Dietician shares tips, recipes for those undergoing cancer treatment

JACKSON, Tenn. — You may know, love or even be someone who is battling cancer.

Did you know there are many common challenges cancer patients face while undergoing treatment—including changes in the way food tastes?

Touch, taste, and smell are experienced when sensory cells in the mouth or nose send signals to the brain. Many treatments can interfere with the function of those cells.

Some cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can damage the nerves that send taste signals to the brain. This can oftentimes make someone who is already struggling with so much, feel like they have no place at the table.

A new campaign called “Tasting Notes” provides nutrition tips from registered dietitian Abbey Reiser to help cancer patients rediscover the joy of eating.

“Despite the difficulty, still attend the social gathering,” Reiser said. “Go out to eat whenever they have the energy to do so. I tell them there is no shame in asking to have their meal prepared in a certain way if that’s what it’s going to take for them to get it down. I even encourage them to bring their own food to a social gathering if they can.”

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