Avoid hard, crumbly, and acidic food (crispbread, rusks, salt sticks, citrus fruits, etc.).
Even strongly spiced and hot foods can irritate the mucous membranes.
Eat foods that are easy to swallow. These include egg dishes, cream soups, ice cream, and pudding. In addition, you can try minced meat dishes, soft cheese, compote, pasta dishes, or the like.
Supplement your food with drinking foods as a snack. These are balanced, i.e., they contain all the important nutrients.
Chilled food and drinks (including frozen yogurt) can relieve mucosal discomfort.
Drink with the help of a straw. Then it swallows more easily.
If the symptoms are particularly bad, you can resort to pureed food or drinking food.
In order to relieve the inflammation in the mouth or in the entire gastrointestinal system, a powder with a high proportion of the protein-building block glutamine can be stirred into the diet. Be especially careful with dental and oral care and use only soft toothbrushes or cotton swabs.
Avoid mouthwash with alcohol and rinse with sage or chamomile tea instead. Those kinds of tea have an antiseptic effect.
In case of very severe pain, a pain-relieving gel or spray can be used, which, however, also reduces the sensation of taste. If the oral mucosa needs to be completely spared, a short-term diet via a tube or a parenteral diet, i.e., via the vein, should be considered. You can also get these at home (home-enteral or home-parenteral nutrition).
Do not hesitate to point out any discomfort to your doctor or dietitian. They are specialists in proper nutrition for cancer and can help you with any questions you may have.
Cancer therapy often has side effects for the body
which can also influence the diet. A wide variety of side effects are possible. What these can be and tips for coping with them in everyday life are listed in the following overview.
Many chemotherapy drugs are well tolerated today and side effects such as nausea and nausea can be treated well with medication. Ask your doctor at an early stage and get individual advice on nutrition for cancer. Also, observe the instructions for taking and do not wait until nausea has already overwhelmed you.
Before chemotherapy, eat light low-fat dishes such as cereal flakes with fruit puree, whole grain toast with turkey breast, or a bun with jam or honey.
Before chemotherapy, you should refrain from your favorite foods so that you do not develop an aversion to these dishes, and these may be a special incentive to eat during therapy.
Make sure you have adequate fluid intake, especially if you suffer from vomiting. After vomiting, fluid and electrolytes must be returned to the body.
Avoid strong food odors. If possible, let them cook for you.
Also, avoid salty, spicy, and fatty foods, and eat mildly spiced dishes instead.
In between, eat dry foods such as toast, pretzels, rusks, or crackers.
Above all, pay attention to and consider your personal preferences!
Appetite-stimulating drinks are, for example, those with bitter substances such as in tea, grapefruit juice, bitter lemon, and tonic water.
Use drinking food as a snack. They contain all the important nutrients, are well tolerated and are a change for you.
- In case of diarrhea, as well as vomiting, pay attention to an adequate intake of fluids and minerals! Drink distilled water, mineral-rich sports drinks, weakly sweetened teas (e.g., fennel, caraway, and chamomile tea), and clear broth.
- Problems can be caused by hard-to-digest, flatulent foods (e.g., cabbage vegetables, onions, and legumes) and high-fat preparations (e.g., fried foods, and cream cakes).
- Bananas are well digestible and have a high nutritional value and a lot of potassium. They can therefore compensate for a diarrhea-related loss of potassium.
- Sometimes alcohol, caffeinated beverages, carbonated drinks, or fruit juices can also cause discomfort. Test the tolerability.
- Several grated apples (with peel), eaten throughout the day often have a mitigating effect.
- Proven home remedies are also: rusks, rice or oatmeal mucus, and boiled carrots.
Everything tastes different. Why is that?
Some chemotherapies cause a change in taste, which is often described as unpleasantly "metallic". Likewise, radiation therapy in the head and neck area can lead to loss of taste or a "cardboard" taste sensation. In addition, some sufferers report aversions to meat and sausage. These taste impairments regress over time. The following tips will show you how to deal with changes in taste. It is also best to ask your doctor about the appropriate diet for cancer and chemotherapy.
If the taste perception has diminished overall, prepare the food with herbs and spices that give the food an intense aromatic taste.
Bitter foods and drinks such as grapefruit, chicory, or some juices are sometimes perceived as unpleasant. Just give it a try.
With an aversion to meat and sausage, you can try to replace them with dairy products, eggs, or fish. If meat is marinated in soy sauce, wine, or sweet fruit juices before preparation, the bitter taste sensation can be alleviated.
There are drinking foods with a slightly sour yogurt flavor that contain all the nutrients. Give them a try
Eat 5 to 8 small meals – this is better tolerated and more energetic than 3 main meals a day.
Dietary recommendations for healthy people no longer apply to you. Eat high in fat and enrich the food with cream, butter, and crème Fraiche.
The increased protein requirement can also be covered by protein concentrate, which is stirred into soups and sauces. This can be bought, for example, in pharmacies.
A pleasant atmosphere can be important – often eating at a beautifully laid table is more fun.
If you do not have an appetite, prefer to resort to your favorite foods.
The right diet for cancer varies from person to person affected and should therefore be designed individually. Consult your doctor or dietitian for nutrition advice in case of cancer. Patients often report chewing & swallowing disorders
Here, the following change in diet can help with cancer:
For chewing and swallowing difficulties, prefer liquid or mushy food (for example, cream soups, purees, mixed milk drinks, fruits and vegetables, eggs, and pasta).
Avoid dry or hard-to-chew foods.
Foods and drinks with a sour taste make it easier to swallow. Here you will find ready-made drinking foods that taste delicious.
If swallowed frequently, it may be helpful to thicken liquid foods and drinks a little.
Carbonated drinks should be exchanged for distilled water or tea. Pay attention to a pleasant drinking temperature – neither too hot nor too cold!
Drinking with a straw is often easier for swallowing difficulties.
Focus on eating and drinking during your meals and don't get distracted.
If your mouth is dry, it not only leads to an unpleasant feeling but also facilitates the colonization of the oral cavity with germs, which can lead to caries and periodontitis, which can significantly affect your diet in cancer. Now think especially about brushing your teeth.
- Rinse the mouth frequently with a saline solution (1 teaspoon of salt to 1 liter of water) or rinse with sage or chamomile tea.
- Drink plenty with meals.
- Stimulate saliva formation by sucking acid candies, peppermint, and sage candies or chewing gum.