Holistic plan
Diet & meditation plan
A week of gentle eating and four weeks of meditation — designed to be kept on the hard days, not just the good ones.
A supportive plan, not medical advice. Share it with your oncology dietitian or team before you start, especially if you have swallowing problems, a stoma, diabetes, kidney issues or a low white-cell count.
Build every plate this way
Protein first
A palm-sized portion at every meal: eggs, yogurt, fish, chicken, tofu, lentils or a protein smoothie. It protects muscle and blood counts.
Colour second
Two fists of cooked or well-washed vegetables and fruit a day. Cooked and peeled is safer during low white-count windows.
Gentle carbs third
Oats, rice, potatoes, sourdough — steady energy that is easy on a sore mouth and unsettled stomach.
Good fats always
Olive oil, avocado, nut butter, oily fish. Calorie-dense when appetite is small, and anti-inflammatory.
Fluids all day
Aim for a marked 2-litre bottle: water, broth, diluted juice, herbal tea, electrolytes. Sip between meals, not with them.
Seven-day menu
Monday
Oats with yogurt, banana and nut butter · lentil and vegetable soup with sourdough · baked salmon, rice, soft-cooked greens
Set the week: fill the water bottle and prep two soups to freeze.
Tuesday
Scrambled eggs on toast · chicken and avocado wrap · turkey meatballs, mashed potato, carrots
Treatment day? Keep everything bland, cold and small.
Wednesday
Smoothie: milk or kefir, berries, oats, protein · butter-bean and tomato stew · omelette with cheese and soft peppers
Metallic taste day: plastic cutlery, lemon, ginger, room-temperature food.
Thursday
Greek yogurt, honey, soft pear · cottage cheese and crackers with soup · cod, couscous, courgette
Weigh yourself once. Losing steadily? Add a snack, not a diet.
Friday
Congee or porridge with egg · hummus, pita, cucumber · chicken and vegetable risotto
Batch cook one extra portion for a low-energy day.
Saturday
Pancakes with yogurt and fruit · leftover risotto · slow-cooked beef or bean stew with bread
Eat with someone. Company raises appetite more than any supplement.
Sunday
Eggs, mushrooms, toast · soup and cheese · roast chicken, potatoes, soft-roasted vegetables
Write the shopping list from what actually tasted good this week.
Keep within arm's reach
Four-week meditation plan
Week 1 — Breath
5 minutes, once a day
Box breathing: 4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold. Sit or lie down, eyes soft. Aim for the same time each day — after morning medication is a good anchor.
Week 2 — Body scan
10 minutes, once a day
Move attention slowly from feet to head, noticing without fixing. This rebuilds a kinder relationship with a body that currently feels like a battlefield.
Week 3 — Loving-kindness
10 minutes, plus 1 minute before appointments
Repeat silently: may I be safe, may I heal, may I be able to help someone else. Then send the same lines to one other person. This is your pledge, practised.
Week 4 — Guided imagery
15 minutes, or whenever fear spikes
Picture treatment doing its work and your body carrying it. Widely used before scans and infusions to lower distress and nausea.
Daily rhythm
- On waking3 minutes of breath before the phone. Then water and protein.
- Mid-morning10-minute gentle walk or stretch, daylight on your face.
- Before eatingThree slow breaths — it calms nausea and helps digestion.
- Afternoon dipNap before 3pm, under 40 minutes, or a body-scan instead.
- EveningGratitude line in your journal and a loving-kindness minute.
- Before sleepScreens out, room cool, 4-7-8 breathing until you drift.
Turn one line of this plan into today's goal and check it off tonight.