Diet during neutropenia is an important constituent of treatment.

Neutropenic Diet

What is a Neutropenic Diet?

A neutropenic (nu-tro-PEE-nik) diet is for people with weakened immune systems. This diet helps protect them from bacteria and other harmful organisms found in some food and drinks. If your immune system is not working well, your body may have a hard tme protectng itself from these bacteria. Cooking foods (like chicken, fsh, and eggs) completely makes sure that all bacteria are destroyed.

Who Needs to Follow a Neutropenic Diet?

Doctors often recommend this diet before and after certain types of Chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. A blood test called an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) can help determine the body’s ability to fght of infecton. Many cancer patents have this blood test done routnely. When the ANC is less than 50000 cells/mm,, the patent is often instructed to follow a neutropenic diet. This diet should be followed untl the doctor tells the patent to resume his or her regular diet.

Patents undergoing autologous stem cell transplants typically follow this diet during the pre- transplant chemotherapy and for the frst , or more months after transplant. Patents undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplants typically follow this diet during the pre-transplant chemotherapy and contnue on it untl they no longer take immunosuppressive drugs. The transplant team will tell the patent how long to follow this diet.

People who have had an organ transplant or who are being treated for HIV/AIDS also may need to follow this diet.

General Tips

The following pages list the foods you should choose when you are on a neutropenic diet.

• Avoid all fresh fruits and vegetables, including all fresh garnishes. Cooked vegetables, canned fruits, and juices are fne.
•  Avoid raw or rare-cooked meat, fsh, and eggs. Meat should be cooked to the “well- done” stage. All eggs should be thoroughly cooked (no runny yolks).
• Avoid salad ,
• Avoid raw nuts. You may eat baked products with these ingredients.
• Make sure all of the dairy products you eat are pasteurized.
• Avoid yogurt and yogurt products with live and actve cultures.
•  Be safe in the way you handle foods. Wash your hands before handling food. Wash all surfaces, cutng boards and cutng utensils thoroughly. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

  At home, you may use tap water. If you choose to use botled water, be sure it is labeled as follows:

o Revers eosmosisor
o Boiled wateror
o Distllatonor
o Filtered through anabsolute 1micronor smaller flter