High Protein Diets For Chemo Patients

High Sources of Protein

Utilizing foods from the dairy group is an efficient way to create high protein diets for chemo patients. In addition, meat, nuts, and legumes are sources of high protein that chemo patients might want to consider for their diet enhancement.

Hard or Semisoft cheese

• Use to top sandwiches, starches, meats, vegetables, eggs, or desserts.

Cottage Cheese/Ricotta Cheese

• Use with or on fruits/vegetables.
• Add to casseroles, pastas, noodles, crepes, gelatins, cheesecake, and pancake batter.

Milk

• Use in beverages and in cooking when possible.
• Add cream sauces to vegetables and other dishes.
• Add to hot cereals, soups, cocoa, and pudding.

Powdered Milk

• Add to regular milk and milk drinks, such as pasteurized eggnog and milkshakes.
• Use in casseroles, meatloaf, breads, muffins, sauces, cream soups, mashed potatoes, puddings and custards, and milk-based desserts.

High Protein Diets for Chemo Patients: Commercial Products

• Ensure High Protein, Boost High Protein, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Mightyshakes, Healthshakes, Scandishakes, Resource shakes.

Ice Cream, Yogurt, and Frozen Yogurt

• Add to carbonated beverages, milk drinks, i.e. milkshakes.
• Add to commercial products such as Ensure or Boost.
• Add to cereal, fruits, gelatins, pies
• Create sandwiches with cookies, cake, graham crackers.

Eggs

• Add to casseroles, potatoes, salads, rice, stuffing, sandwiches, desserts, breakfasts.  Continue to cook products after adding to avoid risk of salmonella poisoning.

Plant Sources of High-Protein Diets: Nuts, Seeds, and Wheat Germ

• Add to Casseroles, baked goods, fruit, cereals, vegetables, salads.
• Roll nuts onto a banana, add nuts to caramel apple.

Peanut Butter

• Add to sandwiches, baked goods, fruit, vegetables, milkshakes.

Meat and Fish

• Add to casseroles, pastas, salads, breads, tortillas.

Beans/Legumes

• Add to soups, casseroles, pastas, rice, grain dishes, tortillas.

Note:  For any chemo patients considering high-protein diets, we strongly encourage you to talk with your health care professional about your specific medical condition and treatments. The information contained in this website is meant to be helpful and educational, but is not a substitute for medical advice.