If you have cancer, have you ever wondered why certain foods seem to aggravate your symptoms? Or….why some foods seem to help? If so, these are perfectly normal questions.

In this episode of Fresh Focus, we’re going to hopefully answer these questions and talk about snack ideas for you or your loved one that may have cancer.

Individuals with cancer can develop a wide variety of symptoms, including altered taste, nausea and vomiting, dry mouth and throat, sore mouth and throat, and diarrhea…..just to name a few.

The symptoms that each person experiences will depend not just on the type of cancer that they have but also the kind of treatments used to treat their cancer.

These symptoms can have a profound effect on how well someone eats. So, in this episode, we’re here to discuss some snack ideas that may help to alleviate some of these symptoms.

First, let’s talk about altered taste….

Cancer treatments can affect how foods taste. For example, some foods may taste metallic. Others may taste overly sweet, too salty, or bland.

Let’s take a closer look…

Red meats are a common food that may take on a metallic taste when you have cancer. Instead of eating red meat, however, feel free to substitute better-tolerated proteins like chicken, eggs, peanut butter, or Greek yogurt. A great snack to try would be peanut butter on crackers or apple slices. If the crackers or apple slices are too difficult to chew or swallow, no problem. Maybe Greek Yogurt with a little canned fruit will be more agreeable. And, if foods taste metallic, be sure to eat your snack with plastic silverware instead of metal silverware, which will only make the food taste more metallic.

On the other hand, if foods taste overly sweet, try adding a little acid or salt to the meal or snack. For example, try snacking on a lightly salted hard-boiled egg OR have a glass of lemonade alongside your snack. The acid or the salt will help to blunt how sweet foods may taste.

Now, let’s investigate snacks for nausea and vomiting….

If you or your loved one are experiencing nausea and vomiting, avoiding strong food odors is important and a good start. But there are also things that you can eat (or avoid eating) that may help. For example, you may want to avoid very sweet, spicy, fried, or greasy foods. Instead, focus on foods that are more bland, sip on liquids throughout the day, and try eating smaller, more frequent meals.

Having a steady flow of something in your stomach (but not too much at any given time) may help to reduce your nausea. An added benefit…..spacing out your food and fluids throughout the day may help to improve how much you are able to consume in a day’s time….and keep down.

Between meals, you may want to try snacking on unsweetened cereal (such as Cheerios) – for some extra protein, add a little milk to the cereal (if tolerated). OR try a piece of toast OR some crackers. You can also add a little peanut butter or cheese to the toast or crackers for some additional protein.

The most important thing – pick foods that sound good to you!

Let’s change gears a bit and now discuss snacks for a dry mouth and throat…

There are a number of food-related strategies that may help with dry mouth and throat. For example, suck on ice chips or sip on water throughout the day; eat soft, moist foods; add sauces or gravies to moisten foods; and thin cereals with plenty of fluid. Just be sure to stay away from raw vegetables, tougher meats, and dryer snacks like pretzels or chips.

Now, let’s consider some snacks that may help with a dry mouth and throat….

Try eating yogurt with a little fruit. Not only will the yogurt help the fruit go down easier, it is also a good source of protein.

Don’t like yogurt, no problem. How about a little chicken salad or tuna salad. Keep it on the moister side, though, if you plan to put it on bread for a small sandwich.

And there are always smoothies and milkshakes. You can add all kinds of fruits and high-protein drinks to the smoothies and milkshakes to get in a high-calorie, high-protein drink that should be easily tolerated if you have a dry mouth or throat.

Similar to dry mouth and throat, someone can also have a sore mouth and throat. Let’s investigate further…

Cancer treatments can sometimes make your mouth and throat sore, making chewing and swallowing foods a challenge. Strategies to help with a sore mouth and throat are much like the tips we just discussed to help with a dry mouth and throat…..but there are some notable exceptions.

When your mouth and throat are sore, avoid very hot foods or beverages, spicy foods, citrus/acidic foods or beverages, hard or crunchy foods, alcohol, and carbonated beverages.

So what kind of snacks might be easier to tolerate if you have a sore mouth or throat? You could try oatmeal instead of a dry cereal. If you are wanting something slightly sweet, maybe try some jello with added fruit. Or if you want to go more savory, try some scrambled eggs for a good source of protein. You could even add a little cheese to your eggs for additional protein and flavor.

Whatever you choose, just remember to select easier-to-chew and swallow foods that aren’t terribly hot, acidic, or spicy.

Finally, let’s take a look at snacks that may help with diarrhea…

Like altered taste, diarrhea is often a side effect of the treatments used to treat cancer. Certain foods will aggravate diarrhea, and you would want to avoid those – whole grains, leafy greens, raw vegetables, dried fruits, and fried foods to name a few.

But there are foods you can eat to help alleviate the diarrhea. These include white breads and rice, applesauce, bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, and cheese.

Let’s see how this translates into snack ideas.

If you like bananas and peanut butter, how about trying a peanut butter and banana sandwich on white bread. Here, you’re teaming up three foods (some of Elvis’s favorites) for a snack aimed at reducing diarrhea.

If a peanut butter, banana sandwich is too out there for you, maybe try some cheese and crackers….OR a half of a sandwich with a lean deli meat…..OR some yogurt and canned fruit or applesauce.

Regardless what you choose to snack on, remember to drink plenty of fluids if you’re having diarrhea.

So, in this episode, we’ve taken a look at a number of symptoms that people with cancer often experience. And we’ve also explored some different food-related ideas to help with each. Whether you’re talking altered taste, nausea and vomiting, dry mouth and throat, sore mouth and throat, or diarrhea, there are snacks you can eat that will help. And here at the VA, your dietitians are always able to assist as well.