Meal ideas

FormerMember
FormerMember
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Hi,

My mum has started chemo to suppress her small cell lung cancer. She’s had 2 cycles so far and is really struggling to eat. She has lost a stone in a half in just over 3 weeks and wondered if anyone has any ideas on nutritious meals that might be easy to eat when she can’t taste anything? She has ensure drinks on prescription now and is aiming for 3 a day but she’s looking very weak and unwell so hoping someone can suggest some meals??

thanks 

  • Suggest u "Ask a dietician" by posting in that group and also try posting in the Lung cancer group. You might want to join Family and friends for support for yourself too  and put a bit in your profile so u don't have to keep repeating yourself.

    Quick tip - they reckon u should do the opposite of a slimming diet, eg add cream to soups

    Btw, welcome! 

    Fear of the unknown is the worst thing. Once we know what we're facing, we find the strength to deal with it.
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi Lindsay

    Welcome to the online community and I'm sorry to hear about your mum unfortunately it can be normal for people on cancer treatment to go off food because its tasteless and I think its something everyone experiences but it shouldn't be the normal as we all know that we eat to live not live to eat.

    What can we do to help you, well first of all we have some information for you called

    Macmillans on healthy eating

    Which if you click on the green text above will open up a new page for you  when you arrive there you find a lot of sections full of advice including a section on nutritious recipes which may appeal to mum.

    You could try and vary the protein/calorie drinks and the other one to look at it Fortisip whilst both types of drinks comes as yogurt/milk shakes they also come as soups and other types of drinks and if you could get the different types it might help your mum.

    Unfortunately our (Missing Group) group page is closed at present but our specialist nurses may have some good ideas and they can be contacted on Ask a Nurse page.

    I would like to suggest that you look at joining our Lung cancer forum group and introduce yourself to the very friendly members who if you ask them about eating they will, I'm sure, come up with some interesting recipes.

    Also if you're you mums carer you may want to join our Carers only forum group which is a very safe place for carers to come to freely discuss their situations and as it's for carers you can discuss all and any of your problems with people who know exactly how you are feeling and I look forward to see you in the group.

    No matter which group(s) you join we do like everyone to keep in touch, we're just a big friendly family who look out for each other and are very supportive and give help and advice when asked.

    Hope the above is of help and it helps you find something that your mum would like to eat, remember it's small meals at regular intervals and my own personal suggestion is that when plating up meals try and have everything in compartments or sections on the plate if all the components are kept from touching something else, if your mum takes a mouthful of (say) potato and it doesn't taste nice she could try the meat or vegetables knowing that for want of a better word they've not been"contaminated" by something else also keeping a food diary is a good idea as you can record meals given and note anything mum didn't like the taste of and leave it off the plate for a few weeks then slowly introduce it as our taste buds do change.

    If I can be of any other help please give me a shout out you can find me in the Carers only forum group, the Family and friends forum group and I'm normally always about to have a chat to or even to have a rant or rave at I don't mind at all and of course if you want to let off steam the groups are all a very safe place to do so as we all need to and do at some time

    Looking forward to seeing you in the groups soon

    Ian

    By clicking on any of the green text above will open up new pages for you.

    With apologies to !