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'Nutrition is very powerful' | How you can help a cancer patient heal

Most cancer patients getting treatment will suffer from malnutrition. Novant Health offers free nutrition consults for its patients.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — According to the CDC, every year in the United States, more than 1.6 million people are diagnosed with cancer, and sadly, nearly 600,000 people will die from it. It’s the second leading cause of death and it’s touched most people’s lives in some way.

Many times, friends and family of a cancer patient can feel helpless, caring for a cancer patient can be scary and stressful. Novant Health is arming people with tools to help promote healing, and it all starts in the kitchen.

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“Nutrition is very powerful,” Michelle Newell, a dietician with Novant Health said.

Newell helps run healing kitchens. It’s funded by the Sherry Strong and Martin Truex Jr. Foundations, and it offers online courses and a cookbook to set patients up for success.

Newell says 90% of cancer patients will suffer from some kind of malnutrition.

“Cancer treatment, whether it’s chemotherapy, radiation, or even surgery, it takes the bad cells down, but it takes good ones down too,” she said. “So, protein is truly the foundation of new cells and healthy tissue developing. We need to replenish that.”

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When preparing food for a loved one with cancer, stay away from sweets or casseroles packed with empty calories. Fruits, vegetables, and proteins will give them nutrients to strengthen their immune system.

For those navigating a difficult diagnosis, this type of knowledge is power.

“It gives them a sense of control and power over this disease that they have no control over,” Newell said.

Novant Health provides free nutrition consults for its patients

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