Serves: 5

Meal and menu planning can be difficult and time consuming, especially when you aren't feeling well. In the following pages, you'll find ideas for healthy, quick meals and snacks that meet a cancer patient's needs, all based on eating smaller meals six times a day.

The seven-day menus list meal and daily nutrient totals and include foods that are rich in the following healing nutrients: calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. For maximum healing, it's important to consume more than 1,000 milligrams of calcium, more than 18 milligrams of iron, more than 500 milligrams of magnesium and more than 1,000 milligrams of potassium per day. In addition, a fiber intake of 25 to 35 grams each day is suggested. We've also included the meal and daily calorie levels. Instead of focusing on calories during treatment, focus on getting the minerals your body needs at this time.

You can mix and match meals and snacks from different days to add variety to your eating and to adjust for foods you may not like or may not be able to eat right now.

The menus listed are intended to be a guide for you. On days when you are not feeling well, you may look at the menus and realize you can't eat that much. That's okay, just do your best to eat whatever you can. And on the days you are feeling better, try to eat as often as you feel up to it. Remember, during treatment, your survival is linked to your ability to eat and replenish lost nutrients.

In addition to the seven days of menus, we've provided a two-day menu for each of the four most common side effects: constipation, diarrhea, mouth sores and nausea. And because finding food sources that provide enough iron can be difficult, we've included high-iron food choices in a neutropenia menu. Read on to learn about your eating options.

From "Betty Crocker's Living with Cancer Cookbook." Text Copyright 2005 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Betty Crocker's Living With Cancer Cookbook Cookbook:
Easy Menus During Treatment
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Menu 6
Menu 7
Two-Day Suggested Eating Plan for Constipation
Two-Day Suggested Eating Plan for Diarrhea
Two-Day Suggested Eating Plan for Mouth Sores
Two-Day Suggested Eating Plan for Nausea
Two-Day Suggested Eating Plan for Neutropenia