How Has Cancer Changed Your Relationship With Food?

From changing the taste of certain foods to learning new things about nutrition, CURE® recently asked its social media audience: How has cancer changed your relationship with food? Here are some of their responses.

• In remission 2 years from stage 3 anal cancer and my relationship to food has been completely re-imagined. Pelvic radiation has made it imperative I avoid food that can cause gastrointestinal distress. I eat little sugar; I can no longer eat hot peppers or spicy foods because I easily get mouth sores since chemo. — TP
• It made me never take food for granted. During treatment food and beverages, even water, tasted nasty. Now I relish the flavors. - BG
• I have stage 4 breast cancer. I haven’t changed my diet much, which has always been pretty well balanced. And I don’t fret about treating myself to “unhealthy” choices. I figure I deserve to enjoy a quality of life that makes me happy. - YS
• Eating healthy meals now. Started changes prior to cancer, but really stepped it up. — MM
• It changed my appetite! I’m not as hungry as I use(d) to be. Meat tastes funny to me sometimes. - SH

• It hasn’t changed much since I’ve always eaten pretty healthfully. I have eliminated foods that I must avoid (no more raw bar/sushi, unpasteurized cheese, and the like as they are potentially dangerous for blood cancer). I want to enjoy life, and food is part of it. — KR
• Definitely eating healthier, more organic foods (and) regular exercise. - JM
• Absolutely! I do NOT eat the crap I used to. Candy, fast food, processed foods, food dye, etc. It’s a work in progress but each day I get better at picking better food choices and eliminating the stuff I can do without. It took some time, so don't be discouraged. - KK
• I try to eat much healthier. Eliminating white flours, white rice, sugar and dairy has made it easier to tolerate the chemo side effects. - TC
• I always ate healthy, got plenty of exercise, did physical work. Yet, the cancer came... and came back. I still eat very healthy (vegetarian, heading to vegan), but I treat myself whenever I feel like it! — TA
• I just do liquid by mouth and canned nutrition by belly tube. - MH
• I have tried to learn to use food as fuel, not comfort. I’m not doing great in the pandemic with that! — DC
• I went from being mostly vegetarian to eating strictly a plant-based diet. - BOD
• I haven't changed much of anything. All food tastes so different now. Mealtime for me is more like work. If there is one thing I could change, it would be one more pill to take to replace the food I try to eat. — RS
• I completely changed my relationship with food. I used to eat and enjoy all food without digging deeper into the issue of what is the food doing to my body. I use food to nourish me now. I give it what it needs to feel good and healthy. It made me more aware of how unhealthy food makes you feel. — TS
• My diet is extremely limited. I can no longer tolerate most veggies and red meat. I have to take supplements to augment my diet. Twelve years now and counting. - AM
• Missing the "real" taste of food as I go through radiation treatment on my neck. Can't wait to get back to biting into a crisp juicy apple, snacking on raw carrots and fresh fruit on my morning granola. Right now, everything tastes like metal. - JB