What's on Your Plate During Ivonescimab Treatment?

Balanced nutrition and food choices during Ivonescimab treatment

What if your plate could tell you what your body needs during Ivonescimab therapy ? Diet is not just about eating healthy but taking the nutrition in a proportionate amount. Do not go behind the magical or fancy Ivonescimab diet, instead try to explore what your plate can actually do?

What does your plate reveal?

Have a look at your plate and ask yourself whether you are including proteins, fruits, vegetables and sufficient fluids in the right proportions for your needs. Rather than focusing on following a strict or complicated diet, your everyday plate can be a simple way to look at what you are eating during treatment.

Nutritional needs in a cancer patient are based on your cancer, treatment combination, appetite, weight and other comorbidities. This means there is no single plate or eating pattern that will work in exactly the same way for everyone. What feels appropriate for one person may not necessarily be suitable for another.

Instead of trying to make every meal perfect, pay attention to the overall balance of your food choices. Consider whether your meals are providing the proteins your body needs, along with fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates for energy and fluids. Your appetite and tolerance may also influence how much you are able to include at a particular meal.

The purpose is not to create a complicated “Ivonescimab diet” or follow a rigid food plan. It is simply to understand what is already on your plate and identify where you can make practical choices based on your nutritional needs and what you are comfortable eating.

Proteins

Proteins have a significant role on your plate during cancer therapy. The reason behind is to maintain muscles, support tissue repair and many other essential functions.

Sources of protein include eggs, fish, chicken, paneer, curd, dal beans, lentils, tofu, nuts.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the important source of energy during the treatment. 

Healthy sources of carbohydrates include oats, sweet potatoes, whole-grain breads and millets based on your nutritional requirements.

Do not avoid carbohydrates unless recommended by your doctor.

Fruits and vegetables

The fruits and vegetables provide vitamins, minerals and fiber required for the body.

Vegetables include cooked vegetables, carrots, pumpkin and beans, whereas fruits include apples, bananas and berries depending on your health status.

Take easily digestible foods in this category if you experience digestive issues or loss of appetite.

Fluids

Take sufficient amounts of water. Patients suffering from  kidney, heart or other problems are advised for individualized fluid intake quantity.

What if your appetite is not the same

It is quite common to notice changes in appetite during treatment, and this can make it difficult to maintain your usual eating pattern. Instead of focusing on eating a large amount at once, the key is to maintain a diet that feels comfortable, manageable, and suitable for you. The goal is to listen to what your body can tolerate and make your meals easier to manage when your appetite is lower.

Tips:

• Have small and frequent meals instead of several larger meals.
• Choose easy-to-digest meals when your appetite is low or your stomach feels uncomfortable.
• Try foods at different temperatures and in different forms to find what feels easier for you.
• Experiment with different flavours according to your tolerance and preference.
• Focus on foods that you can comfortably eat rather than forcing yourself to follow a rigid eating pattern.

Your appetite may not remain the same every day, so your meals do not have to look exactly the same either. On a low-appetite day, keeping meals smaller and manageable may feel easier, while on a better day, you may be able to eat more comfortably. The focus should be on finding a practical eating pattern that works for you throughout your treatment.

Decode the treatment 

Ivonescimab is the world’s first-in-class PD-1/VEGF bispecific immunotherapy drug with a combined mechanism of tumor immunotherapy and anti-angiogenesis. Ivonescimab has been approved by China’s, National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of EGFR mutated, locally advanced, or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (nsq-NSCLC) in patients who have progressed after EGFR-TKI treatment. 

The common side effects include fatigue, skin rash, and mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea.

One of the more serious side effects is immune-related adverse events, which occur when the immune system becomes overactive and starts attacking normal tissues. This can lead to conditions such as pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis and endocrinopathies.

Burst the myth of superfoods

Social media is filled with engaging content with boosting-immunity kinds of foods that can suppress cancer. This is not true. There is no special food that cures cancer patients.

Consult your doctor before taking minimal medicines including herbal or any supplements.

The goal is not to make a perfect plate, rather the focus should be more on the practical way of eating on any day from low-appetite day to nausea-prone day to exhausting day. So the next time you see your plate, check if it includes the best sources of protein, healthy calories, fluids and tolerance. There’s more to discover so stay connected with 24/7QualityMeds.