Nestle Nutrition products for Cancer

• By cards7up
• Posted August 11, 2009 at 4:45 pm
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I do know it is recommended they take folic acid and B12, before, during and after chemo. Avoid lots of sugar and salt. Also, they need to be more hydrated because of chemo, more so than food. If it works, try it. Good luck and take care, JC

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• By blujonny
• Posted August 11, 2009 at 7:28 pm
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Maybe I'm being a cynic but looking at the ingredients of these products they look just like the ingredients of slim fast and various shake drinks that have been around for a long time. I don't mean to diminish cancer in any way but I question whether Nestle is just capitalizing on health trends here by marketing same old stuff with new names and making subtle references to cancer to make a niche for themselves.

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• By misself
• Posted August 11, 2009 at 8:24 pm
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Jill look back at some older postings in nutrition in lung cancer alliance.Someone brought it up,but I don't know what was said back then.good luck,AndiB

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• By drawing3d
• Posted August 12, 2009 at 9:38 am
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IMHO, every single company who sells "nutrition in a can", what they are really pushing is convenience... not nutrition.
Eat some fresh veggies, fruits, grains, etc. and forget the ingredients that are even unpronouncable.
My personal mottos is if God doesn't grow it, I don't eat it.
God bless,
Ellen

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• By jkmastro
• Posted August 12, 2009 at 10:59 am
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Ellen,

Believe me, I'm not looking for convenience here! I am an extremely health conscious person and there is nothing I would like more than for my father to eat fresh fruits/veggies and grains but the fact of the matter is that he is really struggling to do this. The only thing that looked different with this "nutrition in a can" is that it is neutral tasting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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• By drawing3d
• Posted August 12, 2009 at 12:18 pm
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Dear Jill,
I certainly wasn't suggesting that you were looking for an easy way out... I know you have your dad's best interests at heart and it is wonderful you love him so much that you work hard to find him only the best advice. I am simply a person who eats nothing but real food and am highly suspicious of ALL canned, boxed, frozen, fast food, and especially those that are composed of "not-natural" ingredients.
I hope your dad feels better soon.
God bless us all,
Ellen

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• By violet67
• Posted August 12, 2009 at 5:19 pm
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Jill,

We ordered some of the Nestle Carnation 560 calorie shakes from the website...I think they come in vanilla only. It was about $55 for a case and they were delivered to the house by UPS. They have helped on the days when eating enough calories wasn't happening, and thankfully we think they helped to stop some of the weightloss that was going on. They're ok served cold, and we've added different flavors like pureed frozen berries and chocolate. They're probably not the most nutritious things in the world...but have been helpful for us
Also there's the Ensure Plus shakes, each one is 360 calories...they sell them at the grocery store
There have been some previous posts about the Nestle 560 calorie shake on this site for more info.

A few other things that have helped are the Odwalla smoothies and juices, usually they're in the refrigerated section near the produce in the grocery store...they're kinda pricey but have mostly organic ingredients...the Berries Go Mega one is very good.
We also add flaxseed oil to fruit smoothies we make at home for extra calories and good fat
Silken tofu can be mixed in to smoothies for extra protien, there's no taste to it, others recommend whey powder or peanut butter for added protein
If he can tolerate diary, fortifying milk with some powedered milk adds protein and you can mix it into mashed potato, scrambled eggs, gravy, soups, pasta sauces
Eating enough has been one of the hardest parts of the chemo...

Hope this helps a little and good luck to you

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• By blujonny
• Posted August 12, 2009 at 6:28 pm
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I would suggest that he gets enough fluids first and foremost. I think sometimes we think if the person can't or won't eat that it means they just don't want whole food but in reality fasting is one of the best things for your body, especially when the immune system is down as digestion just inhibits the immune system. I would get him on green tea and honey, hot or cold, and then maybe some pomegranate juice and clouded apple juice. They are the two standout juices when it comes to cancer. Rice milk is also light and is easy on the digestive system. Tomato juice can be another good fluid, just make sure it's fairly fresh. If he can tolerate the tomato juice I say put a little dill in there. That can be very healthy but won't adjust the flavor much. Nut butters can be good for his vital fats if he is able to eat a bit more.

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• By turtlemom
• Posted August 12, 2009 at 9:17 pm
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I purchased a Vita-Mix blender when I started treatment. You can pretty much throw anything into it. I call it the "blender with an attitude". Unlike some juicers, you get to keep ALL of what you put in it. It's a great way to make smoothies. You can also make soups really quickly. You can use raw or cooked foods. I know there are other brands available now. Mine looks a lot like the ones you see being used in places like Jamba Juice (I think that's the name of the chain). Combine fruits, veggies, whatever your favorites are. Throw in some tofu for protein, or yogurt. You can add peanut butter or oils for calories, or even whole nuts. Flax seed oil has lots of nutritional pluses, but don't use too much - it has a fairly strong taste. Sometimes, I add ice cubes, but you can also run the blender for a longer time, and the food gets heated up. You can get lots of good nutrients using healthy foods of your choice. Another suggestion, go for the organically grown stuff. No need to add more toxic chemicals, into your body, or into the earth. Having the blender helped me to gain back weight that I lost, but it would probably also be useful if you wanted to lose weight. It just depends on what you put in it.

You can even grind grains or coffee beans, make nut butters, etc.

If mine broke tomorrow - I would run out immediately to get a new one - that's how much it helped!

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• By jkmastro
• Posted August 12, 2009 at 10:51 pm
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Thank you for your replies! This has been extremely helpful and I appreciate the ideas. I just saw my dad this evening and he has lost so much weight :(. He was very thin to begin with (mayb 140 lbs) so any little bit helps. He has 2 more rounds to go so I want to keep an open mind and understand what others have done to avoid any further weight loss. He needs CALORIES right now (this is also what his oncologist has said)! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

OH...my friend has a vita-mix blender...AWESOME! I can see how you love it so much.

I'm looking into it.

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