Should Cancer Patients Worry About the Sugar in Fruit?
If you’ve ever been told to cut out fruit during cancer treatment because of its sugar content, you’re not alone, and you're not doing anything wrong by questioning that advice.
Let’s be clear: Fruit is not the enemy
Yes, fruit contains natural sugar, but it also comes with fiber, antioxidants, water, vitamins and minerals. It offers nourishment that your body can use for energy, especially during times of stress, healing and recovery.
The idea that fruit “feeds cancer” is a harmful oversimplification. What often gets lost in this conversation is that fruit is a whole food. The fiber helps slow digestion, the antioxidants help reduce inflammation, and the natural sweetness provides you a quick source of energy. Fruit can also bring joy and variety to your plate, something that’s just as important as any nutrient.
Healing is not about restriction, it’s about giving your body what it needs, and sometimes that looks like a juicy peach in August, or a bowl of berries when your appetite is low but you still want something fresh and familiar.
You are allowed to enjoy all foods, especially fruit. You are allowed to eat foods that taste good, you are allowed to trust your body.
At Northern Nutrition Group, we’re here to help you feel safe around food again. There is no one “right way” to eat when you’re navigating cancer treatment. But there are ways to help you feel more supported, more nourished and more connected to your body. Fruit can be part of that.
So if you’ve been side-eying the strawberries in your fridge or skipping the fresh Flathead Lake cherries because of fear. Here’s your reminder: it’s okay to enjoy them!
Written by Jessy Griffel, RD, LN, CNSC
Jessy specializes in: Oncology - supporting individuals through cancer treatment, remission, malnutrition, food aversions, focused nutrition care and enteral nutrition support therapy (tube feeding support) and preventive strategies. Athletes/outdoor enthusiast, plant-based (vegetarian/vegan) diets, nutritional deficiencies and abnormal lab values, and weight concerns.