Hi
My dad has recently been diagnosed with lymphoma and he has been told he cant have yogurt as its a live culture. Maybe silly to ask as there are much bigger matters to be dealing with (!) however he really isn't eating and his tastes change a lot. Yogurt is the thing he feels he wants so I guess I would like to try and make this happen. Is there something he could have that is not live? I cant see anything when I have done an internet search which is what brought me back to this page.
Thanks 
Hi and welcome to the Online community, although I am sorry to see you finding us and so sorry to hear about your dad’s diagnosis.
Having lived and been treated for Non Hodgkins Lymphoma for over 20 years I can safely say that if he is on chemo he can’t have any food that have live cultures as his immune system will not be able to control them and can well turn into a digestive bug. He basically is on a pregnancy diet....see the information below.
Talking with people who are on the same journey can help a lot so can I highlight our very supportive lymphoma groups listed below:
General Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Posting in these groups will open up your concerns to a wider group of people who know exactly what you are going through at the moment.
Follow the best links I've created, join the group then introduce yourself to the group and post questions after selecting 'start a discussion' and you can also join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
I will keep an eye open for you in our groups.
((hugs)) from a safe distance.
Food when on Chemo
Part of the way chemotherapy works is it kills fast growing cells. This includes not only the cancer cells, but your white blood cells (neutrophils) that fight infections. There is some debate about whether patients need to change their diet to prevent infections when having chemo. Some doctors and dieticians believe it’s very important to follow strict dietary guidelines. Others give less strict advice. This is because we don’t have evidence behind this and we are using professional opinion. This can be confusing. Food safety and hygiene are the most important.
Some tips for you:
Shop smart – Check foods are in date.
Make sure you get the chilled and frozen foods home quickly.
Prepare and clean up - Clean hands and the kitchen.
Use separate chopping boards for raw and ready to eat foods.
Prevent cross-contamination - Separate raw meats, chicken, seafood from ready to eat foods in the fridge.
Cook food properly, piping hot throughout.
Eat out in clean places and make sure your food is hot.
Don't have carry out food as you can not control it
Eat
Meat, chicken and fish cooked through
Pasteurised milk
Cooked eggs with a firm yolk
Washed fresh or cooked fruit and vegetables
Hard cheese or soft cheese made from pasteurised milk
Vacuum-packs meat, ham.
Re-heat cold rice till it is steaming all the way through.
Some foods have a higher risk of becoming tainted with bacteria. Here are some foods you might want to avoid.
Avoid
Raw or undercooked meat, chicken, fish and no shellfish
Unpasteurised or raw milk
Raw or undercooked eggs
Unwashed fresh fruit and vegetables
Soft cheeses made from unpasteurised milk
Uncovered deli meats
Cold rice
To limit your risk of infection from food:
Hi again, I was off food for 4 months following treatment and basically lived on small cups/plates of soft food like mash potato with a little cream, add some mince, good quality home made soups that are liquidised again with some cream, scrambled egg.
It’s little one often..... little can be a few spoonfuls every hour.
You may want to put some information in your profile as this can help a lot. Click here to see how to add details as this helps everyone to see a little about you and how best to reply to you...... and can see our stories by hitting our Community names.
