Food taboo for cancer survivors?

Purplemountain
Purplemountain Member Posts: 119
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Happy Holidays everyone.

Well, I am finally having food craving after finishing treatments for three weeks.  I want to eat hot dogs, tacos, burritos, sandwiches, soups...etc.  However, I was advised by family member to stay away from beef and raw food such as oyster and sushi.  Does anyone have a take on this issue from your experience as a survivor yourself?

Thanks.

 

PM

Comments

  • spector551
    spector551 Member Posts: 109
    #2
    Boy...

    Am I ever interested in the responses to this as well! Thanks for posting it!

     

    God bless,

    Jamie

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #3
    food

     

    PM,

    Let alone the issues with rare meats and raw oysters and sushi a greater challenge will be what you can really put in your mouth, chew and swallow.  Barring any complications, I say try anything you want, just be prepared for eating surprises.

    While my taste buds took a beating, my taste is still improving all the time.  While raw oysters and sushi are not on my “to do” list, I very much enjoy a good (rare) steak or hamburger.

    My taster is nothing like it once was, but I am enjoying trying new and old favorites.

    Matt

     

  • meaganb
    meaganb Member Posts: 244 Member
    #4
    You haven't been out of

    You haven't been out of treatment very long so it may still be hard to eat or taste anything. It took me about a month after Rads to be able to taste some things & to eat soft foods. Before that I was too sore & everything tasted like cardboard. I think I was 6-9 months out of treatment before I ate sushi again. If you like sashimi I would try that over a roll so you don't have to deal with chewy seaweed. I also prefer a rarer steak. If its cooked too long it gets chewy & thus harder to eat for me at least. I am not sure why your family said to avoid these particular foods. Did they  mean indefinitely or just until you heal some?

     

    Everybody is different so  try what you want & if you can't do it now try again in a few more weeks. Happy eating!!

  • lornal
    lornal Member Posts: 428
    #5
    Steak

    I remember wanting steak so bad. One of the butchers at the meat market came up with a solution.

    He sliced rib-eye super thin, and he said saute it in butter for a minute or so.  It will melt in your mouth.

    And it did, and it was so good.

  • fishmanpa
    fishmanpa Member Posts: 1,227 Member
    #6
    Almost Whatever You Desire

    I was fortunate I never lost my taste buds. Some things were "off" but I could taste. What I could actually eat was/is another story. I was advised and read not to eat raw fish but otherwise everything was fair game. What I could actually eat and swallow was another story.

    Still, 8 months post TX, there are things too difficult to swallow. Beef and chicken are difficult (but not impossible) for me as well as tuna as they're very fiberous. It's still and probably will be for life "chew, chew, sip, swallow".  However, for the most part, I can enjoy just about everything I did before. I'm even using a little hot sauce and enjoying a cold beer now and again :) 

    Positive thoughts

    "T"

     

    very

  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #7
    eat whatever appeals to you

    that you can tolerate.  Whatever lead your family memeber to comment on the raw food and beef is simply a personal expression of opinion, not founded in medical science.  So do what you choose in this regard.

     

    Pat

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #8
    Foods Mentioned...

    My biggest "presumption", on why your family member would suggest staying away from those foods..., and I also would presume the intent was temporary.

    Is because so new out of the battle and treatment, that you are more than likely suseptible to getting something that will cause you a problem with a weakened immune system.

    Some type of bacterial infection or similar is my thought... If your blood counts and everything is back up to normal ranges, I'd think you would be good to go.

    It took nearly a year for all of my blood work to come back into normal ranges.

    I could be wrong, but I would have no other explaination other than as Pat suggests... 

    Best,

    John

  • Time Bandit
    Time Bandit Member Posts: 23
    #9
    I know what you mean. As the

    I know what you mean. As the doctors tell me, you will hve a new normal. No matter what your craving are, you will have to rely on what you can actually chew and swallow.

     

    Spices are out of the picture for me. I even have a had time with ketchup so my burgers and hot dogs are quite plain. 

     

    For me its a trial and error and i go slow. If you can get it down, go for it.

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #10
    my last tx was 10/22/09 and

    my last tx was 10/22/09 and there are still things i don't eat b/c my throat is partially closed from the rads.  i have to cut all my pills in half no matter how small they are.  i just ate a whooper for the first time last week.  it took me 45 minutes but i was able to swallow after chewing each bite for eternity it seems.  your throat may also be too soar to eat.  you are still fresh from tx.  i hope you are able to eat whatever you want and enjoy all the good food for the holidays. 

    God bless you,

    dj

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #11
    I never heard of any

    taboos....just took my lead from others on here.  Raw oysters might go down like canned peaches....Laughing, they're kind of the same texture.  Never have had a hankering for sushi, so that was never on my list.  Maybe for a first real meal, a can of soup might be in order so you can get your "eating legs" under you?  You might not get much in the way of actual taste, but there is something to be said about the feeling of real food in your belly.

    p

  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,034 Member
    #12
    Go for what works for you

    Purple,

    I agree with all the above posts. You will have to adapt to the new you as far as food goes for awhile. I am unable to eat anything that is grainy/stringy. Stringbeans are out, celery, you get the picture. Taste will slowly return. I have extreme dry mouth, so it is at least 2 large glasses of liquid with a meal.

    Ketcup is spicey to me and is my limit. I forget who mentioned it many years ago, that they would go to a buffet every so many months and sample all the food to see what now worked for them.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here

  • spector551
    spector551 Member Posts: 109
    #13
    I don't finish until today....

    But I still crave FOOD. OMG, if I could just stuff in some tuna sushi! Or a big juicy steak! Or Malaysian rice wine and pork organ soup! But, the suck part is, I couldn't eat any of those thing if I wanted to because the Dr's also took my teeth before treatment. So, in reality, I don't know what kind of crappy gruel I will have to eat for the next 3 - 4 months while I wait on new teeth as well. So depressed about this food issue :(

     

    God bless,

    Jamie

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #14
    spector551 said:

    I don't finish until today....

    But I still crave FOOD. OMG, if I could just stuff in some tuna sushi! Or a big juicy steak! Or Malaysian rice wine and pork organ soup! But, the suck part is, I couldn't eat any of those thing if I wanted to because the Dr's also took my teeth before treatment. So, in reality, I don't know what kind of crappy gruel I will have to eat for the next 3 - 4 months while I wait on new teeth as well. So depressed about this food issue :(

     

    God bless,

    Jamie

    Jamie....

    I don't know if this will help....but even if you'd kept your teeth before treatment, a juicy steak or rice wine wouldn't be on the list for eating right after treatment.  You'd be stuck like the rest of us with mashed potatoes, soup, runny Mac 'n' cheese....all you can do with or without teeth.  I sympathize with your hunger pains, tho.....I was absolutely starving by the end of treatment.....I watched it on TV, I dreamed about it, I talked about it constantly.....and my neighbors were kind enough to let me come over and watch them have supper....LOL.  It won't be long.

    p

    PS....What a great Christmas present!!  You'll be done today.......WHOO HOO!!!!

     

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #15
    spector551 said:

    I don't finish until today....

    But I still crave FOOD. OMG, if I could just stuff in some tuna sushi! Or a big juicy steak! Or Malaysian rice wine and pork organ soup! But, the suck part is, I couldn't eat any of those thing if I wanted to because the Dr's also took my teeth before treatment. So, in reality, I don't know what kind of crappy gruel I will have to eat for the next 3 - 4 months while I wait on new teeth as well. So depressed about this food issue :(

     

    God bless,

    Jamie

    Jamie, congrats on finishing

    Jamie, congrats on finishing tx!!!  Merry Christmas early.  food will come a little further down the road.  hang it there and enjoy the holidays.

    God bless you,

    dj

  • Purplemountain
    Purplemountain Member Posts: 119
    #16

    Thank you everyone for your inputs.

    I can chew and swallow the the food I mentioned I craved...with a little sip of water.  I can only taste sour and salty flavor but no sweet at all.  For example, champagne tasted sparkly sour and no sweet at all and orange juice is only sour with no sweet taste for me.  So I am trying to experiment until I find food that I can enjoy with this new forming taste buds of mine.

    My family is concerned that beef has chemical in it that will cause cancer especially for those who are exposed to cancer such as ourselves here in the survivor network.  The raw food is a concern due to immune system that may be weak. 

    I will try bacon since I can taste salt, drink orange juice until I can taste the sweetness and try different food of various flavor until my taste buds wake up.  I tried eating jalapenos and I was able to tolerate that.  The spiciness was only on my tongue like a wake up call but not irritating to the throat or esophagus. 

    After reading all your experiences, I feel like eating beef but the family will have nothing to do with it as they fear it might feed the cancer or wake up the cancer.

    PM

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #17
    Purplemountain said:

    Thank you everyone for your inputs.

    I can chew and swallow the the food I mentioned I craved...with a little sip of water.  I can only taste sour and salty flavor but no sweet at all.  For example, champagne tasted sparkly sour and no sweet at all and orange juice is only sour with no sweet taste for me.  So I am trying to experiment until I find food that I can enjoy with this new forming taste buds of mine.

    My family is concerned that beef has chemical in it that will cause cancer especially for those who are exposed to cancer such as ourselves here in the survivor network.  The raw food is a concern due to immune system that may be weak. 

    I will try bacon since I can taste salt, drink orange juice until I can taste the sweetness and try different food of various flavor until my taste buds wake up.  I tried eating jalapenos and I was able to tolerate that.  The spiciness was only on my tongue like a wake up call but not irritating to the throat or esophagus. 

    After reading all your experiences, I feel like eating beef but the family will have nothing to do with it as they fear it might feed the cancer or wake up the cancer.

    PM

    food for self

    PM,

    There should be “no cancer” to wake-up or feed.  Your cancer has been vaporized.

    Eat wisely, Merry Christmas.

    Matt

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,773 Member
    #18
    geez - it's Christmas

    PM,

    Being only three weeks post, I don't know if you need to gain much weight back but if you are much under where you need to be then eat as much protein and carbs as you can. Be a carnivore! The advantages of eating a steak or piece of raw fish far outweigh any potential (ZERO) that eating such foods are going to "wake-up" any cancer.

    Enjoy the holidays!

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #19
    Cancer...

    Myself, I can eat anything and everything that I ever did before having cancer...., and I have full 100% taste. My hopes are that all of you will also at some point, though it does sound like a few might not get back to that point... Mine actually took around two years, but did get there.

     

    As for anything feeding, or waking up cancer... That to me isn't really logical. The cancer that I had is gone.

     

    If you listen to all of the hype, much of that has flip flopped back and forth on what not to eat, or what might cause cancer....

     

    Well, that would probably pretty much be anything and everything out there....

    And I do like sushi..., LOL... But I don't think I've had many peaches since rads..., LOL.

    JG

     

  • Mikemetz
    Mikemetz Member Posts: 465 Member
    #20

    I had a PEG tube and did not eat solid foods for several weeks, so basically had to start from scratch to figure out what I could taste, tolerate, and swallow safely.  It was a guessing game at the start, and I had a lot of "oh-ohs" along the way.  My mind wanted to get back to eating everything I ate before treatments, but my palate had other ideas.  I loved spicy foods but soon found out that even ketchup was too strong for me--turns out that any acidic food sent me through the roof.  I am able to tolerate more now, but still can't do high-acid foods today (dill pickles, vinagrette salad dressings, etc).  I have most of my taste back, but it took a long time.

    My advice is to go slow, experiment, and when in doubt, take very small bites to see if you can tolerate whatever it is.  I don't know of any food that will increase the chances of a recurrance, so wouldn't worry about things that way.  And, be sure to drink LOTS of water with meals, and chew, chew, chew before you swallow!

    Mike

     

  • fishmanpa
    fishmanpa Member Posts: 1,227 Member
    #21
    Skiffin16 said:

    Cancer...

    Myself, I can eat anything and everything that I ever did before having cancer...., and I have full 100% taste. My hopes are that all of you will also at some point, though it does sound like a few might not get back to that point... Mine actually took around two years, but did get there.

     

    As for anything feeding, or waking up cancer... That to me isn't really logical. The cancer that I had is gone.

     

    If you listen to all of the hype, much of that has flip flopped back and forth on what not to eat, or what might cause cancer....

     

    Well, that would probably pretty much be anything and everything out there....

    And I do like sushi..., LOL... But I don't think I've had many peaches since rads..., LOL.

    JG

     

    Yuck!

    John,

    I hear you about the peaches. There are foods I ate during treatment (Cream of Wheat, Jello, Yogurt etc.) that I have absolutely no interest in anymore! 

    The note about not eating raw fish (sushi) was only during treatment as my immune system was compromised and if by chance I ate something bad, it could affect me negatively. I guess it's similar to why I was told not to clean the cat box during treatment.

    Positve thoughts, Merry Christmas and chocolate

    "T"

     

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