What I Ate During Chemo
What I Ate During Chemo
TL;DR: I ate anything I could handle, but as you'll see below there aren't any rules.
Omgosh, it hasn't even been that long since my diagnosis and even I'm tired of hearing about it.
~snort~
But, chances are if you know someone going through chemo, you know someone who is having a hard time eating.
Cancer, Cancer, Cancer!
There is so much to learn for anyone going through cancer treatment, and one very important topic is nutrition.
Slaying this dragon is a complicated journey, but the best foods to eat while on chemo, shouldn't be complicated.
When you are diagnosed with cancer, any cancer, your life is swallowed whole by the beast, and you soon learn your number one goal is to stay alive and that means your biggest job is to eat.
Easier said than done for some.
My dearly departed Aunt Mimi and FIL ascribed to the philosophy that if you can eat, even when sick, you're going to be okay.
What Foods To Eat During Chemo
So, what did I eat? What should a cancer patient eat during chemo (and radiation)?
ANYTHING I WANTED!
Well, that's partially true.
Nutrition Is Important, But So Are Calories
While nutrition is important for overcoming chemo and offering fuel to repair cells, sometimes, a chemo patient simply needs calories.
Read that again.
No shaming folks into what's good for them, if all they can do is simply get something down.
The time will come again when they can eat nutritionally sound meals; until then - whatever it takes to get calories.
Casseroles and huge meals are fine for caregivers and family, but chemo patients need something altogether different.
Foods For Cancer Patients Vary
Not one approach is wrong.
Follow their lead. Chemotherapy isn't a one-for-all treatment. Each treatment is different and causes a unique set of side effects.
Gently offer a variety of foods, but listen to their needs.
Can I Eat Pizza During Chemo?
Did you know this is one of the most asked questions?
Our love of pizza runs deep, y'all!
The answer is simple: if your body can tolerate it, you can eat pizza!
Sometimes, its' the small things that bring the biggest comfort while in treatment.
My Chemo Diet
What follows is my experience and what I called my chemo diet.
For the first couple of days after my first chemo treatment, I was good.
Eating, napping, hydrating. Repeat.
About three days post treatment, I developed chemo mouth.
Chemo Mouth Sores And Diet
Let's see if I can adequately describe chemo mouth sores:
* When my mouth was empty, it was sore and tender to the touch, but not horrible.
* When I drank water, my mouth let me know that I best trod carefully. Don't be swilling stuff willy-nilly, yo.
* When I ate anything from tiny oyster crackers, that dissolved quickly, to mashed bananas and applesauce, my mouth protested by throwing kerosene around and lighting a match while running around knifing all the raw surfaces.
Yep, like that.
So what the hell to you feed someone going through chemo?
Doctor's Advice About What To Eat During Chemo
Is there a cancer diet that comes in a handout at your doc visits?
That's a big fat no.
Most docs have very little training in cancer patient nutrition, so you're left to your own understanding or research.
Which sucks - cause you're sick and now you gotta educate yourself - or have someone in your corner taking care of this piece.
My Simple Diet Approach
Here's how I approached what I ate during chemo:
#1: Everything that went in my mouth had to be nutrient-packed fuel to build new cells. Period.
#2: When #1 failed, I went with high calorie, soothing, foods.
Calories are as needed as fuel to make sure my body had the energy to heal from chemo.
When I was at my sickest, when I could barely eat anything, when I was losing a pound a day - all that mattered was that I ate something.
Top 10 Foods I Ate During Chemo
These foods not only nourished my body, but they also fed my soul.
Foods That Taste Good During Chemo
- Strawberry Smoothies
- Mashed Bananas Covered In Cold Apple Sauce
- Naan
- Prunes
- Pudding
- Milk
- Scrambled Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Mac and Cheese
- Pureed Soups
1: Strawberry Smoothies
This smoothie could also have added nut butters or anything else high in nutrition, including other fruits, as long as there were no chunks or even the hint of a chunk.
Chunk = pain.
No chunks, pls...k...thx.
Using cold frozen strawberries helped ease my pain, and ensured nutrition and much needed fiber.
If you are lactose intolerant, use almond milk.
2: Mashed Bananas Covered In Cold Applesauce
Hello, baby food!
If you know me, you know I despise a ripe banana. I like 'em on the green side.
So, in order to eat a banana, and partake of its nutritional goodness, I had to let it get spots before mashing.
Still.
I looked at it in the bowl and thought I'd hurk, so I covered it in cold applesauce.
While not particularly delish, it worked.
I got it all down.
3: Naan
Yes, this flies in the face of "it needs to be mush" before I can eat it.
Yet, the softness of Naan allowed me to chew very small bites at the front of my mouth, before I swallowed.
It did produce a fiery pain, but it was worth the carbs!
4: Prunes
Moving your bowels during chemo treatments can be difficult because of the drugs they give you, and high fiber prunes got the job done.
Prunes were one the list of foods that weren't pleasant to eat because of texture and mouth sore, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do to poo!
You'd be surprised at how much attention is given to poo when you're going through treatment.
Ewwww! and YAY!!!!
5: Pudding
Some folks will develop an aversion to sweets while on chemo, but if they don't: pudding!
This cake filling is made with pudding and could be ideal!
It's extremely light, has lots of milk protein (build those cells!), and you can adjust the pudding to whatever flavor you prefer.
Or Jello, which I can't stand regardless of chemo.
With lots of whipped cream!
6: Milk
Milk has easy protein. Protein is essential for building cells.
Chemo kills dem cells, so you need an easy protein to rebuild.
7: Scrambled Eggs
Scrambled eggs were my BFFs during chemo mouth.
Easy to digest.
Easy to make.
No chewing required.
If your patient can stand it, throw a bit of cheese in the mix, or some milk.
8: Oatmeal
Oatmeal is another meal high in fiber.
Throw in fruit puree and it's comforting for body and soul (if you're an oatmeal lover).
9: Easy Meals That Didn't Work For Me, But Have For Others:
* Ice cream bucket and one spoon.
* Pureed soups.
* Veggies pureed into soups.
10: Homemade Mac And Cheese
Hold the crunchy breadcrumb topping.
The week prior to each chemo treatment, I would feel pretty good - on the upswing - so I'd make a few meals that could be eaten after chemo.
We lived on mac and cheese.
Lots of protein and carbs, but mostly it was a love hug that assured me I'd get through this storm.
Foods To Boost Immune System During Chemo
Many of the foods above will provide your body good nutrition through treatment.
When you're job is to eat through the worst physical time in your life, try getting most of your immunity boosters from your food.
- Pureed Soft Fruits
- Mashed Soft Veggies
- Hard Boiled, Soft Boiled or Scrambled Eggs
- Hummus
- Mashed Beans
- Full Fat Milk
- Cream of Wheat
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Baked Potatoes
Soft Food Recipes For Cancer Patients
The recipes for soft foods are basically what we have already talked about.
If it's soft enough for a baby without teeth, it's great for a cancer patient that is struggling to eat.
Simply making sure the food is easy to digest, is packed full of nutrition, and the patient can keep it down.
One thing we haven't talked about is baby food.
Yep.
There are people going through chemotherapy and radiation that find is super difficult to eat, so opening a small jar of baby food is doable and you can stick with flavors you like.
There are Non-Gmo and organic choices available.
Alcohol And Chemotherapy
You would think alcohol and chemotherapy would be a hard no, but my oncologist advised that an occasional drink, after I was feeling better, usually before the next round, was okay.
I personally didn't drink through treatment, mostly because I barely wanted to eat and alcohol added zero nutrition, but I have known others who have.
Foods To Avoid During Chemotherapy
Well, there's probably lots of things you wouldn't feel up to, there are a few foods best avoided while in treatment.
- Anything raw or undercooked
- Spicy or highly acidic foods
- Big fatty meals
- Certain Supplements (check with yer doc)
- Hard or sharp foods, if mouth sores are present
Recipes For Cancer Patients With No Appetite
There are a few tricks for those patients that have no appetite:
- Snack - all day if necessary. Just make sure something of nutritional value is offered. These small eating periods are better than no eating.
- Less fluid intake during meals. More fluid = decreased appetite.
- Cold foods are more palatable and easier to get down. Even if it's plain vanilla ice cream - cold is good. Freeze a smoothie into ice cubes and as they melt they are easy to eat.
- Nut butters straight from jar if necessary!
- Natural juices, juiced at home if you can for optimal nutrition intake.
- Offer an array of foods, but maybe one option at a time because many patients develop smell aversions.
What About Supplement Drinks?
I tried both Ensure and Boost supplement drinks, but found them difficult to get down.
The texture was fine - it was the taste I found hard to stomach.
Vanilla is least offensive when it's cold. Really Cold. Very cold.
While my docs and I were on the same page about supplement drinks (eat real food first), if you're not getting your nutritional needs met, have a can.
My Experience With Fruits And Veggies
This is such a personal choice. I found it hard to eat salads or anything crunchy, but you should try and find a way to include them in your diet.
* Nothing Acidic
I love Cuties - through treatment, as I stated above, they were too acidic.
You think your mouth is trying to kill you now, throw in some salad dressing or BBQ sauce and see what the hell happens.
Yep, speaking from personal experience.
IIIEEEEEEEEE!
* Plain Baked Potatoes, Cut Into Small Bite-Sized Pieces
This was a favorite meal of mine.
You can try butter or sour cream, if you're feeling bold.
I couldn't handle pepper or any seasonings.
* Smoothies
Smoothies were a great way to incorporate fruits and veggies.
If you can handle a smoothie, here are a few to try (you can omit any offending ingredient and add soothing yogurt or bananas).
CAVEAT: Blend the holy hell outta that smoothie! No chunks!
Berry Smoothie
Green Smoothie
Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie
Chemo Tips And Tricks
Tip #1: When you feel good, and you will, EAT!
Tip #2: When you don't feel good, try to eat; make it your job to eat.
Your body needs protein to replace the good cells that will aid in your recovery. Your body is still seeking nutrients, even when you don't feel like eating. Your body must be fueled properly for the fight.
Eating Through The Pain Of Chemo Mouth
Eating through chemo mouth proved to be almost the most difficult challenge I faced during chemo.
I lost weight quickly simply because I couldn't tolerate anything in my mouth.
I started looking at eating as my job - because it became clear early on that if I didn't eat, my health was going to suffer immensely.
I tried to eat something every two hours, and every two hours I fought with myself, through tears of frustration and fear, to EAT.
Cause you know, if I ate, everything was gonna be okay. I wanted to be okay, so I tortured myself to EAT.
Just Eat
While experiencing chemo mouth, most days it would take me an hour to eat one scrambled egg. So you can see why I say there is NO SHAME in getting anything into your body during treatment.
Obviously, this list is not exhaustive and is only based purely on my experience.
I know some of you probably have great suggestions to add to this list.
Get to it!
Tell us what you ate during chemo.
#thefightison
My constant prayer for everyone who reads these words is full restoration of mind, body, and spirit. Fight the fear of what might be with the light of God within.
You're stronger than you think.
Onward, my beautiful friends.
Original Post: July 3, 2015 ~ Updated Post: July 11, 2023
If this post was helpful, I hope these help as well.
Cancer Kind
Let us remember our own private suffering when confronted with the opportunity to be cancer kind.
What's So Funny About Cancer?
The worse things are, the more I am compelled to laugh.
10 Rules Upon My Death
Oh, come on. This is kinda funny. Cancer does this to a person. You look at your mortality and think, "Hey, let's have some fun!"
I hope this post about what I ate during chemo was useful, and I hope you had a laugh. Cancer's not funny. I am sorrowful that people suffer, but dadgumit, lI saw et's embrace the goodness in the awful.
Smooches to all!
My heart goes out to you and I am so glad that you found things that worked for you! However, a person going through chemo would be better served to stay away from all sugar- it is counterproductive to fighting cancer in that it feeds cancer and promotes inflammation in the body. Also, there are great homemade recipes to create calorie shakes like boost without all of the artificial ingredients and by products!! Clean eating and feeding your body for strength and calories is going to be the best approach! There is a great book written by a doctor that survived stage 4 ovarian cancer by taking on the metabolic approach! It not only helps you to feel better , it helps you get and STAY well!
Marybeth - thank you for your comment.
As one who has gone through treatment, and had extreme trouble eating (in the beginning, I was losing a pound a day), I can tell you that while eating as clean as possible is the always the goal, many times it isn't doable. I am a life-long athlete and I have a deep understanding of nutrition and what is needed for strength and well-being.
That being said, it came down to eating what I could tolerate.
Also, many folks going through treatment have no energy to research a new way of eating or preparing new foods. My mantra was to simply eat - to get something in me that my body wouldn't reject. To eat one scrambled egg took me two hours of forcefully willing myself to get it down.
I say all this for insight. When we are well - YES! - please eat as healthy as possible. But, if, when you're in the fight of your life, and maybe you're the one that has to cook for yourself and you have no energy to spare, then eat what you can, when you can.
Throughout my treatment, I had many who offered me advice, yet had not walked in my shoes. It was exhausting, confusing and many times hurtful, during a time I needed to focus my energies elsewhere.
I say all this with love, knowing that you mean well. In ideal situations, yes, please eat a healthy diet. When one is fighting for their life, when one can't eat as they would like, you do what you can do, when you can do it.
I agree with everything you have written. Since chemo I just eat whatever sounds good to me...potato chips or ice cream, Just get through it! I ate healthy for years and exercised and still got breast cancer. The day I found out I had cancer I told my husband we were going for a doughnut! Lol. He couldn’t believe it!
And don’t listen to advice from anyone who has not had chemo. Chemo mouth is one of the hardest side effects.
As a lifelong runner, lifter and healthy eater, I can say that there are no guarantees against cancer. I loved that y'all went for a donut!
When one is in the all-consuming-fire of treatment, one does what one can to get through it - even if it means eating a not so clean diet. You do what ya gotta do.
I continued to run through chemo and radiation (albeit modified) and ate as healthy as I could when I could, but there were days when only ice cream would do. Chemo mouth is real, yo! Ain't no getting around that.
Thanks for weighing in and I pray your journey is one of victory!
When nothing tastes good, most of us can't limit what we eat. The "sugar feeds cancer" thing is not helpful. Those of us who can barely eat really don't need advice from the alternative method group. I'm really not trying to be unkind. Most don't know what they'd do until they go through it. I've been given advice about the keto diet, the alkaline diet, taking vitamin C, and so on. The keto diet actually is showing evidence of making breast cancer WORSE; you can't change the pH of your blood through diet; and vitamin C counteracts the medication that I'm on. Please don't insult me with suggestions if you're not a doctor. We come here for support, not more reasons to feel guilty if we can't eat what we know to be healthy.
Admins... if this is too hostile. I understand if you don't post it.
Not too hostile; I like to think of it as righteous anger. I felt the exact same during treatment.
We understand the basis of a good diet. We desperately want to be healthy and give our bodies food that will help with repair, but there are days when only a milkshake with full fat ice cream will do. For every meal.
There is a time and a place for care shown by offering what you know through diet, but in the throes of beatdown treatment, may not be ideal.
May your journey through the fire be swift and may you enjoy good health from there on out.
Thank you! During radiation, when I could barely swallow my own saliva, I drank milkshakes. I'll be on some form of treatment for the rest of my life since my stage IV breast cancer is in my blood. I want to eat fruits and veggies, but some days that tastes like diet to me. I eat whatever I can. I've lost 65 pounds (I has it to lose) but the last thing I want is guilt for eating sugar. Some days, I have to remind myself to eat something, anything!
My scans are currently stable; no growth in current lesions and no evidence of disease in my brain. I'll take it for however long my body responds! We have to support each other!!
I was just reading last night that so many think of breast cancer as "the easy cancer" and I thought that rang true for me. No cancer is easy, especially at the advanced stages.
Praying for those scans to remain stable and that the disease does not progress. (I have a friend who has metastatic breast cancer - she's in her 20 (ish) year of fighting. We do the best we can, as we can.
Thanks for joining the conversation here, Melinda.
We need a CURE!!!anyone know anything about dandelion root and turmeric?
I've got nothing on either.
Patti, or anyone else if others can see this,
First off, thanks for the great eating tips. I also appreciate the “eat anything you can” advice which is the same thing my oncology nurse said.
I’m having chemo for recurrent breast cancer. I have a total of 4 treatments, three weeks apart. I’ve had my first treatment and will have the next in less than a week. I know that everyone reacts differently and that symptoms can depend on the chemo drugs used and for what, where. I am taking Taxotere (generic Docetaxel) and Cytoxan (generic Cyclophosphamide) and I’ve paid close attention to all my symptoms/reactions to this first round of treatment. All in all I’ve not had a too rough of a time. My question is is each treatment going to get progressively worse? I’ve not had mouth sores, no throwing up, manageable diarrhea, and manageable eating issues.
Hi Lynn: Sorry to hear you are having to go through chemo. It sounds like I am dealing with the same thing you are. This is my 2nd time around with breast cancer, 17 years since my last dx. I was diagnosed this time with triple negative breast cancer and have undergone 5 treatments out of 6 (3 weeks apart) of Taxotere and Carboplatin. Like you, I have not experienced mouth sores, stomach issues, and constipation/diarrhea is manageable. I have found that my side effects have gotten progressively worse with, of course, loss of hair after my 2nd treatment, loss of appetite, most things taste terrible, like a bitter flavor for the first 10 days or so after treatment, and fatigue, which really became worse after my 4th treatment. I did have swelling and pain of my right foot, which the doctors could not figure out why. I was tested for a blood clot, but that was negative, and after a few weeks, these symptoms went away. So that is a mystery. But all in all, the side effects have not been too terrible. I would recommend that you make sure you get plenty of rest, take the meds recommended by your doctor for nausea, etc., eat what you can get down, drink plenty of water, and if you are able to get out and walk daily, that will help fight off the fatigue. Good luck with your treatments and best wishes for a full recovery!
Nancy,
Thank you for responding. There has only been a little over a year between my diagnoses’. The first time around I had genetic counseling and discovered an abnormality in the BRCA2 so I opted for a nipple sparing bilateral mastectomy (I kept my skin and nipples) and had expanders at the same time for reconstruction. I found that my recovery wasn’t near as bad as I had researched. Getting the implants weren’t as bad as the research suggested it could be either. And again, after my laparoscopic hysterectomy I recovered quite easily. Ive already indicated how this first round of chemo went. I started losing my head hair exactly at week two. Thank you for sharing your experience, it helps put into perspective what the rest of my journey might be like. Preparing mentally is a huge comfort for me, it gives me back a bit of control and you have helped with that. It sounds like you will be done with your treatments soon and I wish you all the best now and for the future. I’m looking forward to the day that we will not have to worry about cancer, or any illness, ever again. (Isaiah 33:24)
There is much judgement about what chemo patients should eat, but my experience was that on some days I ate what I could stomach...end of debate.
To answer your question: most folks do find it harder as treatment progresses. The caveat is: it's temporary. Take each day as it comes. Focus on doing the best you can, then do it all over again the next day. Soon, you'll be at the end of treatment and the full recovery can begin.
I pray you strength for the day, grace for the awful and the ability to laugh at the the ridiculous.
So true this is horrible and you are so sick that you just carry on and never mind all the people who think they know of something you can eat and then.....no its to soar swallowing. I am cancer free since March this year. Glory be to God
CANCER FREE! Man, I love those two words! Glory to God, indeed.
Omg that is so great, and made me laugh out loud, just had first chemo today, so need that
God's blessing to you as you walk this road. That I could make you laugh, means so much to me. Go slay, Pippi.
At the very slightest hint that my mouth was getting tender, I did as my dental hygienist advised and rinsed my mouth with baking soda and water. I used room temp water. I never had sores. Just an off taste. The PH of your mouth is very critical.
After my mastectomy, I had 4 cycles of dense dose doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Then I had 12 weekly doses of paclitaxel. I will be getting my port removed tomorrow. Woo hoo!!
Thanks for offering what worked for you - so glad you didn't have to suffer through this side effect.
GET THAT PORT OUT!!!
Hi, I am joining the ranks of chemo. I will be starting in the next couple of weeks. As with everyone, I appreciate the wisdom of those who have walked before me. Have been fearful of the side effects of the chemo. With aggressive NHL I have made the decision that chemo is necessary. Have been doing lots of research on cancer killing foods. But sounds like the reality might just be to keep something, anything in the body for nutrition. Have about 50 pounds to lose but want to keep myself healthy to fight the fight. i will keep coming back here for support. Thanks!
Welcome, Kim. I'm so sorry for your diagnosis, but LOVE that you're already thinking about nutrition throughout treatment.
Yes, some days might be just eat what you can. Don't worry about those days.
On other days, you'll feel better and eat better.
One thing I have added since treatment is ground flax seeds. The nutrition is stunning and there is a study on breast cancer and the benefits of adding to your diet.
https://ohmrstucker.com/the-amazing-power-of-the-humble-flaxseed/
I pray you strength and wisdom for the fight. Come back any time.
I'm lazy, so I chose some easy fast foods like Taco bell bean burritos or Popeyes red beans and rice. I also found canned soup to be my best friend, since it's soft. 🙂
Whatever works is the best.
Was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with stage 1 - grade 3 breast cancer. am learning so much from all of you. appreciate all the advice. will start chemo on Monday and not looking forward to it. you have taken some of the fear and helped so much with the foods to eat .as one of you said, "It's just a bump in the road" God speed to all of you.
Barbara - I'm so sorry for your diagnosis, yet happy to know that we have helped in some way. Praying for the very best.
Oral cancer for me. Radiation for 30 days. Everything you went through I'm going through. Its been 3 months since last treatment and its still hard to eat anything, drinking ensure and found a 500 calorie shake from hormel that is really good but pricey is whats getting me through everyday. Back to work full time,gaining alittle weight. Im happy about 5 pounds drs are not. Radiation burns are called muconitis they tell me. Look like big white heads. The big guy has helped me along this far guess i can do it!! Thanks for listening.
I am so sorry, Kathy. Prayers for all you need in your recovery. Come back anytime. We love to listen here.