ASCO: You’re listening to a podcast from Cancer.Net. This cancer information website is produced by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, known as ASCO, the world’s leading professional organization for doctors that care for people with cancer. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Cancer research discussed in this podcast is ongoing, so data described here may change as research progresses. In today's podcast, Suzanne Dixon and Julie Lanford discuss nutrition during and after treatment for colorectal cancer, including ways to manage side effects and guidelines for eating with a colostomy. Suzanne Dixon is a registered dietitian and epidemiologist in Portland, Oregon. Julie Lanford is a registered dietitian in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  ASCO would like to thank Ms. Dixon and Ms. Lanford for discussing this topic. Suzanne Dixon: Hi. I'm Suzanne Dixon and I'm an epidemiologist and a registered dietitian, and I have a really long history of working in cancer care and I'm really passionate about making sure that people get good information that's based on facts and not fear. And I'm here with my friend and colleague, Julie Lanford. Julie Lanford: Hey, everyone. I'm Julie and I am also a registered dietitian. I've been an RD for about 13 years, and almost all of that time has been spent helping people facing cancer. I also have a master's in Public Health, and I'm a board-certified specialist on oncology nutrition. Suzanne Dixon: Well, thanks, Julie. I wanted to say thanks to ASCO, from both Julie and I. We're really excited to be here to discuss this topic of nutrition for people who are going through colorectal cancer treatment and also for colorectal cancer survivors who may be finished with treatment. So those are the topics we're going to tackle, and talking about how to help people eat well and get the nutrition they need to get through treatment. So I'll get started by talking a little bit of a brief overview about why good nutrition is so important for people with colorectal cancer who are going through treatment or perhaps after treatment. We know that cancer treatment, for a number of different types of cancer, but certainly, for a cancer like colorectal cancer that affects the digestive tract, that can diminish a person's ability to eat well. And there are other symptoms that might pop up that can even affect how the body digests food and uses nutrients. And we worry about something in the nutrition community called unintentional weight loss. In other words, losing weight without trying. And this is really different from when someone diets to lose weight intentionally. And unlike weight loss by choice, unintentional weight loss, or losing weight without trying, during colorectal cancer treatment can be harmful to your health. And I'm sure, Julie, you've probably heard this, too. And I've spoken with lots of colleagues who have worked with patients who want to put a positive spin on cancer-associated weight loss. Maybe they've been told they should lose weight by their doctor in the past for some other health issue, and they might even say something along the lines of, "Oh. Well, it's terrible I have cancer, but at least I'll lose a few pounds." And I think that really comes from the fact that a lot of the general public is dieting or trying to lose weight at any 1 time. And so a lot of people think any weight loss is good weight loss, and that includes even during cancer treatment. But unfortunately, that is not true. And what we do know is true is that, if you lose weight without trying during cancer treatment, meaning you're taking in less calories and protein