Breast cancer is a chronic disease which affects most of the women around the world every year. Though there are several effective treatments to fight with this serious disease still one drawback of these treatments is that it develops side effects. Loss of appetite is one of the common side effects, however, with some prudent tips, one can regain lost appetite caused by breast cancer treatment.
.Several changes develop in the body after and during the treatment tenure that affects your taste bud, food habits, sense of smell etc. All these factors lead to a change in your normal eating habit.
In this particular time, some of the patients lose their interest even for their favorite foods and for some days they don’t feel hungry at all which vary from day-to-day. Whereas in some cases some patients get extra hunger or appetite for foods which leads them to put on more weight after the completion of treatment.
People who are dealing with the loss of appetite and worried about their drastic weight reduction out of their lost interest for foods can help themselves proactively with some smart hacks to regain their appetite and stay healthy during and after the completion of cancer disease treatment.
With the advancement of medical science, there is no scarcity of effective forms of cancer-fighting treatments. Some common treatment processes that are conducted for curing breast cancer include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, pain medications, and surgery.
It is not necessary that all patients undergoing through these treatments will develop appetite loss issue as its side effects still this contains high chances to develop with the progression of treatment.
Anyone who develops this issue must consult with their doctor or nutrition specialist regarding this as because if this issue persists for longer duration without any active care then it can lead to other health problems such as fatigue, nausea etc.
16 Tips to Regain Lost Appetite Caused by Breast Cancer Treatment
Losing appetite during breast cancer treatment is a common side effect but it can be controlled and handled smartly through proper diet or meal planning. Our below-mentioned tips will help you to stay healthy and fit with all essential nutrient intake through your meal so that you can go through your treatment journey with less stress and issues.
Don’t Miss Eating More When Feel Hungry
Don’t miss the chance of eating so much whenever you feel your hunger at a high level as this is the golden chance for your body to grab all the healthy nutrients rich foods which you might not be able to eat at some other point of time in a day due to lack of hunger.
This high hunger trigger can occur at any point in time of the day which varies from person to person. So if anyone feels a loss of appetite due to their cancer treatment should notice their hunger time and must not miss it at any cost.
Eat More Frequent Small Meals
Many patients feel full after having very small meals this hinders them from eating enough during the big meals time as a result of, weakness and fatigue issue develops. However, you can utilize this small meal satisfaction issue in a positive way by having small frequent meals.
When you will start eating small-small meals throughout the day your body will automatically obtain necessary nutrients and your less big meal eating habit will hamper nothing as you manage to get enough food in a day with this frequent small meal trick.
Have Fewer Fluids During Meals
Having more liquids during meals will affect your eating and will cut your total calorie intake. So to avoid this issue make sure that drinks fluids, half or one hour before or after your meal. These habits will not fill your stomach too early and you can eat enough during your every meal.
Avoid Your Smells Triggers
Women undergoing through breast cancer treatment mostly gets smell triggers from foods which reduces their hunger and appetite for foods due to temporary dislike for meals due to their unfavorable scent.
Sometimes smells can cause nausea as well along with decreasing the appetite. So to prevent this issue and for maintaining your appetite level as it is made sure that you avoid all smells that affect your hunger interest.
Eat More Cold Foods
Anyone struggling from appetite loss due to breast cancer treatment can handle this side effect by including cold foods in their regular meal as because these foods have very less smell so it relieves smell trigger of food which hampers the normal appetite.
One can enjoy these foods and can live healthy with healthy nutrients content of such foods. Some common cold foods that you can include in your daily meal are cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese sandwich, cold pasta, tuna, egg, and chicken salad etc.
Do Experiment with Foods
One of the easiest ways to fight against your battle to appetite loss does lots of experiment with new varieties of foods. In this particular condition patient even loses their interest for foods which used to be their favorite at a certain point in time of life.
So to fill your stomach and to increase the hunger level you can try new foods which usually you don’t like in your normal state as chances exist to a great extent that these experiments with new foods will be more appealing for your taste bud and you will get more interest to eat them.
Drink Shakes and other Liquid Drink
In order to fulfill the necessity of nutrition and calorie level in your body, you can have some handy breakfast mixes or drinks which will take almost negligible time to prepare it. As you have loses your appetite currently so you will find easier to drink food rather than eating them in the forms of drinks and shakes.
Bring home some healthy nutritional supplement drinks and drink them at least one time in a day as it will fill the gap of food energy which you are lacking currently due to loss of your appetite.
Always Keep Handy Snacks with You
People who suffer from appetite loss issue must not miss even a single chance of hunger trigger as this is the time they can utilize to eat in a satisfactory mood. For this you should always carry some handy, readily available snacks with you whether you are traveling somewhere, going for shopping or for office.
The moment you feel hungry you can eat those handy sacks instantly. This will help you to maintain your daily calorie level which is very important to keep you energetic for normal day’s responsibilities.
Some handy snacks that you can carry with you every time include dried fruits, nuts, ice cream, cheese, peanut butter, muffins bread, cheese bread, chocolate shake etc. Though some of these snacks will be high in fat and cholesterol still you can carry with you at current condition and can reduce their intake once you regain your lost appetite.
Keep Bedtime Snacks Near Your Bed
Keep some handy snacks near your bed so that you can get them to eat during your bedtime at night. Nigh time snacking is very fruitful for increasing calorie level in your body and moreover, it will not hamper your appetite for the next meal as it is the last meal of the day.
If snacks will be at your easy reach during bedtime then even though you won’t feel hungry then also you automatically get a trigger to have some of those handy snacks as visibility affects the brain.
Cleanse Your Mouth Thoroughly Before Each Meal
Before every meal makes a habit of cleansing your mouth thoroughly with salt water, baking soda dissolved water, ginger or mint water etc. This thoroughly cleansing process will clear your palate and taste buds hence your taste bud will be able to feel all the taste of food that you will eat next.
As a result of it, you can eat enough without any issue of disinterest for your meal. Also, you can eat in between some cold snacks like ice chips as it will keep your taste buds soften till the period you will eat so that you can eat a full plate.
Stay Proactive for Eating
As you are suffering from appetite loss problem currently so it doesn’t make any sense to wait for your hunger to have a meal in a day. This is not your normal state or condition so this kind of waiting is worthless and it can keep you empty for a whole day.
So without waiting for your natural hunger or appetite have your meal proactively at its scheduled hour. This healthy habit will keep your body energetic and fit by providing all the essential nutrients that you actually require to live your life.
Drink Enough Amount of Fluids
You can fulfill the gap of meals that you are avoiding due to appetite loss issue by increasing your daily fluid intake. Drink enough amount of fluid dense with calories. The fluid you can have in the form of water, water diluted fruit juices, and beverages.
By drinking plenty amount of fluids you can stay healthy and remain unaffected from your appetite loss problem. You can drink 2-liter water in a day unless you get any directed or limited level of your fluid intake from your doctor.
Eat Multivitamins
In the cases of severe appetite loss issue often patients don’t feel appetite to have a meal for two-three days. Under such condition, the patient can develop other health concern in the lack of necessary vitamins and nutrients deficiency.
So to avoid such concern and to give your body with necessary vitamins you can eat multivitamins and minerals rich foods in a meal so that even though you will eat less but doesn’t feel weak or tired in the lack of these nutrients.
Also, you can eat nutritional supplements drink to fulfill the necessity of these essential vitamins and minerals.
Eat More Proteins
Protein is an essential nutrient for your body as it helps to keep you healthy and also give strength for self-healing and repairing process of the body. As you feel difficulty to eat enough foods due to your appetite loss so it’s better than whatever you eat in a day include a big protein size.
This extra protein intake will not let you feel weaker or fatigue by keeping you energetic during your treatment tenure. Some healthy protein meal options that you can include in this particular time are eggs, fish, meat, peanut butter, cheese, cottage cheese, beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, custard, milk, milkshake, veg burgers, meat salads, veg soups etc.
It is possible that you will lose interest for some of these protein-rich foods due to your appetite loss problem, in that case, you can try some other alternate protein-rich foods.
Eat More Calories
A breast cancer patient needs an excess amount of calories during her treatment and recovery process as in this point the body needs extra energy and strength which can be derived out of calorie intake.
In spite of your appetite loss issue, your body can avail enough amount of calorie by trying different options of calorie intake. Make your food more delicious than before with enough calorie ingredients so that your taste bud will feel appealing to have them.
Apply peanut butter on your toast or bread, mix heavy cream or milk powder in hot cocoa, prepare creamy soups, add extra oil and butter in foods, use margarine or butter on bread, toast, potatoes, rice, hot cereal soups etc., apply avocado on sandwiches and salads, top your hot cereal with nut butter, cream, honey, dried fruit, sugar etc.
Apart from all these calorie mixed food options you can yourself prepare your own dish putting an excessive amount of calories so that you can fight efficiently against your appetite loss concern.
Exercise Daily To Raise Your Hunger Level
Exercise or workout is an effective method to get back your lost appetite. When your body will burn calories and fat during this physical activity session your hunger hormones will automatically release that will compels you to eat enough.
However, before starting your exercise practice you should consult with your doctor to get assure whether exercising is safe for you or not.
We understand that this is your tough time but don’t lose your heart as our above-mentioned tips will definitely help you to regain lost appetite caused by breast cancer treatment.
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