How to make food tastier during cancer treatments

By Mayo Clinic News Network

You may find that cancer or cancer treatment has affected your sense of taste. Food may seem to lack flavor or taste too sweet, salty or metallic. Usually these changes are temporary and will improve with time. In the meantime, do what you can to maintain your calorie intake and meet your body's protein, vitamin and mineral needs.

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If you normally follow a specific diet, such as one that's low in sodium or fat or designed for people with diabetes, it may be necessary to put those restrictions aside for a while. You'll want to allow for more variety so that you can increase your chances of getting adequate nutrition. Check with your doctor to make sure it's all right to relax your dietary restrictions.

Here are some suggestions for selecting and preparing foods. Experiment with these ideas until you find combinations that appeal to you.

Note: If your mouth or throat is sore, avoid spices, acidic foods, and hot foods or beverages, which may be irritating.

If food lacks flavor

Try different sauces, marinades, seasonings and other ingredients. These can help perk up the taste of food.

While cooking, add:

Barbecue sauceExtracts or other flavoringsKetchupMeat marinadesMustardsSoy sauceSpices and herbsTeriyaki sauceVinegarWine

Other suggestions to add flavor include:

Bacon bitsChopped green or red bell peppersChopped onion or garlicHam stripsNutsCheese, especially sharp cheese, such as sharp cheddar

Try:

Sugar or syrup on your food. On your cereal, try brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, dates or raisins instead of white sugar.Salty foods. In addition, salty foods such as cured meats, cheeses and snack chips may have more taste.

If food tastes too sweet

Tone down overly sweet foods:

Add a little salt or lemon juice.Add plain yogurt, buttermilk, instant coffee powder or extra milk to milkshakes, instant beverage mixes or commercially prepared nutritional drinks.

Try foods that are less sweet:

Drink beverages such as diluted fruit juice, milk, buttermilk, lemonade, ginger ale or sports drinks.Choose less-sweet-tasting desserts, such as yogurt, custard, pumpkin pie, fruit, baked fruit, fruit with cottage cheese, fruit crumble, plain doughnuts, or graham crackers.

In place of sweet snacks, choose other foods:

CheeseChips or pretzels with dipCottage cheeseCrackers and cheeseDeviled eggsNutsPeanut butter

If syrup, jam or sugar tastes too sweet, try butter or margarine on cooked cereal, toast and pancakes.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer/ART-20047536