Food during treatment and cancer

Hello Wonky

Welcome to the Online Community here at Macmillan. I hope you find it a helpful place to access support and ask questions. My name is Vanessa and I am one of the information nurses.

I can appreciate that you will be considering what to eat while on chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

There is still insufficient medical evidence to make exact recommendations about which foods are beneficial to eat, or which to avoid following a cancer diagnosis. Cancer Research UK has useful information on alternative cancer diets and the lack of research-based evidence to support them.

In general, cancer experts and Macmillan advocate following a healthy balanced diet. Here is some further information about diet and cancer and a link to our booklet Healthy Eating and Cancer.

Before making changes to your diet, it might be a good idea to talk to a dietitian, or specialist nurse. This may be especially useful if you have any special dietary requirements or medical needs. We also have information about Eating problems and Cancer that you might find helpful.

The World Cancer Research Fund has a range of information about living with cancer, including a nutrition and living with cancer helpline. Although the Helpline is not free, but you can also email them.

Penny Brohn also offer additional resources about caring for your self during cancer treatment including information about eating well.

There may be further information and support available through the practical issues forum within our Online Community.

I hope that this information is helpful. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch again.

Take care

Vanessa

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist  

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

Ref VG/SH

Thank you for getting back to me Vanessa. 

There is so much information out there, it is hard to know what to go by. I appreciate what you have shared and speaking with the breast care nurse, eating right now, during chemo, no matter what is clearly better than not. So I'm just going to eat what I can when I can.

Thank you again.