Nutrition - Protein Boosters

Nutrition and Treatment | Nutrition and Chemotherapy | Immune System Boosters | Nutrition and Advanced Cancer

Everyone, whether sick or healthy, needs to eat a good, balanced diet.  While fruits and vegetables provide a wealth of needed vitamins and minerals and whole grains provide important fibers, for cancer patients, proteins are the most essential part of a diet.  Proteins give you the extra strength you need to battle cancers such as mesothelioma.  These same proteins provide the building blocks for your brain, skin, blood vessels, and major organs.

Meat and fish, of course, are a great source of protein.  So are eggs, milk, cheese, peanut butter, beans, and nuts.  Including as much of this assortment as possible in your diet will help you fight the cancer to the best of your ability.  You can often sneak in extra portions of protein by being clever with your meals. 

Planning is essential.  If you’re too weak to make your own meals or if you’re lucky enough to have someone doing the cooking for you, talk with them about the importance of protein in the diet of a cancer patient.  They’re interested in your well-being too and will most likely be more than eager to accommodate your needs.

Making the Most of Meat

• Top your salads with meats or fish, like chicken and beef strips or salmon, to make an all-inclusive protein-rich meal.
• Add meats to vegetable-based soups or stews.
• Include meats in omelets or quiches and add meat toppings to frozen or fresh pizza.
• When eating spaghetti or other dishes that are usually garnished with sauce, add meat to the sauce.

Eating Extra Eggs

• Add protein and pizzazz to salads by topping them with crumbled hard-boiled eggs.
• Eat eggs for breakfast instead of cereal and add extra whites to omelets or other egg dishes.
• Enjoy a tasty egg salad sandwich for lunch.

Tasty Soft Cheeses

• Cottage cheese and fruit is perfect for a light but protein-filled lunch.
• Top English muffins or French Toast with sweet cheese (ricotta mixed with sugar) for an impromptu Danish pastry.
• Mix soft cheese with sugar, vanilla, or cinnamon for a quick but protein-rich dessert.
• Enjoy ravioli, manicotti, or any other dish that includes ricotta cheese-filled pasta.
• Eat cheese cake for dessert.

Beans and Legumes

• Top salads with beans or peas.
• Include beans and legumes as side dishes with dinner.
• Enjoy mashed beans, like Mexican frijoles, topped with protein-rich cheese.

Nuts and Seeds

• Eat nuts or sunflower seeds as a midday snack.
• Use nuts as a topping for pancakes, waffles, salads, fruit, cereal, yogurt, or even ice cream sundaes.
• Make or purchase nutty breads or muffins for breakfast or snack.
• Mix nuts with breadcrumbs or other ingredients to make a coating for baked chicken.

Protein-filled Peanut Butter

• Eat a good old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
• Mix with ice cream for a creamy peanut butter shake.
• Use peanut butter as a dip for a variety of fruits and vegetables, like celery or banana slices.
• Spread peanut butter on your breakfast foods instead of butter or jelly.  Try it on waffles or pancakes as well as toast.