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What foods worked best during chemo & radiation for throat cancer?
Hi all! I’m looking for suggestions on how to help my dad eat more during his treatments for throat cancer. He’s getting chemo & radiation on his neck/throat area, and he’s not eating nearly as much as he used to as food tastes metallic & it’s hard for him to swallow certain foods. We’ve already ruled out any spicy or acidic foods, those are just too harsh on his mouth & throat. I also ordered him some “miracle berries” that are supposed to help change the taste of certain foods & flavors, but he hasn’t tried them yet. So if you’ve gone through the same treatment & struggled with eating or everything tasting metallic, what foods worked best for you? Or was there anything you did to help alleviate the metallic taste? Thank you for any help!!!
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@jxssicascott sorry meant Dad.
@dbkissel, your post reminds me of a member spotlight we did of fellow Head & Neck Cancer member @alpaca
- Who Can Resist Ice Cream With Chocolate on Top: Meet @alpaca https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/who-can-resist-ice-cream-with-chocolate-on-top-meet-alpaca/
How far are you out from treatment now? How are you doing?
I’m sorry your dad is going through this, treatments like these can make eating really difficult. Soft, creamy foods are often easier to tolerate, such as creamy soups, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, mac and cheese, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla is usually easier than fruit flavors). Smoothies can be especially helpful; a peanut butter and banana smoothie with a bit of protein powder can pack a lot of nutrition, and it’s easy to get 500–800 calories in a single drink.
To help reduce the metallic taste, try avoiding metal utensils and cups, as those can make the taste worse.
Hello @jxssicascott. Since everyone experiences different taste changes it may take some trial and error to find what tastes good. Then you can use additives for more nutrition. For me it was fruit smoothies. Peach was in season and a favorite, though frozen peaches sufficed also. I mixed with whole milk, ricotta or cottage cheese, yogurt, and some whey protein powder (I used Levels brand with no flavor or sweetener). You can adjust the amount of liquid to find the consistency that works. Bland foods like mashed potatoes and Cream of Wheat went down well. You can make them as thin as needed. I loved a slushy mocha coffee drink from Panera, which they no longer offer, for 500 calories. Warm tea and lots of honey was soothing. Now I would use a Manuka Honey, which I did not know about 13 years ago. It may help healing. I buy Bees and Trees on Amazon and use it daily.
SPOHNC is a head and neck support group and they publish a couple of recipe books for sale. http://www.spohnc.org
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