Food and Nutrition
Keeping your child’s weight fairly stable can be a worry as he or she undergoes
chemotherapy treatment mainly because losing weight may make them less able to
withstand infection.
All the normal rules your family has about food and what your child should or should
not eat are likely to be forgotten in your efforts to encourage your child to eat when
they are able to.
Changes of taste are common during chemotherapy so children may like stronger
favours than usual – Katie craved curries – and you may fnd they no longer like their
favourite foods.They may also be more likely to ‘graze’ i.e. eat less food but at more
frequent intervals.
The hospital dietician can help with suggestions of ways to encourage your child to
eat.You will know your child’s likes and dislikes best and it is often worth giving them
all their known favourites. However much this may go against your parental instinct,
it is better for them to be eating high calorie foods than nothing at all. Giving your
child several packets of crisps every day will probably feel wrong but over several days
this may be the best way to keep their calorie intake up. If your child doesn’t like the
hospital food,making their favourite meals at home or, for example, buying in pizzas
locally may help them to eat on a more consistent basis.
It is important that you don’t feel guilty about this situation, and don’t worry if they
start eating the same foods again and again. Katie’s appetite increased hugely, so be
prepared for this. Remember that steroids are also likely to cause a signifcant increase
in appetite which can be diffcult for parents to manage.
Your child may quickly develop problems with swallowing in which case they are
likely to need help with eating.You may also be referred to a speech therapist to help
with this as choking or problems with swallowing can lead to infection in the lungs.
You can try cutting up food into smaller pieces, thicken drinks and soups, or make
juice smoothies if this helps.
Good mouth hygiene is vital as the mouth can be an area of infection so it’s important
to keep the mouth clean and moist.
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