Focus on food quality

Changes in body composition are common following breast cancer treatment. Weight gain and increased body fat is often due to a number of factors and can occur unexpectedly.

There are several possible causes, including:

• Certain treatments, which may:
  • induce early menopause and hormonal changes;
  • slow down metabolism, i.e., the rate at which the body burns calories.
• Certain side effects, which can lead to lifestyle changes and an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure:
  • Fatigue can lead to a decrease in physical activity. Regular physical activity adapted to your needs can help manage body composition and reduce fatigue. The physical activity component of the My Active Health program helps you stay energetic every day by exercising safely at your own pace.
  • Psychological impacts can lead to changes in eating behaviour. It’s normal to feel a range of emotions following a breast cancer diagnosis. Our psychological support service is available to support you throughout your care.

Slight weight gain is usually not a cause for concern during treatment, as long as you remain at a healthy weight. However, significant weight gain or excess weight during treatment could have an impact on your prognosis.

If you have any concerns about body composition, or if your weight is changing, speak to your healthcare team before starting any diet. It’s not always easy to manage weight gain. A nutritionist may be able to suggest suitable ways to do this. Combined with physical activity, adopting or maintaining a healthy and appropriate diet can help prevent or limit weight gain. To do so, it’s important to focus on the quality of the food while preserving the pleasure of eating.

Opt for fewer processed foods and beverages

Opt for unprocessed or minimally processed foods and beverages frequently and in large quantities. While they may be appealing, eating highly processed foods increases your intake of sodium, sugars, and saturated fats, so it’s important to consume them less often and in smaller quantities, and replace them with healthier alternatives.

If your energy levels allow it, make healthier homemade versions of your favourite processed foods. If you’re tired to cook, don’t hesitate to ask those around you for help, and stock up on unprocessed, ready-to-eat or quick-to-assemble ingredients (nuts, fresh fruit, raw vegetables, eggs, etc.).

For example, you could:

• try our high-fibre muffin recipe;
• prepare your own meals, choosing healthier recipes and freezing them by portion;
• replace processed meats (such as deli meats) with plant-based proteins;
• opt for whole, unseasoned\unflavoured beverages and foods and prepare them the way you want:
  • Replace sugary cereal mixes with plain rolled oats topped with fresh fruit and nuts.
  • Replace sugary drinks with still or sparkling water flavoured with fresh fruit. We also encourage you to check out our video on the importance of proper hydration.
  • replace highly processed spreads with nut butters;
  • replace potato chips with pita chips (see recipe above) or plain popcorn; and replace candy with dried fruit and/or nut mixes.

It should be noted that not all processed foods contain added sodium, sugar or saturated fat. Some processing methods don’t alter the quality of food, and even make it easier to preserve and enjoy. This is the case with certain minimally processed foods, such as frozen or dried fruits and vegetables.

How to choose the right food?

It’s easier to eat well when you have healthy and satisfying options available. Plan healthy meals and snacks according to your needs. We also encourage you to watch our video providing simple guidelines for a balanced diet.

Learn how to read food labels to learn more about their nutritional value.

• Find the amount of food per serving: make sure you also consider the serving size you usually consume, which doesn’t always match this reference serving.
• Use the percent daily value (DV): It indicates whether a food product contains a little or a lot of a certain nutrient: 5% DV or less is a little, 15% DV or more is a lot.
• Read the ingredient list: the higher an ingredient is on the list, the greater its quantity.
• Compare foods (in equal portions). Preferably choose and consume more often and in larger quantities those that contain:
  • A short list of ingredients;
  • Ingredients you may have at home (e.g., flour rather than modified starch, milk rather than milk protein, sugar rather than glucose syrup, etc.);
  • The least amount of added sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose, invert sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, etc.);
  • The least amount of fat, especially saturated fat;
  • Fewer calories;
  • The least amount of sodium;
  • The most protein;
  • The most fibre. We also encourage you to watch our video on fibre; and
  • The most vitamins and minerals.

Canada’s Food Guide

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Weight Changes, American Cancer Society

Eating Well When You Have Cancer, Canadian Cancer Society