Neutropenic Diet

 

The neutropenic diet is intended to avoid infection for a patient made neutropenic during cancer therapy.

 

At one end of the spectrum is the absolute neutropenic diet that is highly restrictive with diet strictly controlled. At the end is the permissive neutropenic diet that allows certain foods within reason.

Food	Absolute	Permissive
fresh fruits and vegetables	not permitted	permitted if selected and cleaned carefully
foods brought in from home or restaurant	not permitted or restricted	permitted but avoids unrefrigerated leftovers
foods containing potential pathogens	not permitted	not permitted
prepared luncheon meat	not permitted	not permitted
hot foods	heated to appropriate internal temperatures	heated to appropriate internal temperatures

 

Potential pathogens include:

(1) Salmonella

(2) Vibrio cholerae and related species

(3) Yersinia

(4) Campylobacter

(5) pathogenic E. coli

(6) Listeria

 

Foods not permitted:

(1) raw eggs

(2) raw or undercooked meats

(3) uncooked or undercooked seafood

(4) unpasteurized milk

 

The absolute neutropenic diet did not prevent major infection or death when compared to a more permissive diet.