Top tips for healthy eating

We asked our Facebook group and online support meeting members to share their top tips for when you want to eat but don't feel like preparing meals, when you don't really feel like eating, and when you feel nauseous or your mouth is sore due to lymphoma and its treatment. Here is what they told us.
 

Wooden counter top with fruit and vegetables displayed

Eating and drinking when your mouth is sore

You might find that the following foods helpful.

  • Ice lollies. 
  • Yogurts, custard and trifles.
  • Milk shakes with ice cream.
  • Water melon pieces.
  • Liquid complete meals.
  • Let hot food cool a little. 
  • Mashed potato.
  • Scrambled eggs.
  • Rice pudding.
  • Noodles or pasta.
  • Porridge.
  • Soup (it can be bland or seasoned to your taste).
  • Pineapple fruit pot - frozen.

Eating to put weight on

Here are some suggestions for foods that might help.

  • Add cream to porridge, sauces and mash.
  • Add cream to soup.
  • Add butter and cheese to scrambled eggs or potatoes.
  • Add milk powder to drinks.
  • Protein shales using full fat milk.
  • Treat yourself to snack – have the extra chocolate biscuits!
Young women smiling at the camera
Melinda, living with DLBCL 

When you feel nauseous

Other people have found that these foods help with the feeling of nausea.

  • Ginger biscuits.
  • Ginger and lemon tea.
  • Ginger sweets to suck.
  • Dry biscuits – like rich tea.
  • Cream crackers.
  • Rice cakes.
  • Boiled potatoes.
  • Plain rice.
  • Ready salted crisps.
  • Ice lollies. 
  • Toast.  
  • Cornflakes.

When everything tastes bad

Finding something to eat when everything tastes bad can be challenging. Here are some suggestions.

  • Frozen grapes or pineapple (can help to neutralise any horrible tastes).
  • Lucozade.
  • Ginger beer.
  • Earl grey tea.
  • Lemon barley drinks.
  • Anything with a strong taste – crisps, strong cheese, ginger nuts and spicy things like curry.

And more general suggestions you might like to consider

Here are some other tips for helping when preparing and eating food is difficult.

  • Make things that can be frozen in advance for when you are having treatment and don't want to prepare or cook meals.
  • Say 'yes' to offers of help from friends and family with preparing and cooking meals.
  • Treat yourself – my favourite is a packet of jelly babies.
  • Try blowing your nose when you have a bad taste in your mouth (it might help to get rid of the taste).
  • Be aware that something you really love before treatment might taste differently after treatment. If you eat the foods you love during treatment, the association with having treatment might mean you go off it in the future.
Woman looking at the camera and smiling
Gill, living with follicular lymphoma

This information comes from our Facebook users and online support meeting members, and is a list of suggestions from the community based on what they personally found useful around their lymphoma and when they had treatment. This is not intended to be medical advice and is not a replacement for advice from your medical team. If you are looking for specific guidance for your own personal circumstances always consult your medical team.