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Journalism of Courage
Three-year-old Shreyan Ghosh has a serious sweet tooth, but the Bangladesh-based boy’s sugar intake is restricted due to his ongoing battle with blood cancer in Chennai. Thanks to his ingenious mother Durgarani Ghosh, 19, bitter gourd currently takes care of all his sweet cravings.
Durgarani successfully transformed the universally disliked gourd into a sweet treat by combining Bangladeshi and South Indian recipes. At Chennai-based Apollo Hospital for her son’s treatment, she says, “Since Shreyan enjoys sweets, I coated bitter gourd with jaggery. He eats it without complaints. The recipe takes care of both his sugar cravings and nutrition.”
To ease challenges faced by caregivers whose children are suffering from cancer, 21 parents like Durgarani were brought together by an NGO from across India to share as many tasty but simple and nutritious vegetarian recipes, including raw mango parathas and black gram laddus, that their immunocompromised children enjoy eating.
All recipes in the 38-page book, titled Happy Healthy Meals and curated by NGO St Jude India ChildCare Centres, are packed with vitamins and antioxidants to help boost a child’s immunity for better illness resistance and quicker recovery from infections. The book can be downloaded free of cost from the NGO’s website.
Each recipe in the book starts with photos of a child and a parent, along with the story of how or why the dish was created.
“This book showcases the remarkable creativity of parents navigating the stress of caring for a child with cancer. These recipes are both delicious and nutritious,” says Dr Arpita Bhattacharyya, a senior consultant in the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology at Kolkata-based Tata Medical Center.
Like Durgarani, Solapur resident Supriya Shinde, 34, transformed yet another commonly disliked food — dalia (porridge) — into a sweet and delicious halwa for her daughter Dnyaneshwari Shinde, 8, who is undergoing treatment for cancer at Mumbai-based Tata Memorial Hospital.
“The dalia, jaggery and dry fruits make this recipe extremely nutritious for my daughter,” says Supriya.
On why it’s important for cancer patients to eat home-made food during treatment, Dr Shripad Banavali, director, Academics, Tata Memorial Centre, said, “Avoiding outside food — with its unknown ingredients and potential contaminants — helps minimise the risk of infections and supports a child’s delicate immune system. Additionally, limiting sugar intake is vital since cancer cells often rely on glucose for their growth.”
Children undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy as part of their cancer treatment often suffer from loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, pain, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain. These conditions, individually or combined, often result in poor oral intake and weight loss. Since weakened children struggle with chemotherapy, increasing the likelihood of severe side effects, nutrition plays a critical role in their healing journey.
Anil Nair, CEO of St Jude India ChildCare Centres, says, “A nutritious diet is crucial for healing, recovery and bolstering the immune system. Recognising the challenge of feeding weakened children, parents customise meals to entice them. Beyond nourishment, food helps uplift the mood and expedites recovery.”
Doctors say there are misconceptions surrounding dietary restrictions of children undergoing chemotherapy. While freshly cooked items are universally beneficial, each meal should feature a generous serving of vegetables and fruits to ensure a well-rounded and nutritious diet. Doctors add that non-vegetarians can consume items that are rich in protein, like eggs, fish and chicken, while vegetarians can opt for pulses, soybeans, paneer and dairy products.
Talking about the recipe book, NGO’s Nair says, “It is a tribute to parents who creatively customise meals for their children during cancer treatment. Beyond recipes, the book symbolises parental strength, love and community support, thus providing comfort and normalcy in the middle of this adversity.”
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