Customer Reviews

Eating Well Through Cancer: Easy Recipes & Recommendations During and After Treatment

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A durable hardcover book with spiral binding completely inside so there is no problem with food getting inside the spirals or the book not lying flat, "Eating Well Through Cancer" is a top level cookbook. When someone goes through chemotherapy many changes take place within their body. For many they become nauseous after treatment, experience lowered white blood cell counts, diarrhea, constipation or other side effects. The recipes in this book are specifically designed to help with these and other problems.

Recipes are organized by symptom (diarrhea, sore mouth, etc.) and by treatment stage (day of treatment, post treatment). Each one that I tried was easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. There is definitely no sacrifice of taste for the sake of nutrition in these recipes.

The author answers questions such as "What should I eat prior to treatment?", or "Is there a certain time of day that is better for eating?" and similar concerns of the cancer patient. The final chapters include changing eating habits to a healthier style post treatment or prior to having problems.

Whether you are undergoing treatment or just want to eat healthier as a preventative measure, this book has it all. With cancer being as prevalent as it is today, even if you don't know someone with cancer sooner or later you will. When they return home after a treatment and you want to help by taking something over for dinner you will be glad you have this book. It belongs on the bookshelf of everyone who loves to cook for others.

If you subscribe to the view that cancer diets should focus on low fat, low sugar, and food that maintains low blood glucose levels this is a book to avoid. Receipes frequently used all purpose flour, refined sugar, powdered sugar, white potatoes, and margarine. People who have read and accept the principles in "What To Eat If You Have Cancer" will find this cookbook difficult to use without careful receipe selection and ingredient substitution.

I originally bought this book because my father had cancer. However, the food was so good and the recipes so easy that I use it for my entire family. I am not a very good cook but with this book my kids actually are eating my dinners. This is a great book; you can't go wrong. It really is for everyone and I use it for everyday cooking.

I have only owned this book for a few days, but as a cancer patient, I have found it extremely useful. I'm sure all cancer patients agree that the side effects from the chemo are the worse part of suffering from cancer. However, using these simple recipes, the pain has actually become bearable. I am not expecting anything miraculous. Its just nice to know that I can live my life, eating well, with less pain. Thank You

Maintaining an adequate caloric intake for cancer patients is always problematic. Food is a medicine for the body as well as for the spirit. A truly impressive specialty cookbook, Eating Well Through Cancer offers more than two hundred recipes designed to ease the side effects of chemotherapy. Enhanced with menus, caregiver ideas, nutritional analysis, diabetic exchanges, culinary medical tips, food lists, and post treatment recipes, Eating Well Through Cancer should be a part of every family's cookbook shelf where a loved one is fighting against cancer both during and after treatment.

I recently purchased this book for my dad. The side effects of cancer are so grueling. This book is organized for quick access in the first few pages with all of the recipes categorized by symptom or side effects a person may be having. Also gives great menu ideas. It gives clear advice on what to do to use food as a FUEL for the FIRE to FIGHT the cancer. Very organized, sprial bound, easy to read and the recipes are great. I would recommend this book to ANYONE going through cancer. Also great for the caregiver to know too.

This book does not provide a way to "eat healthier as a preventative measure." Anyone who has done even a smidgen of research knows that sugar feeds cancer cells and that processed foods are the unhealthiest feature of the average American diet. The recipes in this book are loaded with both. The author does a disservice to any cancer patient who is really committed to learning about diet, how foods can improve overall health and keep cancer cells from growing, and how chemotherapy can be better tolerated without having to resort to what is essentially "junk" food.

If you want to maintain optimal health during treatment, please research alternate foods to eat in order to manage the lack of appetite, nausea, and so forth that are often side effects of chemotherapy treatments. I did NOT eat these types of food, yet I managed to avoid side effects. I follow an anti-cancer/anti-inflammatory diet approach; and according to my recent physical exam, I am healthier than I have been in years. In addition, I have been NED for three years.

Please do your own research. As a friend joked "Google is your friend."

Although some people might find this book useful, I didn't find one healthy recipe in the book. I have just been diagnosed with breast cancer and haven't had surgery yet or started chemo or radiation, so I don't know what my taste buds will be like once I'm on chemo. However, I'm a firm believer in the fact that a healthy diet is very important in the overall "getting well" process. I have eliminated sugar, white flour, refined/canned foods, potatoes, pasta, rice, and "crap" (sorry, I couldn't think of a better word) from my diet. All of the recipes in this book contain some or all of the above-mentioned items. There are recipes for pasta, macaroni and cheese, pizza, casseroles, desserts, etc. (banana split dessert made with evaporated milk, chocolate syrup, etc. etc.) My oncologist gave me this book because I told her I was on a "health kick" now so I could get my body strong and healhty to help fight this monster. I will be returning it to her to give to somebody who might find it useful. I don't recommend it for anybody who is looking for healthy recipes.

This book has numerous tasty recipes that everyone in the family can enjoy. The book is also nicely organized with a chart that summarizes which recipes are particularly good for specific side efects of cancer & cancer treatment.

On the negative side, and this was a big negative for me personally, if you are trying to follow an anti-cancer diet that avoids sugar, processed flours, and other ingredients that many believe are at least questionable if not outright harmful for a cancer patient, then this is not the book for you. Many of these recipes include the use of table sugar & other processed sweeteners, processed grains, and higher amounts of animal protein than are usually recommended for cancer patients (or for anyone, for that matter). The author even recommends adding extra sugar to some recipes to make them taste better.

I understand firsthand that some, perhaps many, cancer patients' palates change during treatment. When combined with nausea or other side effects, it can be difficult to find any foods that are appealing. At times, simply getting the patient to eat *anything* in order to get some calories must take precedence over ensuring that those meals are truly healthy. If this is the situation you are facing, then this book might provide you with some tasty options. But I believe it is irresponsible for the author to provide recipes and food suggestions that at best are not truly healthy and at worst could feed a patient's cancer.

Instead I recommend "Nature's Cancer-Fighting Foods" as a source of sound nutritional advice (for anyone, not just cancer patients) and simple, health-promoting, and appealing recipes.

I received this book as a gift a number of years ago when my husband was fighting cancer. Like all cancer patients he had little appetite and lots of side effects from his chemo. The recipes are great to help with the various problems encountered by cancer patients at any time during the treatment. I also found the section for caregivers to be really helpful for myself. Not only is nutrition important for the patient but the caregiver also and this book provided great food and good tips also. Now, I give this book as a gift to those I know how are dealing with cancer themselves or a loved ont.