Diet & WM

Keeping to a healthy diet can help you feel better, whether you are on Active Monitoring or are on treatment.

By eating a balanced diet, you can give you body all the nutrients it needs to work well. This can help you feel stronger, improve your energy levels and help your immune system.

Some people with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinaemia find that they lose weight whilst on treatment, due to side effects. Others, find that because they have had to change their exercise regime, they have gained extra weight.

If you’re concerned about your weight – too low or too high – speak to your healthcare team. Dieticians can recommend specific diets to help you with your specific concerns, and ensure you can keep to a healthy diet and weight

A balanced diet is made up of:

At least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day
Starchy foods (carbohydrates) like pasta, bread and potatoes. Wholegrain types are better.
Some protein-rich foods like lean meat, eggs, pulses, nuts and fish
Some dairy products like cheese, milk and yoghurt
Limit the following foods:
Foods that are high fat and sugar. These carry no additional vitamins and minerals
Processed and red meats
Foods that are high in salt

Try to drink between 2-3 litres of liquid a day. This could be water or squashes that don’t contain sugar, as well as tea and coffee that don’t have sugar in them. Limit the number of fizzy drinks, or try to choose types that are sugar-free. Fruit juice is a healthy option, but they do have high amounts of sugar, so try to limit these to one glass a day. You may want to look at how much alcohol you drink and limit this.