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Food craving has been associated with different types of cancer in adults and young patients, as well as with orthorexia; conversely, compulsive eating has only been explored in patients with prolactinoma treated with dopamine agonists.
5 ways to cope with cravings. Giving in to cravings can lead to unwanted weight gain – and that can affect your cancer risk. Learn how to avoid them. BY Kellie Bramlet Blackburn.
- Kellie Bramlet Blackburn
- 65 Resources
- Why eating well is important
- Consider seeing a registered dietitian
- Boosting your immune system
- Special diets
- An alternative diet is not a cure-all
- Fluids
- What to watch for – signs of dehydration
- Alcohol
- Eating well on a budget
- Feelings can affect your appetite during treatment
- Want to connect with someone online?
- Being active can help
- If you are gaining weight
- Tofu cube soup
- Getting enough calories
- Getting enough protein
- Managing eating-related side effects
- Changes in taste or smell
- drank lots of flavoured water to help with the bad taste and my very dry mouth. ~ Lena
- Metallic tastes
- Bitter tastes
- Sweet tastes
- Diarrhea
- Dry mouth or thick saliva
- Fatigue
- Food cravings or dislikes
- Gas, bloating or cramping
- If you’re milk- or lactose-intolerant
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sore mouth or throat
- Swallowing difficulties
- Shopping for food
- Preparing food
- Vegetables and fruit
- Meat, fish, poultry and eggs
- Storing food
- Food and drinks to avoid
- When you just can’t cook
- Make every meal doable
- How family and friends can help
- When you just can’t eat
- Commercial nutrition supplements
- Feeding tubes
- Vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements
- Eating well after treatment
- Want more information?
- Living with advanced cancer
- BC Blueberry Council
- Evelyn McQuaid, Canadian Cancer Society volunteer
- Kin’s Farm Market
- Tell us what you think
65 Finding a registered dietitian near you 66 Canadian Cancer Society This booklet will help you eat well during cancer treatment and recovery. It’s written for people with cancer and for caregivers helping with menus, food shopping and preparing meals. The truth is, eating well can be a challenge when you have cancer. And everyone is affected diff...
Eating well can help you at each stage of cancer treatment and recovery. It can give you energy, help you feel better and keep your body strong. It can help you cope with side effects during treatment. And it can help you heal and recover after treatment. In general, eating well means eating a variety of healthy foods like vegetables, fruit an...
Because everyone’s nutritional needs are different, you may want help from your healthcare team. A registered dietitian can help you find ways to eat well and maintain a healthy body weight throughout your cancer experience. “I saw a dietitian several times. She gave me advice and empowered me to think for myself and to know there were things I c...
Many people wonder whether eating specific foods will boost their immune system and help them fight cancer. It’s important to know that no single diet, food or supplement can boost your immune system. The best thing you can do for your immune system is to follow an overall healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy foods every day. Eat fresh rather than proces...
It can be hard to eat well during cancer treatment if you have to limit or avoid some foods because of a health condition (like diabetes, heart disease, food allergies or celiac disease). It can also be hard if you’re following a special diet (like vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free). A registered dietitian can help you find ways to eat well and m...
You may wonder if an alternative diet can cure your cancer. There is no scientific evidence that any specific food or diet (for example, the alkaline diet, a macrobiotic diet or the Gerson therapy diet) can cure cancer. Because these diets often restrict food choices (like meat, milk, eggs and even vegetables and fruit) they may not provide enough ...
As you focus on eating well, it’s easy to forget about fluids. Yet every cell in your body needs water. If there are days when you can’t eat solids, it’s even more important to drink plenty of liquids. They can provide much needed calories and keep you from becoming dehydrated. Do your best to drink plenty of water and other fluids each day. When...
Dehydration means there is not enough water in your body. You may be dehydrated if you: are thirsty have dry skin or a dry mouth don’t have tears when you cry urinate less often, with small amounts of dark-coloured urine are dizzy Sometimes you can’t drink enough or are losing too much fluid because of vomiting or diarrhea. You may need extra...
You may wonder if it’s okay to drink alcohol during your cancer treatment. Before you choose to drink alcohol, talk to your healthcare team. Alcohol can interfere with some cancer treatments and medicines. And drinking increases your risk of developing some types of cancer. If you choose to drink alcohol, keep it to less than 1 drink a day for wom...
As you figure out which foods are best for you during cancer treatment, the last thing you want to worry about is money. But eating well doesn’t have to cost a lot. You can find ways to eat healthy without spending too much. Plan healthy meals and snacks for a week, then make a shopping list and stick to it. Eat fewer processed, packaged foods....
During cancer treatment, you may find yourself feeling sad, helpless, anxious, afraid or angry. You are not alone. Many people with cancer have these feelings – and find different ways to manage them. How you feel can affect your eating. Strong feelings can ruin your appetite and make you lose interest in food. Or they could affect you in the op...
If you’d like to join our online community, visit CancerConnection.ca. You can read news, join discussion groups that may interest you, get support and help others at the same time. You’ll find caring, supportive people there. Learn about eating problems before treatment starts. You might feel more in control when you know what to expect. Consid...
You may not always feel like being active. But it can really help if you’re active when you can be. In fact, many doctors now encourage people with cancer to be as active as possible. That’s because physical activity can help you feel better, give your appetite a boost and help control cravings for less healthy foods. Being active can also: ease s...
Many people with cancer expect to lose weight and are surprised, or upset, when they gain weight. You may find you gain weight because of frequent snacking to control nausea or anxiety during treatment. Or you can gain weight if your activity levels change because of fatigue. Some cancer treatments can also cause weight gain – including hormonal th...
Very easy to make and, best of all, easy to digest. Take firm tofu and cut into cubes – whatever amount you wish. Take some soup broth (cube or dry mix where you just add water or homemade) and enough water to make a single serving of soup. Boil the broth, stir and then add tofu cubes. Sit back with a favourite magazine, sip and enjoy. ~ Rose
Someone with cancer and undergoing treatment may need more calories (energy) than usual. They’re found in carbohydrates (including vegetables and fruit, bread, pasta and legumes) and in fats (like margarine, oils, nuts, seeds, avocado, fish, meats, poultry – chicken, turkey – and milk products). Some foods are higher in calories than others. What I...
Protein is good for your health in many ways. It helps your body grow cells, heal tissue and maintain a healthy immune system. And it can help you avoid infection and recover more quickly. The key is to know where to find it. The nutritionists emphasized that I needed to keep my protein intake up in order to recover well from the surgery. I asked f...
Eating-related side effects are common during cancer treatment. This is because cancer treatments can damage some of your healthy cells along with the cancer cells. Some other medicines and the cancer itself can also prevent you from eating well. No one can predict how many side effects you will experience or how strongly you will feel them. It va...
You may find your senses of taste and smell change during cancer treatment. Some foods may have less taste than usual. Or they may taste sweeter than usual or have a bitter or metallic taste. My oncologist told me to eat what I wanted during my treatment because it was difficult to eat anything with the constant bad taste in my mouth. She wanted me...
Try rinsing your mouth before and after eating. This will help clear your taste buds. You can use club soda or a mixture of salt with water. Keep your mouth and teeth clean. If your mouth is sore, your family doctor or dentist can suggest gentle ways of cleaning your teeth. Serve foods cold or at room temperature. This will help reduce strong ...
Try using plastic cutlery and glass cooking pots. Add tart flavours from lemons and other citrus fruit, vinegar and pickled foods (except if you have a sore mouth). Use sweeteners like maple syrup or agave nectar. For me, the things that helped – because you always have a metallic taste in your mouth – were tomatoes and tomato sauce. I’m a surviv...
Add a little honey or sugar to foods. Add sweet fruit to meals. Drink ginger ale or mint tea.
Dilute fruit juice and other sweet drinks with water or ice. Try vegetables instead of fruit. Add a little salt or lemon juice to foods. Sip and then hold herbal tea for a moment in your mouth before you eat. This can help make your taste buds less sensitive to sweet foods.
Some cancer treatments and medicines can cause loose, frequent stools. Your healthcare team may suggest medicines to take. TIPS Drink plenty of non-carbonated, caffeine-free fluids such as water, sports drinks and clear broth. They will help prevent you from becoming dehydrated. Eat small meals and snacks often throughout the day. Choose foods t...
Some cancer treatments and medicines can cause dry mouth or thick saliva, which can make eating more difficult. The radiation dried up my saliva glands. Now when I eat drier foods I really have to wash them down. I try to avoid dry foods like pork chops or roast beef. The best foods are spaghetti, which goes down easy, soups and cooked vegetables. ...
At times, you may feel very tired or find it hard to be as active as you usually are. This can make it harder to shop for groceries, prepare food or even eat a meal. A diet rich in calories and protein can help boost your energy. TIPS Eat small amounts of food throughout the day, even if you’re not hungry. Eat when you have the most energy. Dr...
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Over the long term, eating well can: help you heal and recover after treatment. lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis (weakening of the bones) lower your risk of some types of cancer. Eating well can also help you feel like you have some control over your own health.
Individuals living with cancer often experience multiple nutrition-related side effects from cancer treatment, including changes in taste and smell, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and pain during eating. These side effects can profoundly impact ...
This leaflet gives you advice on how to deal with a craving, and tools to manage it. What is the difference between hunger and a craving? While hunger can be satisfied by eating any food, a craving will feel it can only met if the food we are craving is eaten.
People also ask
How do I manage cravings effectively?
How can eating well help with cancer treatment and recovery?
Can a craving be satisfied by eating a food?
What should people with cancer know about food safety?
What does it mean to eat well with cancer?
Be aware of what’s going into your body during cancer treatment. Read nutrition labels and prepare as much of your own food as you can. It’s best to stay away from highly refined, processed food. You should also avoid fried foods that contain a lot of hydrogenated oils, which can increase inflammation.
