Eating well when you have cancer

Good nutrition is vital at every stage of your cancer treatment and recovery. Eating well gives you energy, helps you feel better and keeps your body strong so that you can cope with side effects from treatment. It will also help you heal and recover after treatment.

People’s responses to food during their cancer experience vary widely. Some continue to enjoy eating and their appetite stays strong. Others find that just when they need to eat well, they feel unable to do so. Side effects or emotions like fear and anxiety can make eating more challenging. To help you eat well during difficult times, you might:

Try to present your food in an attractive way on the plate to make it more appealing.
Make mealtimes relaxed and pleasant. (Try music or soft lighting if this helps.)
Experiment with different foods – some that didn’t taste good before might taste good now.
Remind yourself that eating difficulties are temporary. Try to be patient and know that you will be able to eat with pleasure again – perhaps as soon as tomorrow.

Try to make your food choices as balanced and varied as possible so that your body gets all the nutrients it needs. Weight loss is common in cancer patients, but weight gain is also possible. Many people with cancer, especially those who are losing weight or who have side effects that affect their ability to eat well, need to make changes to what they eat – perhaps by “building up” their diet with extra protein and calories.

During your cancer experience, “good nutrition” for you may be different than “good nutrition” for someone else

Following Canada’s Food Guide is a good place to start, but you may have unique nutritional needs depending on your treatment plan, the type of cancer, how much you weigh and other factors.

A registered dietitian, as part of your healthcare team, can help you work towards your goal of eating well and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Last modified on: 13 September 2011