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Cancer

Appetite / Taste Changes and Chemotherapy

Treatment for cancer, as well as the cancer itself, can affect your sense of taste or smell. You may find that many foods seem to have less taste. Other foods, especially meat or other high-protein foods, may taste bitter or metallic. Read on to learn what you can do about it.

Nutritional Management of Loss of Appetite During Cancer Treatment

Nausea, vomiting, or changes in food’s taste or smell all may contribute to you losing your appetite. Sometimes, the cancer treatment itself will make you feel like not eating.

Loss of Appetite During Cancer Treatment

Good nutrition is important during cancer treatment. Read on to learn how to work with your healthcare team and manage a loss of appetite during your treatment.

Enteral Feeding

Nutritional supplements are available to provide protein, vitamins, and other nutrients your body needs for energy. If you can’t take these supplements by mouth, special tubes can be placed that allow you to receive the necessary nutrients without eating or drinking.

Parenteral Feeding

If you can’t tolerate food by mouth, or your bowel needs to rest, you may be given nutrition by vein. This special nutrition solution can be given into an implanted port, a tunneled tube (catheter), or any other long-term catheter placed in a large vein.

Taste Changes During Cancer Treatment

To help manage changes in taste, stay away from foods and odors you find unpleasant. Brush your teeth before and after meals to keep your mouth clean.

Taste Changes During Cancer Treatment

Sometimes cancer treatment causes temporary changes in the way foods taste. Read on to learn ways to make food taste more desirable.