Nutrition

Medical Nutrition Therapy Services at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) provides individual counseling and weekly nutrition classes. The goal is to provide reliable and accurate food and nutrition advice to help optimize nutritional health and recovery during and after cancer treatment.

SCCA nutritionists are registered dietitians (RDs), registered by the American Dietetic Association, and certified dietitians (CDs), certified by the State of Washington. They are experienced in a wide variety of food and nutrition topics. They work together with the general oncology, radiation oncology and hematopoietic cell transplant medical teams to explain the latest scientific connections between food, individual nutrients and health. They help interpret scientific findings into easy-to-understand nutrition information.

They also work with SCCA patients to design effective eating plans to meet their unique and individualized needs.

Services for Patients

Services provided to patients by the SCCA nutritionists include: 

• Individualized nutrition assessment and counseling for:
  • Disease-specific nutritional issues and treatment complications
  • Vitamin, mineral and trace-element requirements and deficiencies
  • Oral fluid and electrolyte requirements
  • Weight management (requires commitment of a minimum of two counseling sessions)
  • Preventive nutrition
• Diet analysis and assessment (including computer analysis of a patient’s dietary intake)
• Assessment and recommendations for specialized routes of nutrition support, including tube feeding and intravenous nutrition
• Food-safety education
• Weekly nutrition classes with emphasis on food safety during cancer treatment and the nutritional management of cancer treatment side effects

Nutrition Classes

Weekly classes are offered to help SCCA patients interpret scientific findings into easy-to-understand nutrition information. Please see the activities calendar for information about upcoming classes.

More About Nutrition

Diets and Guidelines for Specific Needs

SCCA nutritionists have created specific diets for specific needs. The following are suggestions and guidelines for patients undergoing treatment or for specific conditions. Consult a nutritionist for a more specific diet for your needs.

Water-Safety Guidelines

Public-water quality and treatment vary throughout the United States. These guidelines are designed to help people with depressed immunity ensure their water is safe to consume.

Food-Safety Guidelines

Learn about how to avoid foodborne illness, which is important all of the time but especially while going through cancer treatment.

Infant Formula-Safety Guidelines

Handy guidelines for caring for infant children and keeping their food source safe and healthy.

Holiday Food Safety

Handy tips for keeping your holiday meals healthy and safe for your friends and family to enjoy.

Food-Safety Resources

Resources that you might find helpful in preparing food safely.

Real Life Real Food Series for Cancer Survivors

A special series of classes for cancer survivors presented by the SCCA Nutrition Department and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Professional Publications

Developed by the Medical Nutrition Therapy Services of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, this publication provides information about nutrition care criteria for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.