Managing Eating Problems

For people with cancer, eating well is critical

Doctors and researchers have found that patients who eat well during their treatments, especially those who eat diets high in protein and calories, are better able to withstand the side effects of the treatments, be they chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or immunotherapy. Those who eat well may even be able to withstand higher doses of certain treatments.

A balanced diet can help maintain your strength, prevent body tissues from breaking down and rebuild the normal tissues that have been affected by treatment. Sometimes, however, cancer treatment effects how food tastes, changes appetite and causes nutritional deficiencies. The following pages contain helpful suggestions to address these issues:

• Using food to fight fatigue during cancer treatment
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Dry Mouth
• Food just doesn't taste the same
• Poor Appetite
• Nausea
• Lack of Energy
• When You're Having Problems Eating
• "I Feel So Full After Eating So Little"

In addition to the above articles, the following were written for Thrive (our publication for patients):