Craving chili and comfort foods

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Mike49
Mike49 Member Posts: 261
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I was wondering if anybody else has cravings after chemo. After I had chemo last week, I had the expected nausea, but I also would crave food like chili or french fries and chili. I don't usually even eat it very often, but I ate it like crazy. I was told to eat small meals, bland stuff like oatmeal and dry toast, but I tolerated the chili fine. My theory is theres good news and bad news. You can eat whatever you want, just alot of the time I don't feel like eating.
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  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #2
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    Foods
    Can I relate to your food issue! For a few days after treatment I have a difficult time
    eating or drinking and sometimes I can't tell if I am feeling nausea or hunger. The appetite
    triggers just seem to go awry. I find that I crave fast foods, mainly I think because they
    have lots of salt and stronger flavor than stuff I fix for myself at home. The stronger the flavor the better I eat. I also eat small amounts at a time. I go to a chili place or
    to Arbys for their turkey,swiss and bacon market fresh sandwich or to Taco Bell for the taco
    supreme, etc. My main concern is that i know you are supposed to drink plenty of fluids and
    I find I can hardly drink much at all but again if it is ginger ale or tea or something witha
    strong flavor, I do better. Am hoping I get back in balance because I also eat more carbs
    than I should and need to balance back to fruits and veges but then you occasionally run into
    diarrhea from that. This is so much fun......Ha!
  • claud1951
    claud1951 Member Posts: 424 Member
    #3
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    Oh yes
    Mike,

    I too, had cravings. Yes..food my Mom used to make (comfort food) that we don't eat to much anymore. Beef and noodles or mashed potatoes AND Mexican!

    They (oncology) don't want you to loose weight (or they didn't me even though I could have stood to loose a lot! Chemo burns calories) And, a lot of times the fast food is so easy. You didn't have to prepare..just grab it. Also, depending on the chemo (and if it causes diaherra) you can't eat raw veggies, or grains, etc. It was suggested that you eat white bread, white rice, etc. Wow, did that play tricks with my brain when I used to eat healthy.

    A lot of mine was not wanting to cook (and I love to cook). It takes energy to cook and of course, on chemo, you don't have the energy. So, that really got me into trouble. Now I'm trying to loose the weight. All done with Chemo (for a 1year) and trying to get back into the healthy foods.

    I hope you are doing okay. All kinds of strange things happen on chemo.

    I wish you well and remember to always keep your energy for moving forward.

    Claudia
  • mykidsmommy
    mykidsmommy Member Posts: 76
    #4
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    Captain Crunch
    So I think it was the steroid they gave me for anti-nausea , that made me crave total junk post-chemo. worse than any pregnant craving I ever had. My main weird one was Captain Crunch cereal,which I never even let my kids eat, and there I was sending my husband to the store for it. Whatever gets you through -
    Oh but I did gain 20 lbs during chemo, which I have since lost , but the steroid messed me up good!
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #5
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    mykidsmommy said:

    Captain Crunch
    So I think it was the steroid they gave me for anti-nausea , that made me crave total junk post-chemo. worse than any pregnant craving I ever had. My main weird one was Captain Crunch cereal,which I never even let my kids eat, and there I was sending my husband to the store for it. Whatever gets you through -
    Oh but I did gain 20 lbs during chemo, which I have since lost , but the steroid messed me up good!

    Chili here also
    Same as you...Chili or Barbequed pork ribs...yeah I know realllll healthy for me but the wife told me I ate like I was pregnant. The bland stuff don't dut it here , i have to have something that I can taste. It takes away the nausea or overwhelms it, either way what ever works..God Bless ya
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #6
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    Thai food and Ice Cream....mmmmmm
    I followed what you shared....anything that sounded good, I ate. Now, the Thai was 'special fried rice' with all sorts of vegies, and the Ice Cream was all-natural Bryers...but mmmmm...it tasted SO GOOD!!!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #7
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    KathiM said:

    Thai food and Ice Cream....mmmmmm
    I followed what you shared....anything that sounded good, I ate. Now, the Thai was 'special fried rice' with all sorts of vegies, and the Ice Cream was all-natural Bryers...but mmmmm...it tasted SO GOOD!!!

    Hugs, Kathi

    No Ice Cream with Oxilaplatin
    But please have a rather large bowl for me........Just wait....a very largee glass of colddd milk and a whole gallon of Blue Bell Ice Cream all to myself...6 more treatments and its over for me......and Im gonna dance naked for a whileeeeeeee.....at least til Spring.....
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    #8
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    Buzzard said:

    No Ice Cream with Oxilaplatin
    But please have a rather large bowl for me........Just wait....a very largee glass of colddd milk and a whole gallon of Blue Bell Ice Cream all to myself...6 more treatments and its over for me......and Im gonna dance naked for a whileeeeeeee.....at least til Spring.....

    MILK!!
    Hahaha Buzzard! You reminded me... the craving I had was for LARGE LARGE glasses of ice cold milk!! Of course, while I was on the Oxilaplatin, I couldn't even have "cool" drinks, so it made the craving even worse!! Once I got off the chemo, the craving for milk didn't disappear... I still have it!! And I never used to care one way or the other about milk... go figure?

    Huggggs,

    Cheryl
  • VickiCO
    VickiCO Member Posts: 917
    #9
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    CherylHutch said:

    MILK!!
    Hahaha Buzzard! You reminded me... the craving I had was for LARGE LARGE glasses of ice cold milk!! Of course, while I was on the Oxilaplatin, I couldn't even have "cool" drinks, so it made the craving even worse!! Once I got off the chemo, the craving for milk didn't disappear... I still have it!! And I never used to care one way or the other about milk... go figure?

    Huggggs,

    Cheryl

    Milk too
    I am craving lots of milk right now. I do drink a lot normally, but it is my drink of preference during chemo. And it has to be cold. I am not looking forward to round two after surgery if I can't have cold milk!

    Vicki
  • VickiCO
    VickiCO Member Posts: 917
    #10
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    mykidsmommy said:

    Captain Crunch
    So I think it was the steroid they gave me for anti-nausea , that made me crave total junk post-chemo. worse than any pregnant craving I ever had. My main weird one was Captain Crunch cereal,which I never even let my kids eat, and there I was sending my husband to the store for it. Whatever gets you through -
    Oh but I did gain 20 lbs during chemo, which I have since lost , but the steroid messed me up good!

    This is funny
    I am eating a lot of cereal right now, because not much else appeals to me. Oatmeal, cheerios,etc. The other night I just HAD to have Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Nothing else would do. I swear I ate the whole box in one day. Then I was done with it.

    Vicki
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #11
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    Buzzard said:

    No Ice Cream with Oxilaplatin
    But please have a rather large bowl for me........Just wait....a very largee glass of colddd milk and a whole gallon of Blue Bell Ice Cream all to myself...6 more treatments and its over for me......and Im gonna dance naked for a whileeeeeeee.....at least til Spring.....

    Yeah, but I MELTED it!!!
    Strangely, it was ok...hummmm, maybe the Oxi wasn't the 'real' stuff...lol!

    My sis and I were sharing about milk. I am still VERY lactose intollerant from the treatments, but she, one year out from 'just' (just????) rectal cancer says hers has improved. The difference, she says is due to taking probiotics everyday and glucomine....MAN! what a difference in treatment 2 years makes!!!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #12
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    food cravings
    Luckily, it's been a little while for me since I've been on regular chemo, but I can SOO remember the weird food cravings. Luckily, I didn't have anybody to go out and buy the stuff, and by the time I felt well enough to go out, the cravings were gone, but when my "chemical bubble" would kick in, I would have the weirdest food cravings. By the time the bubble wore off and I was able to get back out of bed, the weird cravings had already subsided and I would get something that was actually in my pantry or fridge. I told my doc about the weird cravings and he just laughed. Mostly i craved burgers, which on a regular day I really just don't like. Chili cheese fries was another one, and again, normally the THOUGHT of those makes me cringe!
    mary
  • Mike49
    Mike49 Member Posts: 261
    #13
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    My appetite is subsiding a bit just in time for second chemo week that starts Wednesday. Its really only 3 days but it seems like a week.

    I hope by Sunday I feel well enough to feed the craving, time will tell.

    Mike
  • impactzone
    impactzone Member Posts: 551 Member
    #14
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    You bet. Mine was spagetti
    You bet. Mine was spagetti and mashed potatoes... Funny that now those bring back some mixed memories (even those its only 1 - 2 years). I was told eat when you feel like it and I tried to eat healthy but sometimes things tasted so metallic that I asked for the same stuff from my wife when I could and she could...
    chip
  • kimby
    kimby Member Posts: 797
    #15
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    Soup
    I never was much of a soup fan...ok but nothing special. Chemo made me crave soup and it hasn't gone away. I make my own broth again (haven't done that since I was a stay-at-home mom) and make soup on off chemo weeks. I make huge batches and keep it in the freezer. Right now I have in the freezer: broccoli cheese (I add the cream and cheese after it's thawed), black bean and ham, chili, chicken noodle, turkey vegetable, pinto bean sausage, chicken tortilla, beef barley...who knows what else is in there! And I make potato soup a couple of times a month. Yesterday a friend took me to lunch so we went to my favorite soup place. I don't know what has changed in my taste buds but soup is a keeper!

    Kimby

    PS. Anyone have a good hot & sour soup recipe? I love it but have never made it.
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #16
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    kimby said:

    Soup
    I never was much of a soup fan...ok but nothing special. Chemo made me crave soup and it hasn't gone away. I make my own broth again (haven't done that since I was a stay-at-home mom) and make soup on off chemo weeks. I make huge batches and keep it in the freezer. Right now I have in the freezer: broccoli cheese (I add the cream and cheese after it's thawed), black bean and ham, chili, chicken noodle, turkey vegetable, pinto bean sausage, chicken tortilla, beef barley...who knows what else is in there! And I make potato soup a couple of times a month. Yesterday a friend took me to lunch so we went to my favorite soup place. I don't know what has changed in my taste buds but soup is a keeper!

    Kimby

    PS. Anyone have a good hot & sour soup recipe? I love it but have never made it.

    No recipe, but...
    I'll be knocking on your door as soon as I can arrange a flight, soup spoon in hand...lol!!!

    MMMMMMMMM! Homemade, Mommade soup is the BEST!!!!!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #17
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    kimby said:

    Soup
    I never was much of a soup fan...ok but nothing special. Chemo made me crave soup and it hasn't gone away. I make my own broth again (haven't done that since I was a stay-at-home mom) and make soup on off chemo weeks. I make huge batches and keep it in the freezer. Right now I have in the freezer: broccoli cheese (I add the cream and cheese after it's thawed), black bean and ham, chili, chicken noodle, turkey vegetable, pinto bean sausage, chicken tortilla, beef barley...who knows what else is in there! And I make potato soup a couple of times a month. Yesterday a friend took me to lunch so we went to my favorite soup place. I don't know what has changed in my taste buds but soup is a keeper!

    Kimby

    PS. Anyone have a good hot & sour soup recipe? I love it but have never made it.

    Hot and sour shrimp soup!
    This is one of my favorites:
    Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

    4 ounces thin egg noodles (or whatever noodles you wish)
    1 T vegetable oil
    ½ C sliced fresh mushrooms
    2 cloves garlic, chopped (or 1/4 t garlic powder)
    1 large tomato, cut into wedges
    1 C fresh or canned pineapple chunks
    1 stalk celery, sliced
    2 T white sugar
    3 C chicken broth
    3 C water
    3 T fresh lime juice
    2 T soy sauce
    1 lb. Large shrimp, peeled and deveined (can substitute chicken, cooked and diced)
    ¼ t crushed red pepper
    ½ C bean sprouts (optional)
    1 green onion, thinly sliced (optional)

    Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
    Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook mushrooms and garlic in oil until soft (do not brown). Stir in tomato, pineapple, celery and sugar and cook until tomatoes begin to soften. Stir in chicken broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in lime juice and soy sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and red pepper and simmer 3 minutes more, until shrimp are pink. Stir in bean sprouts , onion and reserved noodles. Heat through and serve.

    6 servings.

    Note: I didn’t use the bean sprouts. I used real-lime and teriyaki sauce (instead of the soy). I used some crushed habaneros that I grew in my own garden and are MUCH hotter than the red pepper! I also cooked this a bit longer after adding the shrimp, just because I like my flavors well blended! I really enjoyed this soup, hope you do too!

    mary
  • kimby
    kimby Member Posts: 797
    #18
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    msccolon said:

    Hot and sour shrimp soup!
    This is one of my favorites:
    Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

    4 ounces thin egg noodles (or whatever noodles you wish)
    1 T vegetable oil
    ½ C sliced fresh mushrooms
    2 cloves garlic, chopped (or 1/4 t garlic powder)
    1 large tomato, cut into wedges
    1 C fresh or canned pineapple chunks
    1 stalk celery, sliced
    2 T white sugar
    3 C chicken broth
    3 C water
    3 T fresh lime juice
    2 T soy sauce
    1 lb. Large shrimp, peeled and deveined (can substitute chicken, cooked and diced)
    ¼ t crushed red pepper
    ½ C bean sprouts (optional)
    1 green onion, thinly sliced (optional)

    Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
    Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook mushrooms and garlic in oil until soft (do not brown). Stir in tomato, pineapple, celery and sugar and cook until tomatoes begin to soften. Stir in chicken broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in lime juice and soy sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and red pepper and simmer 3 minutes more, until shrimp are pink. Stir in bean sprouts , onion and reserved noodles. Heat through and serve.

    6 servings.

    Note: I didn’t use the bean sprouts. I used real-lime and teriyaki sauce (instead of the soy). I used some crushed habaneros that I grew in my own garden and are MUCH hotter than the red pepper! I also cooked this a bit longer after adding the shrimp, just because I like my flavors well blended! I really enjoyed this soup, hope you do too!

    mary

    Thank you, Mary
    This recipe looks great! I've never had pineapple in hot & sour soup, have you tried this without or substituted for it? I'm not sure about that....like my pineapple for dessert. I will be trying this one very soon!

    Kimby
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #19
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    kimby said:

    Thank you, Mary
    This recipe looks great! I've never had pineapple in hot & sour soup, have you tried this without or substituted for it? I'm not sure about that....like my pineapple for dessert. I will be trying this one very soon!

    Kimby

    I love pineapple
    I haven't tried it without... it's just as yummy as it is in sweet and sour chicken, hawaiian pizza and pineapple upside down cake!
    mary
  • kimby
    kimby Member Posts: 797
    #20
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    msccolon said:

    I love pineapple
    I haven't tried it without... it's just as yummy as it is in sweet and sour chicken, hawaiian pizza and pineapple upside down cake!
    mary

    Uhh...exactly
    and I don't like sweet & sour or Hawaiian pizza! LOL Did you make some upside down cake? Can I come over?

    Kimby
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #21
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    kimby said:

    Uhh...exactly
    and I don't like sweet & sour or Hawaiian pizza! LOL Did you make some upside down cake? Can I come over?

    Kimby

    me, too....me, too!!!
    Pick me!!! I'll come....mmmmmm, and Hawaiian pizza with cashews!!!

    Hugs, Kathi

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