Healthy eating and cancer
On this page:
This resource is here to help you navigate nutrition in regard to your cancer.
Please use the sections that you find most useful depending on your dietary needs.
How can a dietitian help:
A dietitian can help you throughout your cancer pathway. We can provide tailored evidenced based nutritional advice for a variety of topics including:
- Management of neutropenia
- Nutritional advice during CAR-T and stem cell transplant
- Food safety advice during cancer treatment
- Managing bowel obstruction
- Eating difficulties post-surgery (bowel, oesophageal, stomach, duodenum, breast, lung, bladder).
- Managing dietary intake and stomas.
- Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency.
Online information
There is lots of information online about diet and cancer which can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, much of this information can lack robust evidence and can cause confusion when you are diagnosed with cancer. It is important to try and read information from reputable and reliable sources. Some of these are listed below:
BDA – the association of UK Dietitians
If you every have any queries regarding something you have read online, you can always ask your cancer team, and they can help clarify, or refer you to a dietitian, who can help talk you through any information.
Healthy eating and cancer
Eating well and maintaining a healthy body weight can help you feel energised, keep you strong and maintain your muscles, keep your immune system healthy and improve your wellbeing.
A healthy diet includes lots of different things. The Eatwell guide is a great resource which visually displays what things should be included on your plate. These guides below include the Eatwell plate for vegetarians/vegans as well as for different cultural diets.
Eatwell Guide
African and Caribbean Eatwell guide
There is also lots of useful information from Macmillan which can also be access through this audiobook.
Healthy eating may not be appropriate for everyone during cancer treatment. Some cancers can make eating and drinking more difficult, and you may need to change the types of food you eat. If you have lost any weight recently, have noticed your appetite has declined or are struggling with your eating and drinking, please ask your team to refer you to the dietitian.
Certain cancers treatment can cause weight gain. If you are concerned regarding the weight gain please raise it with your oncology team and a dietitian can support you.
Preparing for treatment and eating well
It is important to nutritionally optimise ahead of treatment and try and focus on preventing any weight loss. The video below has some tips on how to eat well throughout treatment and how to manage any side-effects you might have.
For more information, please see the short film that we have created as part of the IMPACT (I’M Prepared for Anti-Cancer Treatment) series.
Possible side effects of treatment
You may experience side effects during treatment, which we have briefly outlined below.
There is also lots of useful information within this booklet or audiobook.
Unintentional weight loss
Many people with cancer can experience weight loss. This can be from the cancer/disease itself, or due to side effects from treatment. It is important to try and maintain your weight during cancer treatment and focus on eating high energy foods. Sometimes people can lose weight despite eating well and therefore need additional support.
Oral nutrition supplements are sometimes required if you are struggling to maintain your weight with food first approaches. There are many different styles of oral nutrition supplement drinks and your dietitian can trial these with you and ask for your GP to complete an ongoing prescription.
Appetite
Some people experience a reduced appetite during their cancer journey and healthy eating is not appropriate. A few things that may help you if you are experiencing this:
- Little and often intake – aiming for 5-6 small meals throughout the day
- Opting for high energy snacks/puddings – such as yoghurts/custards/rice puddings/ice cream/trifles/milky puddings
- Food fortification – adding calories to your food by using products such as full fat milk/cream/cheese/oils/spreads/nut butters/butter to boost the energy content
- Discuss with your oncology consultant/clinical nurse specialist and you can be referred to the dietitian as you may require
Below are useful resource to help with a poor appetite and provide helpful tools for optimising your nutritional intake.
The building up diet audiobook
Changes to mouth/taste
Treatment can impact your sense of taste. This can vary from person to person and can make eating and drinking more difficult. A few things that may help if you are experiencing this
- Maintaining good mouth hygiene.
- Keeping mouth moist – using sips of water, boiled sweets, sauces/gravy and dry mouth products that your team can prescribe
- Using spices/herbs/sauces/dressings to try and bring out the flavour if things are tasting bland
- Opting for bland foods such as toast/jacket potatoes/sandwiches if things are tasting strong
- Adding textures to food
- Adding flavours to water to enhance flavour.
- If you are experiencing a sore mouth colder/room temperatures food and liquids may be better tolerated.
Flavour and nutrition recipe book
Bowels
Treatment can cause changes to your bowels. It can cause diarrhoea or constipation. Normally, dietary changes won’t significantly impact this and it likely requires medical management. If you are experiencing these symptoms, speak to your oncology team as they might want to prescribe you medication to manage these symptoms.
Constipation:
- Ensure adequate hydration aim for 8 cups of fluid a day of non-caffeinated drinks
- Increase fibre intake (this advice will differ if you have been advised to follow a low fibre diet)
Diarrhoea:
- If you have a stoma bag this advice is not suitable for you to follow. Speak to your dietitian and oncology team.
- Limit caffeine and soft drinks to a maximum of 3 drinks a day.
- Avoid sugar free mints, chewing gum.
- Reduce high fibre foods
Nausea/vomiting
Treatment can cause nausea and/or vomiting which can impact your appetite. Eating little and often, opting for bland food, trying food/drinks containing flavours such as ginger/peppermint. If you are experiencing these symptoms, speak to your oncology team as they might want to prescribe you medication to manage these symptoms.
Fatigue
Treatment can make you feel fatigued which can impact your ability to cook. Below are some tips if you experience this:
- Ordering meals online using companies such as Wiltshire farm foods or oak house
- Have an awareness of the issue/inform yourself
- Planning in rest periods and meal times
- Plan meals a few days in advance: thinking about what meals do you want – easy lunches/more substantial evening meals or vice versa
- Get shopping delivered, ask for help from family/friends
- Get family/friends to bring portioned foods/visit you with a meal prepared
- Bulk cook when you have more energy and then freeze portions
- Use ready meals/tinned foods when feeling very fatigued
- Keep frozen vegetables to hand or tinned/dried fruit
- Eat regularly for energy and aim for healthy balanced meals
- Planning and preparation
See the Fatigue page or join our fatigue management workshop for further information.
Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI):
We are aware that there are PERT (creon) shortages. Please see the following position statement
Diabetes
Dietary control of your diabetes may not be appropriate during your cancer treatment as you don’t want to be losing weight during treatment. We can link in with your diabetes team/refer you for support under the diabetes dietitian if your diabetes control is impacted during your cancer treatment.
Alternative diets:
A cancer diagnosis is a difficult time for patients and families. It is understandable that many people will try fight cancer or help their treatment through dietary changes. There is a lot of information available on alternative diets and cancer. Please see the following links for information on alternative diets and cancer and a website for checking alternative medicines. Please always inform your team if you are adhering to an alternative diet or taking any supplements.
Referral for further / individual dietary advice and support
If you would like further information or you would like to speak to a Dietitian please contact your GP, Consultant or CNS and ask them to refer to Community or Hospital dietitian. You can also contact the nutrition and dietetic department on 020 8725 3049.
The Cancer Care Map and Macmillan’s In Your Area are both examples of online directories that aim to link people to sources of support for self-management and peer support.