what to eat when food is revolting

randomchance · September 2014

I have been looking for a thread to give me ideas on what to eat! I didn't find one do I am starting one.

Right now I hate food but I am so hungry.

please chime in with what you find tolerable when almost nothing sets right.

Here is what has worked for me, at least for awhile:

Liam beans and corn -- neither constipates or causes diarrhea

Corn bread - was the only thing I could stand until it became revolting and now the very idea makes me queasy

Coconut water - works better than other electrolyte replacement drinks without added sugars or colors

Mommato3 · September 2014

It was tough finding foods that sounded or tasted good while I was on AC. I didn't have any digestive issues so this might not work for you. I ate a lot of salsa and Mexican food. I also drank a lot of chocolate milk. I needed stuff with a lot of flavor or heat.

chichimaine · September 2014

I seem to crave salty foods/snacks and they help me through some of the nausea. Cheese-Its White cheese has become my favorite snack. Probably not the healthiest, but it keeps the stomach settled. Am still able to handle salads, so Wendy's grilled chicken ceasar salad is another go to meal for me. Hope you find something yummy that gets you through!

Starlover · September 2014

toast and bananas. lotta smoothies with protein added. pasta. vegetables chopped finely and cooked over some leafy spinach, with a touch of seasoning. its funny, i never was interested in rachal ray but now that I'm sick to my gut, I love to watch her make food I can't fathom eating...

Anonymous · September 2014

Did I miss noticing what it is that is putting you off food? Is it chemo? If so, it already sounds like everyone is quite different in what works for them. I had extreme digestive difficulties (I have always been quite sensitive). I know that I couldn't eat at all (difficult when throwing up every half hour). Then I wanted plain rice (but I only had my daughter at home, who tried to make it but she didn't know how and it wasn't cooked). For about 4-5 days I could only eat sherbet or Dairy Queen soft serve ice milk. Good luck to ya.

208sandy · September 2014

There's a terrific book out there (available through Amazon and if you're lucky at your cancer clinic) called Eating Well Through Cancer - it gives you tips and recipes for easy to eat foods depending on your situation - I loved the book and gave it away to someone - keep meaning to get another copy - just unearthed this info from mess of papers by the computer:

Eating Well Through Cancer by Holly Clegg and Gerald P. Miletello, MD ISBN 978-0-9610888-8-0

Hope this helps, I ate a ton of Panera Bread chicken salad sandwiches on white bread - no lettuce or anything just the chicken salad and also was hooked on Easy Mac both of which I haven't ever eaten again but there you go.....

Sending hugs, S.

Anonymous · September 2014

Applesauce and vanilla yogurt, saltine crackers. Scrambled eggs. Real coke (not the diet kind). I hated eating all that processed food, but I couldn't stomach anything else.

Anonymous · September 2014

And I had to change channels whenever some porn food commercial would come on (like close-ups of pizza, pasta with red sauce, burgers with greasy cheese, etc.). I nearly threw up just seeing them on the screen.

Spookiesmom · September 2014

If I DID manage to eat, I dumped loads of salt on it, but finally gave up trying. With the big D, mouth sores, Boost and Ensure was all I could handle. I lost 34 pounds.

Jennie93 · September 2014

Everything tasted like cardboard during chemo for me. I had lots of milkshakes. Very soothing. Figured it was no time to worry about nutrition, just have whatever I could stomach. During radiation they kept saying to get lots of protein, but my taste buds weren't back to normal yet, and meat was kinda yucky so I drank a lot of protein shakes. Did not gain or lose any weight all through chemo & rads.

badger · September 2014

hi randomchance, I did 6 rounds of TC chemo. I got anti-nausea meds but still felt queasy sometimes. The BRAT diet was good for me - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. Mild foods but filling. I ate a lot of mashed potatoes with real butter. Tried to eat a Greek yogurt a day for protein and friendly flora. The only meat I could abide was roast pork loin. Couldn't stand coffee so drank a lot of weak tea with milk and honey.

Water tasted good but for variety I tried different flavors of crystal light. My palate was fickle; what tasted good one day didn't the next. I did gain weight from a carb-heavy diet but lost it (slowly) by walking every day. Some days a little and some days a lot. Good luck!

randomchance · September 2014

yes, it is chemo doing me in. Everything tastes like salt and soap.

A lot of good ideas, and good reinforcement to my "eat whatever you can keep down" philosophy. I have gotten some well meaning crud from people about some choices, and I am glad to have survived horrific morning sickness years ago, it was hood preparation for this experience.

SpecialK · September 2014

I ate potatoes in any form - I could taste salty, so had mashed potatoes with bacon and cheese - definitely not the healthiest, but it worked. I also did well with milkshakes and bowls of melon - watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. I ate some popsicles too. I had tx every three weeks so in the 10 days before the next tx when the Big D and nausea had calmed down I tried to eat red meat to keep my hemoglobin up.

Janetanned · September 2014

While going through chemo, I seemed to gravitate towards white food - potatoes, rice, bread, milkshakes, oatmeal, etc. I also drank my water with a bit of lemon or lime twist. Otherwise it tasted metallic. I did not lose or gain weight during treatment.

lgoldie · September 2014

bananas, chicken noodle soup and crackers, water.....that was all I could handle on a really bad day I lost 40 lbs during chemo

flannelette · September 2014

All the nice, healthy little meals I prepared ahead and froze - tasted like ****! I had strong craving for the weirdest things, like cheesecake with blueberries. Water tasted disgusting. I finally got my water from really cold pieces of fresh pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe. Hated coffee & tea. My stomach felt better full than empty so ate like a pig. Then mouth tasted like a garbage can so I brushed & flossed 5-6 times a day. Metal taste - yes. Painful gut after too much meat - yes. Mouth on fire after a bite of the Thai food i normally love - yes.

Don't listen to anyone - eat what you crave or can tolerate. Worry about proper nutrition later.

ruthbru · September 2014

Absolutely agree with flannelette! Eat what you can stand, you can get back to the nutrition part later!

I ate tons of mashed potatoes with butter & cheese (potato buds actually, because they were easy to make). For some reason I also craved Mexican food, the hotter the better (like covered with Jalapenos). I could not stand vegetables at all, could choke down a little meat and canned fruit, ice cream & smoothies were standable. Luckily for my weight, chocolate tasted like chalk!

annika12 · September 2014

each treatment brought a different taste or lack there of........ bland foods. Mashed potatoes, cucumbers, white nectarines , rice chex cereal are some of what I could eat I went into a can't eat anything......now a year out I'm much better !!! I called it eating with a purpose........ I didn't eat cuz it tasted good but because I was supporting a mean lean cancer fighting machine ...lol !!!!

208sandy · September 2014

Had to give up coffee and chocolate and didn't lose an ounce - gained 15 lbs. because of bloat from the steroids - lost the 15 pounds within three weeks of stopping chemo - asked the dr. for a diuretic and it worked!

auntienance · September 2014

Couldn't deal with red meat but craved turkey sandwiches. Lived mostly on saltines, peanut butt er and chicken noodle soup. Had a very odd craving for caramel cheese popcorn which I ate by the bagful. Eat what tastes good to you.

Spookiesmom · September 2014

Oh I forgot about water. It had NO taste at all. That amazed me.

I've seen in other threads here if you have the metallic taste to use plastic utensils.

ruthbru · September 2014

sucking on cinnamon candy helped me a little. Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash helped with the dry/sore mouth.

Bippy625 · September 2014

I can totally relate to this thread. My problem now is what tasted good to me yesterday revolts me today. Smells really still set me off. The thought of anything that I had the first chemo in the hospital like chicken noodle soup makes me want to hurl. ProTip–don't eat anything in the hospital except for saltines cause you'll hate it later. Do not eat your favorite foods when you're nauseated are sick for the same reason. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat chicken noodle soup again.

Unfortunately most of the things that I can stomach are processed. Coffee cake, donuts, muffins, frozen mac & cheese, French fries, etc. also I am so disgusted by anything on the brat diet now, because I was nauseated when eating that stuff--so bananas and oatmeal are out.

So I have a new way of shopping. I go to the grocery store and buy whatever doesn't revolt me, just enough for couple of days. I've been lucky with special K protein shakes in every flavor. I avoid dairy and spicy foods, and anything acid like tomato sauce. No alcohol either.

It's getting old! It's so odd to be nauseated yet starving at the same time. At least I'm losing weight.

Skoolgirljen · September 2014

The thing I discovered late in my treatment that seemed to bring me back to life during the awful 10 days after chemo day was pho (Vietnamese soup. Just the broth). I also ate a lot of creamy tomato soup, Popsicles, ensure high protein, milkshakes, and smoothies. With the ensure, I at least felt I was getting some nutrition.

I would also eat mac and cheese and either baked or mashed potatoes until I just couldn't stomach them anymore.

ruthbru · September 2014

I still like the foods I ate during chemo (probably because they all were so very unhealthy Loopy ).

hyphencollins · September 2014

Thx for the thread. I'm starting tx this week so will take the suggestions. I had terrible morning sickness when pregnant with my son for 4 and a half months and am anxious about being nauseous with chemo. Then, my go to foods when I could eat were egg and cheese croissants from Dunkin Donuts and KFC chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. Real healthy...

M0mmyof3 · October 2014

Found that when I had chemo last year, that I couldn't handle hot coffee but I did fine with iced coffee and Gatorade.

randomchance · October 2014

I got my food police 15 year old yo walk to the store and buy me my morning sickness cure -- diet Pepsi and Doritos.

I have been through 4 rounds of chemo and different things were good after each one. Milk tastes good but is a b---- coming out the other end. Corn bread is now officially one of the most disgusting things on earth. Special k drinks, soup. Bland veggies the last round. Toast was big for a few days. Burnt toast with a thin layer of cream cheese.

Really, I have been trying to eat foods I don't normally like. It's disappointing when some good food tastes like salted soap but a happy surprise when spinach is not completely unpleasant.

flannelette · October 2014

This thread is just cracking me up. I will never, ever forget going to the dump in the dead of winter to take garbage. As I looked out over the football field of garbage bags and heaved mine out, I heaved, too. Just the dry heaves- really loud in the frozen still clear winter air. I'm sure you could have heard me for miles.

aqua2 · October 2014

I lost 60 pounds-everything tasted like salty poison. I got so weak, I could not walk. I must have wasted a couple hundred dollars in food and drink. When this happens suggested items won't work, you just have to keep trying everything. Thankfully after about 4 months, I could eat a strawberry sundae and oatmeal-my daughter and I cried. I'm now about 85% back to my normal ability to eat. I will say this, go to buffets where you can have a variety. I have been touched by how many restaurant managers joined me in my plight; refusing to allow me to pay. As I could add an item to what I could eat, they would specially prepare it and make sure it never deviated. The eating issue has been the worst issue I have dealt with regarding the surgery, chemo, and radiation. I'm still losing weight, as I believe all that time without food caused my stomach to shrink, but I am able to get nutrition. I hope you do not have the food issue with my severity-but I wanted to share that it can get horrific.

what to eat when food is revolting

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