Once you have completed treatment, your interest in food often returns as the side effects from treatment improve. This is a gradual process and is an opportunity to slowly start eating a wider variety of foods.

Changes will not happen overnight, so be patient with yourself. Your interest in food might not come back as quickly as you would like it to. Your body needs plenty of time to recover. If side effects persist, talk to your healthcare team about how to manage them as you gradually return to your usual activities.

As you recover from treatment, eating well will help your body regain strength and rebuild healthy cells. It will also make you feel better. You may still need extra calories and extra protein in your diet until you reach a weight that is healthy for you. As you become more active, make sure you are eating enough to maintain your healthy weight.

Canada’s Food Guide  can help you plan your meals to make sure you get all the nutrients you need. The guide provides recommendations on serving sizes and daily quantities for each food group. A registered dietitian can help you work towards these recommendations as your recovery progresses.

As food regains its appeal, you can slowly return to regular eating habits. Here are a few suggestions to help:

• Pull out some simple recipes you used to like making – and eating.
• Remember what made meal times enjoyable – candles, music, your best dishes or tablecloth – and try these things again.
• Eat a nice meal with close friends or family. You can even ask them to supply the food!
• Make your meal a picnic – inside or out.
• Keep trying to eat foods you previously enjoyed. What doesn’t taste good today might taste good tomorrow.
• Visit a gourmet or specialty food shop and indulge in a special treat.

Many people wonder if a healthy diet can prevent cancer from returning. Research has shown that eating a healthy diet can help prevent some cancers from developing in the first place. As far as cancer coming back, some research does suggest that eating a healthy diet may prevent cancer from returning. Research has also shown that obesity increases the risk of some cancers returning, so maintaining a healthy body weight is important.

If you are living with advanced cancer, you will have different challenges in trying to eat well and maintain your body weight. Talk to your healthcare team about ways to meet your nutritional needs. Eating as healthy a diet as possible will help you feel better, keep up your strength and cope with side effects such as fatigue and loss of appetite.