Ask the Nurse

I have a friend who has to consume more protein because she has been fighting cancer and getting chemotherapy. She is tired of shakes and smoothies, but her esophagus is damaged and has to be stretched often, so she needs to be careful of eating certain types of meat. I know what items contain protein, but I wonder if there is a trick I could use with recipes - something to make food more palatable. Thank you.


That is very kind of you to try to help your friend. Her physician who knows her and is managing her is probably her best advocate along with a nutritionist that the physician works with. Her physician should know what would be the best foods for her to eat, and if she has swallowing problems or for example, is she diabetic? Is she lactose intolerant? Is she on a soft diet?

So, first of all she should talk to her doctor and a dietitian/nutritionist. She could ask her doctor if it would be alright to add Carnation Instant breakfast to her smoothies and shakes. She could try some of the green shakes and add fresh fruits, veggies and herbs to make them more palatable. Also, bananas, pears, spinach and a dash of honey make a healthy green smoothie.

All my best,
Speaking of Women's Health Nurse

January 29, 2014 at 4:20pm