Anyone undergoing cancer treatment can tell you there are times you just don’t feel like eating. And anyone caring for a patient undergoing cancer treatment can tell you that it’s worrisome to see appetite levels fluctuate or disappear.
Why is nutrition such an important part of cancer care? Patients can lose so much weight, their ability to withstand the rigors of chemotherapy and other treatments can be seriously compromised.
How do you encourage a cancer patient who has no appetite to eat? How do you avoid creating extra pressure on the patient? This is especially important in the case of children Even normal children often resist parental efforts to make them eat.
In order to best address the nutritional issue for cancer patients, it’s helpful to understand the reluctance to eat. Did you know:
1. Chewing can be tiring, especially when chemo fatigue sets in. The easier it is to get the food into the body, the more likely the patient will consume it. Shakes, especially if you can enhance them with extra calories, are easy to swallow and to absorb. This is often good for children with poor appetites. Word of caution — supplemental shakes, like Boost and Ensure, are often overly sweet and patients can be turned off by this — save these as a last resort or for emergencies.
2. If your loved one has good energy in the morning, that could be the time to load on the calories. Sometimes a hearty breakfast will go down more easily than a big dinner. Which matters more — when your loved one eats, or IF your loved one eats?
3. The type of food you offer can make a huge difference. Most breakfast foods are tasty, but don’t require a lot of hard chewing and can offer a lot of calories. Pancakes, waffles, eggs — these foods are soft. Steak, roast pork, and chicken require effort to masticate. That takes precious energy, which many cancer patients don’t have. A dish of ice cream is easier to eat than a lamb chop. A Sloppy Joe is easier to eat than a hamburger.
4. Some patients are more comfortable eating small meals throughout the day. Have easy-to-eat snacks available — pudding cups, protein bars, cheeses
5. When your loved one is thirsty, offer liquids with lots of calories — milkshakes (use whole milk, not skim), hot cocoa, and juices. Clear juices, like cranberry, apple, and grape juice can offer a lot of calories but go down as easily as water.
When a loved one starts losing a lot of body weight, the biggest hurdle for caregivers to get over is the idea that healthy eating the most critical thing for cancer patients. While it’s true that nutrition is important to overall health, you want your loved one not to lose any more weight, so getting calories into him or her, regardless of the source, is necessary. When your loved one has started to recover from the hardships of cancer treatment, and his or her appetite has returned, that’s the time to start reintroducing a more balanced diet.
Think of it this way. Calories are calories. If you only offer nutritional foods, but your loved one refuses to eat, how have you won the battle? If you understand just how difficult it is to eat during cancer treatment, you will understand that calories matter. Cancer treatment isn’t forever, so while it lasts, maximize the positive benefits of this approach.
Cancer patients can feel pressured to eat and that’s a turn-off. Think small. Don’t go overboard and overwhelm the senses. An 8-ounce milkshake isn’t scary. A milkshake in a huge glass, with a caregiver hovering, can be. Did you know you can add a little peanut butter to a milkshake to boost the calories and add good nutrition? Make milkshakes with flavored whey powder and throw in some ice cream. The calorie count goes up, but it isn’t overwhelming for your loved one. Here are some foods that may appeal to your loved one during times when he or she doesn’t feel like eating:
Scrambled eggs with cheese
Grilled cheese
Peanut butter and jelly
Waffles or pancakes with butter and syrup
Ice cream with chopped walnuts and fudge sauce (grind the nuts)
Pudding with whipped cream
Mashed potatoes
Candied sweet potatoes
Poached or baked white fish or scallops
Crab meat or tuna salad
Stews with meat finely cut
Pot pies (make sure the meat or poultry pieces are very small)
Shepard’s pie (make sure the hamburger pieces are small)
Macaroni and cheese
Souffles
Quiches