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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 deficiences. The following pages contain helpful suggestions to address these issues:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Dry Mouth
• Food just doesn't taste the same
• Getting Kids to Eat Well
• Poor Appetite
• Nausea
• "When You're Having Problems Eating"
• "I Feel So Full After Eating So Little"
• "I Get Tired Easily"

See Also:

• A Temporary Fix
  What to expect when tube feeding is necessary
  
  
• Nutrition, Supplements and Cancer Treatment
  -from the Spring 2004 Online issue of Progress
  
  
• An Unlikely Laboratory
  -from the Winter 2004 Online issue of Progress

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University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
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This site is part of the U-M Health System. The information presented is not a tool for self diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. © 2008 U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center