be going through colon cancer treatment or recovery. If you'd like to find out more about working with a dietitian or nutritionist, whether it's Brandy, myself, or one of the other wonderful dietitians at Nutritional Weight & Wellness, give us a call at 651-699-3438. 

Learn More About Nutrition Counseling

We also have quite a bit of information regarding the process of making an appointment with a dietitian at weightandwellness.com. Our goal at Nutritional Weight & Wellness is to teach people the power of real food and how life-changing it can be. It's a simple but a very powerful message. Thanks again for listening. We'll talk to you next time.