5 Changes To Make To Your Kitchen During Cancer Treatment

Going through cancer treatment can be a trying time. Whether it’s your treatment, or you’re looking for ways to support a loved one who is facing cancer, there are some changes you can make at home to ease the process and side effects. Here are 5 changes to make to your kitchen during cancer treatment.

Things to Remove From the Kitchen

• Remove foods that can cause irritation and make you uncomfortable. This includes any foods that you know make you nauseous, anything that causes constipation, and foods that give you heartburn. If you’re concerned about wasting any of the food, consider donating it to a local food pantry or giving it to a neighbor.
• Remove clutter. Your environment plays a big role in determining your mood and having clutter around can have an impact on your mental health due to increased levels of cortisol. Clutter can add more stress, anxiety and depression to your life at a time when you really don’t need it. Worse still, a cluttered kitchen is unhygienic and can lead to pest infestations (see https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/local/illinois/ for more info) or increased foodborne illnesses. Neither of which are good for your health, so take some time to clean kitchen and get rid of any unnecessary objects or old food.

Things to Add To the Kitchen

• Add a new dining table that can accommodate a wheelchair should you need one at some point. Softer corners are also important as your treatment can leave you dizzy and more likely to fall over, so the fewer sharp edges around the better. This live edge dining table is perfect for removing right angles from the kitchen. It also looks stylish and modern, so there’s no need to compromise when you’re concerned about safety.
• Add supportive reminders from friends and family to your refrigerator. Stick on handmade magnets and photos of friends and family to remind you of your support system every time you visit the refrigerator. If you have any favorite encouraging and uplifting quotes, this is a great spot for them, as the fridge is a frequent destination.
• Add “go-to” items to the kitchen. After removing any foods that will cause you discomfort, replace them with the food items you know will be your “go-to”; foods that don’t make you nauseous and snacks you tolerate well.
• Add good snacks. It’s one thing to find foods you can tolerate, but you want to make sure your kitchen is stocked with high protein, good fat snacks with high fiber so you’re getting the nutrients you need.