What to eat during breast cancer treatment

Breast cancer treatments can have a range of side effects, some of which may affect the way you eat and drink. We’ve teamed up with Breast Cancer Care to bring you a selection of recipes, designed to help you through your treatment. All recipes have been checked by a Breast Cancer Care nurse.

Healthy eating during chemotherapy if you’re experiencing a loss of appetite
If your appetite is small, eating smaller more frequent meals may be easier for you. Try the below recipes for a lighter meal or snack:

• Tomatoes on toast with mozzarella
• Boiled egg with soldiers
• Blueberry and banana muffins
• Kiwi, apple and mint juice

Healthy eating during chemotherapy if you’re experiencing an increased appetite
Sometimes chemotherapy can stimulate your appetite. If you’re worried about gaining weight, try the recipes below:

• Apple and cinnamon porridge
• Cod with garlic sweet potato mash and lemon spinach
• Carrot, ginger and coriander fritters
• Spiced chicken with cauliflower couscous

Nausea
It’s important to keep fluids up. Eating little and often can also help. Here are some recipes to help combat nausea:

• Chicken noodle soup
• North African-style mint tea
• Milk bread
• White bread loaf
• Seeded rye crackers

Sore mouth
Chemotherapy can make your mouth sore, dry and uncomfortable to eat. We’ve selected some recipes that shouldn’t cause too much discomfort:

• Red berry yogurt smoothie
• Chilled radish, watercress and tahini yogurt soup
• Beetroot, apple and horseradish soup with herb dumplings
• Banana and cardamom ice cream
• Mango and lime sorbet

Constipation
Eating and drinking less, not being active and certain medications can all lead to constipation. Try one of our higher fibre recipes:

• Low-sugar coconut granola
• Tropical fruit salad with raspberry and orange sauce
• Quick butternut and bean stew with cauliflower rice
• Quick bacon, pea and spinach lentils

Find out more information including how soon you can eat after surgery, how radiotherapy and hormone therapy may affect your diet and what taste changes you may experience, here.