While no specific food can cure or fight lymphoma directly, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet of nutrient-dense, whole foods helps support your immune system, manage treatment side effects, and promote overall healing and recovery.
Unwashed raw vegetables or fruits and raw or undercooked meats, fish, or eggs can harbor bacteria. This is especially dangerous for patients with lymphoma because chemotherapy and stem cell transplants often lower white blood cell counts, making it difficult for the body to fight bacterial infections.
Treatments for lymphomas may include a "watch and wait" approach, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and clinical trials. Treatments also may include CAR-T cell therapy, bone marrow transplant, also called bone marrow stem cell transplant, and treatments for cutaneous lymphomas.
Citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, are considered some of the best fruits for cancer patients because they may help prevent certain types of cancer.
Foods to Avoid or Limit:
In particular we recommend, Kale, Spinach, Cabbage, Watercress, Romaine Lettuce, Swiss Chard and Bok Choi.
Foods to Avoid
Miracle fruit has been proposed for use in taste changes caused by chemotherapy and for weight loss, but studies are quite limited. Data suggest that some patients undergoing chemotherapy reported improved taste, but no change in weight with miracle fruit.
Anti-inflammatory Foods
One form of these powerful inflammation fighters is found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna, striped bass and anchovies. You can get the benefit from eating the fish or by taking fish oil supplements. Vegetarians and vegans have options, too.
At the present time, maintenance therapy involves further Rituximab treatments – usually a dose every 2 months for 2 years. Rituximab maintenance therapy has been shown to keep lymphoma under control and postpone its reappearance, but not affect overall survival.
Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) is a sub-type of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-related non-Hodgkin lymphomas common in Asia and Latin America but rare elsewhere. Its pathogenesis is complex and incompletely understood. Lymphoma cells are transformed from NK- or T-cells, sometimes both.
NHL most often affects adults, but children can get it too. See Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Children. NHL usually starts in lymph nodes or other lymph tissue, but it can sometimes affect the skin.
Chemotherapy to stop lymphoma spreading to the brain
Some types of NHL are more likely to spread to your brain and spinal cord. To prevent this, you might have a chemotherapy drug called methotrexate. You might have: injections of methotrexate into the fluid around your spinal cord (intrathecal chemotherapy)
This observation is consistent with the hypothesized association between vitamin D status and NHL risk due to the reduced capacity for vitamin D production in response to sun exposure among those with dark skin and with increased age54.
Lymphoma's exact cause is often unknown, but it develops from genetic damage to lymphocytes (white blood cells), leading to uncontrolled growth, with risk factors including a weakened immune system (from diseases or medications), certain viral/bacterial infections (like Epstein-Barr, HIV, H. pylori), family history, exposure to specific chemicals (benzene, pesticides), radiation, and lifestyle factors like smoking, notes Cancer Council.
Avoid foods rich in sugar, fat and salt.
You can replace them with any food that lowers inflammation to reduce white blood cell count, like grapes, garlic, spices, nuts, soy protein, vinegar, and black and green teas.
8 drinks to reduce inflammation
“Cherries, especially tart varieties, contain high levels of anthocyanins and quercetin, which have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,” she explains. “They are particularly effective in easing arthritis and gout symptoms by lowering levels of inflammatory markers in the body.”
Greek Yogurt
While most types of yogurt are categorized as healthy, anti-inflammatory foods, Greek yogurt comes out on top as a clear winner. This powerful yogurt variety is loaded with probiotics, which promote enhanced gut health and keep inflammatory disease at bay.
The strongest protective anti-cancer effect has been shown with:
Staying hydrated after chemotherapy is important for the prevention of side effects. Drinking enough water and fluids will help to flush out some of the toxins that are released during chemotherapy or radiation therapy as well as help prevent future health problems.
“Hydration is important, even before you start chemo.” “Always remember, chemo is our weapon, not our enemy.” “Find your breasties—they're a wonderful bunch. Drink lots of water, rest when needed, and try to get out for walks when you can.
Foods that are high in protein include meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Plant-based foods include beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, nut butters, hummus, tofu and meat substitutes made from a plant-based protein called mycoprotein. White fish is a good source of protein.
These suggestions may help improve sleep quality:
Physical activity can also help to prepare your body for lymphoma treatment (prehabilitation), as well to recover after treatment. For example, it could help to lower the: side effects and late effects of some lymphoma treatments. length of time you need to stay in hospital.