Eating a nutritious, balanced diet is an important factor in the treatment of myeloma. Along with getting enough sleep and physical activity, a healthy diet can help you feel your best and support your overall health during myeloma treatment. Several symptoms of myeloma and the side effects of myeloma treatments might require specific nutrition recommendations.

Guidelines on healthy eating for people with myeloma do not vary greatly from healthy eating guidelines for everyone else. Some of the main aspects of a healthy diet for myeloma are discussed below. You should always talk to your oncology team if you have questions about what to eat or if your diet is affecting your quality of life.

Foods That May Help Multiple Myeloma

There may be certain foods that help your body fight multiple myeloma more than others. Nothing is guaranteed, but here’s what researchers know about food, cancer, and multiple myeloma specifically.

Note that foods can’t cure or reverse multiple myeloma. You can, however, use food to help keep your body strong and healthy while undergoing multiple myeloma treatment. Some foods may also manage certain symptoms of multiple myeloma or side effects from cancer treatment.

Eat Plants

Eating a plant-based diet may lower your risk of developing multiple myeloma in the first place, according to one study. Research shows that plant-based diets can lower your risk of some cancers, including breast, prostate, and colon cancer. Plant-based foods can support your immune system, reduce inflammation, and help maintain blood sugar. Researchers need to do more work to figure out if eating plant-based helps fight multiple myeloma or if it can help lower your risk of it coming back. Research shows that plant-based diets may help lower the risk of some cancers, including breast, prostate, and colon cancer.

Plants contain several chemicals that may help prevent or fight cancer. Antioxidants are one of these. Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, and E, as well as beta-carotene and lycopene. While initial research indicated that these helped prevent and/or fight cancer, later studies have been less conclusive. Researchers need to do more work to know how antioxidants interact with the body, especially when it comes to cancer. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants. Other chemicals that may help are:

• Ursolic acid, found in fruits and vegetables
• Glucosinolates, found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts
• Curcumin, found in the spice turmeric

More research is needed on these and other chemicals found in plants to determine exactly how they interact with cancer, what types of cancer they interact with, and how much of each you would need to consume to help fight cancer. But since there are numerous benefits to eating a plant-based diet, it might be worth it to try it out.

Add Fish

Eating more fish may help prevent multiple myeloma, too. Again, more research is needed to figure out if this is true and, if it is, how it works. However, some people with multiple myeloma add fish to their diets based on this research alone.

Consider Fiber

Fiber can help with some side effects of myeloma treatment, like constipation and diarrhea. “My specialist told me to eat Kashi Go cereal — the one with 13 grams of fiber and a digestive probiotic,” wrote one MyMyelomaTeam member. “Really made a difference in my diarrhea.”

The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends eating at least 30 grams of fiber each day. High-fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Fiber may also help prevent cancer, but most of those studies have been done on colorectal cancer. Researchers need to do more work to figure out if it also helps prevent other kinds of cancer.

Foods That May Help Treatment Side Effects

People going through treatment for cancer, including multiple myeloma, may experience either weight loss or weight gain. If you’re losing weight, try to eat high-calorie, nutrient-dense foods. There are a lot of foods that qualify, for example, you can try:

• Nuts
• Nut butters
• Avocados
• Beans
• Chicken
• Fish
• Yogurt

If you’re gaining weight, you may want to work with a dietitian to make a dietary plan that will work for you.

Some people with multiple myeloma have anemia, a lack of healthy red blood cells. This will likely improve with treatment, but eating iron-rich foods like seafood, beans, leafy greens such as spinach, and dried fruits may help. If you're anemic, your healthcare provider may recommend iron supplements.

Best Diet for Multiple Myeloma

There’s no one diet that is recommended for multiple myeloma — especially because dietary recommendations are different for everyone. There is, however, one diet that includes all of the foods listed above. The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating plants and healthy fats, like vegetables, legumes, and olive oil, while limiting red meat and added sugars. When you do eat meat on this diet, you’ll choose fish or poultry instead of beef. You also eat a limited amount of low-fat dairy products.

Choosing the Mediterranean diet might make it easier to make the changes noted above. There are many resources online for foods and recipes to help you transition to this diet.

Several MyMyelomaTeam members have switched to a plant-based diet like this one. “Day 3 of plant-based diet,” wrote one member. “So far, so good. I was afraid I would be starving, but I am satisfied.” Another member neatly summed up the basics of the plant-based diet: “Eat everything in moderation. But more veggies, and yes, get enough protein.”

Foods To Avoid With Multiple Myeloma

If you’re wondering, “What foods should I avoid with myeloma?” the answer isn’t straightforward. Just as the foods recommended for people living with multiple myeloma won’t necessarily help you fight it or prevent a recurrence, no food or diet causes multiple myeloma or makes it worse.

Some foods may trigger processes in the body that increase the risk of multiple myeloma. If you’ve already been diagnosed, avoiding these foods might be beneficial.

Foods That Cause Inflammation

In one study, people who ate a lot of foods that cause inflammation were more likely to develop multiple myeloma and more likely to have negative outcomes from the disease. A lot of foods that are common in a Western diet fall into this category, including:

• Commercially produced baked goods
• Fried foods
• Sugar-sweetened beverages
• Processed meats
• Red meat
• Foods with a lot of added sugar
• Foods made with white flour
• Trans fats

If you eat a lot of these foods, eliminating everything on this list can feel daunting. It can help to go one at a time, finding substitutions for these foods as you feel like you can. Even small changes will be good for your body and may help your multiple myeloma, too.

Foods That Raise Your Insulin

Certain foods raise the amount of sugar in your bloodstream more than others. Insulin is a chemical that helps your body use the sugars you eat as energy. When your body has too much or too little insulin, it can cause a wide variety of medical issues. Foods that raise your blood sugar too fast can cause problems with insulin and are also associated with multiple myeloma. These include:

• Pastries and baked goods
• Candy
• Bagels
• Potatoes
• White rice

Talk to Your Doctor

If you’re interested in making healthy dietary changes that may help fight or prevent multiple myeloma, start by talking to your healthcare team or oncologist. They should be able to give you guidelines about what to eat and what not to eat. If they aren’t comfortable doing that or if you want additional help, they can refer you to a registered dietitian who has experience working with multiple myeloma and other types of cancer.

They may also refer you if you have additional dietary restrictions or needs. If you have gastrointestinal issues or food allergies, for instance, a dietitian can help you come up with a meal plan that meets your needs and won’t make those problems worse.

Find Your Team

MyMyelomaTeam is the social network for people with myeloma and their loved ones. On MyMyelomaTeam, more than 27,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with myeloma.

Have you changed your diet since being diagnosed with multiple myeloma? Have you found that some foods make you feel better or help you manage symptoms? Share your experiences in the comments below, start a conversation by posting on your Activities page, or connect with like-minded members in Groups.