Diet & Nutrition
Good nutrition is an essential part of cancer treatment and survivorship. Eating well can help you keep up your strength and energy, and eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables has been linked with reduced risk of certain cancers. Wilmot Cancer Institute offers:
Nutrition consultations
Wilmot Cancer Institute has registered dietitians who are board-certified in oncology nutrition and who provide counseling and other advice to adult cancer patients on how to eat well before, during and after treatment. Nutrition consultations are free and do not require a referral from a provider.
Nutrition therapy can help you:
- Manage undesired weight loss, weight gain or changes in appetite.
- Ensure you are meeting your calorie, protein and other nutrient needs.
- Help get you nutritionally ready for surgery to help with recovery afterward.
- Find strategies for dealing with dry mouth and taste changes.
- Manage diarrhea or constipation.
- Recommend diet changes to help manage pain with swallowing.
- Recommend and monitor tube feeding and fluid needs.
- Teach you how to protect immune function and decrease the risk of infection.
- Reduce your risk of recurrent or additional cancers.
Any Wilmot Cancer Institute patient can arrange for a nutrition consultation:
- Request an appointment through MyChart.
- Call to schedule an appointment at either Pluta Cancer Center (585-486-0654), Wilmot Cancer Center (585-275-5823) or Highland Hospital (585-341-8013).
Cooking for Wellness
In this free cooking class, patients and caregivers prepare and taste flavorful recipes featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins. The class is led by board-certified specialists in oncology nutrition at Wilmot Cancer Institute. It is a collaboration of Wilmot Cancer Institute and the Pluta Cancer Center Foundation.
Classes are usually held on the third Thursday of each month (except July and December) at a local teaching kitchen. Registration is required. To register, call (585) 486-0630.
If you have questions about the program, contact Sue Czap, M.S., R.D., CSO, at (585) 486-0654.
Pluta Integrative Oncology and Wellness Center
Wilmot's Pluta Integrative Oncology and Wellness Center offers therapies to complement cancer treatment, including monthly nutrition lectures on topics such as nutrition during chemotherapy, menu planning and healthy cooking demonstrations. To learn more, contact the Integrative Oncology Center at 585-486-0630 or integrativeoncologycenter@urmc.rochester.edu.
Additional resources
- The University of Rochester Medical Center’s Edward G. Miner Library has resources available for patients and families who would like to learn more about their conditions and treatments. For more information: Contact a reference librarian at (585) 275-2487, or you can email library liaison Daniel Castillo at Daniel_Castillo@urmc.rochester.edu. You can also click the Ask A Librarian button in MyChart.
- The National Cancer Institute provides good information about the effects of cancer treatment on nutrition and the importance of nutrition for cancer survivors.
- The American Institute for Cancer Research focuses on the importance of lifestyle — including nutrition — in reducing cancer risk. In addition to information about prevention, AICR’s site offers many healthy recipes.
- Find more resources about cancer and nutrition as well as popular places to find healthy recipes in this list of cancer nutrition resources from our registered dietitians.