What is good to eat and drink after Chemo?

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  • Jan_M
    Jan_M Member Posts: 116
    #22
    Moopy23, I too just
    Moopy23, I too just finished round three a week ago. I eat egg drop soup and white rice, sometimes I add diced chicken to it. I also ate alot of scrambled eggs. Mashed potatos, VANILLA MILKSHAKES, Ginger ale helped alot. Also Applesauce and cottagecheese. I got completely turned off of coffee, and meat cooking made me sick. Apple Juice was a main stay.

    Also did you get horrible taste in your mouth? I am having to keep gum in my mouth.

    Hope that this adds some more to your list of things you can eat.
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143
    #23
    Moopy23 said:

    Chemo Taste
    Thank you all for the suggestions you gave kickcancer. I'm having the same problem with foods not tasting well. Nothing seems to taste good, and it is getting harder to keep my weight. I lost 16 pounds between diagnosis and after first treatment, and I am just trying to hang on and not lose anymore. The onc. nurse did stress eating protein, so I am eating as much as I can (I did find that chicken tastes almost like chicken).

    For those of you who had changed tastes, does it get worse with each treatment? Also, any other foods anyone can recommend? The ice cream w/ chocolate syrup sounds good, but even chocolate does not taste like chocolate,or even close--it is very sad when a woman cannot taste chocolate!

    Taste changes
    Moopy, are you still having taste problems? That's the worst, isn' it? I had some minor ones with the first two, but they seemed to have gone away after that. I am sure it will subside by week three, coming up. I eat very healthy food, but during week one sometimes I indulge in comfort foods that my mom used to make me -- such as macaroni with feta cheese. I have heard dairy may not agree with your disgestive system so I do rice milk instead (soy was nixed by my oncologist). Argh, how annoying. Just eat what you can. At least you know it is TEMPORARY. Update us.
  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
    #24
    Taste Changes
    Mimi and Jan, thank you. I had one of those emotionally difficult days today, and your messages lifted my spirits.

    My sense of taste hasn't really come back as it did earlier. I also have that metallic taste and have been chewing lots of gum and sugarless hard candy. But, my clothes aren't fitting more loosely, making me feel better about keeping my weight this round.

    I have tried baked potatoes, a vanilla milkshake, and scrambled eggs. They all tasted just like they should. It was wonderful actually to enjoy eating something. (I did find, as Mimi, said, that chemo has made me somewhat lactose intolerant--no risk of over-doing the milkshakes.) I am glad to add more to my list and will try your suggestions, Jan, including apple juice. I get tired of just water.

    I know I will need to adjust my expectations and try to eat the healthy foods that have no taste, even if I can't handle the actively bad-tasting ones. And those of us dealing with currently malfunctioning taste buds can take comfort from Mimi's excellent point: the chemo taste changes are temporary.
  • phoenixrising
    phoenixrising Member Posts: 1,508
    #25
    Moopy23 said:

    Chemo Taste
    Thank you all for the suggestions you gave kickcancer. I'm having the same problem with foods not tasting well. Nothing seems to taste good, and it is getting harder to keep my weight. I lost 16 pounds between diagnosis and after first treatment, and I am just trying to hang on and not lose anymore. The onc. nurse did stress eating protein, so I am eating as much as I can (I did find that chicken tastes almost like chicken).

    For those of you who had changed tastes, does it get worse with each treatment? Also, any other foods anyone can recommend? The ice cream w/ chocolate syrup sounds good, but even chocolate does not taste like chocolate,or even close--it is very sad when a woman cannot taste chocolate!

    That is sad
    When a woman doesn't taste chocolate!! For myself I think it lasted pretty much through the whole 5 mos. The ice cream with choc was so good and cool on my throat. Loved it and ate lots. Didn't lose any weight, as a matter of fact my weight was stable throughout. A lot of foods tasted very salty for instance I couldn't tolerate saltines at all.
  • sausageroll
    sausageroll Member Posts: 415
    #26
    Moopy23 said:

    Taste Changes
    Mimi and Jan, thank you. I had one of those emotionally difficult days today, and your messages lifted my spirits.

    My sense of taste hasn't really come back as it did earlier. I also have that metallic taste and have been chewing lots of gum and sugarless hard candy. But, my clothes aren't fitting more loosely, making me feel better about keeping my weight this round.

    I have tried baked potatoes, a vanilla milkshake, and scrambled eggs. They all tasted just like they should. It was wonderful actually to enjoy eating something. (I did find, as Mimi, said, that chemo has made me somewhat lactose intolerant--no risk of over-doing the milkshakes.) I am glad to add more to my list and will try your suggestions, Jan, including apple juice. I get tired of just water.

    I know I will need to adjust my expectations and try to eat the healthy foods that have no taste, even if I can't handle the actively bad-tasting ones. And those of us dealing with currently malfunctioning taste buds can take comfort from Mimi's excellent point: the chemo taste changes are temporary.

    Smoothies
    Smoothies have been a life saver for me. I also add some flax seed oil to mine and have pureed some savoury food too when mouth was really sore.

    I am about to have 5th infusion next week and lack of taste has become worse with each...usually lasts about 2+ weeks and then I eat everything in sight. I love to cook..but difficult when you can't taste test!!

    I also find that I crave sweet things(I never did before!)

    I have lost about 25 lbs. Tried on pants in a store the other day and decided I definitely had chicken legs!!!

    I know others here are diabetic and I find that during the weeks with no taste, I find it hard to keep blood sugar levels up..so much that I find myself sipping coke or chewing on candies..I guess there is a silver lining to every cloud.
  • Eil4186
    Eil4186 Member Posts: 949
    #27
    mmontero38 said:

    If your friend's tumor was
    If your friend's tumor was estrogen positive, don't use soy milk. Soy has natural estrogen which is a no no for us girls that had estrogen positive tumors. When I was going through chemo, the few foods that my stomach could tolerate where mash potatoes, roasted chicken breast and yogurt. Wasn't able to eat anything else for 4 months. My kids would make me smoothies with fresh fruits like berries and bananas and frozen yogurt. If you need more protein, go to a health food store and get whey protein put it in the smoothies. You can also try Ensure, and if she doesn't like the taste you can add ice cream and ice and blend it. Keep us posted. Hugs, Lili

    Every doc/onc I have asked
    Every doc/onc I have asked has said that eating soy is fine, just don't take soy supplements.
  • jeanne1948
    jeanne1948 Member Posts: 18
    #28
    What to eat or drink after chemo
    I found that a chocolate milkshake helped to reduce the metalic taste that I had after my chemo. A friend shared this with me and it helped her so I tried it. It really worked.

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