Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Eating Smart
  3. The Experts Weigh In: What to Eat When You Have Cancer

The Experts Weigh In: What to Eat When You Have Cancer

By Maureen Callahan July 05, 2012
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Photo: Francesco Tonelli
Seven top diet and cancer professionals (including an oncologist with culinary training, an integrative medicine nutritionist, and a chef) share tips and advice for what to eat when battling cancer to help bring joy back to the table. By: Maureen Callahan, MS, RD
Start Slideshow

1 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Choose the Diet That Is Right for You

There’s no one-size-fits-all diet strategy for battling cancer, mainly because cancers behave differently and because people respond uniquely to cancer and cancer treatments. Some folks have trouble eating enough; others put on too much weight. Sometimes cancer takes people on a roller coaster ride of changing tastes where they absolutely crave cheesecake one day and can’t stand the sight of it the next. To help you deal with the ins and outs, we turned to a handful of top experts in the field of diet and cancer for advice. Need more info? Check out the links each expert recommends.

1 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

A Chef’s Approach

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Rebecca Katz
Chef Rebecca Katz routinely lectures and leads culinary workshops at top medical institutions including Johns Hopkins. Top on her agenda is always a list of nutrient-dense, cancer-fighting foods like berries, avocados, and almonds. But Katz’s real magic is a cooking system she calls FASS. (The acronym stands for fat, acid, salt, and sweet.) Making sure there’s some level of FASS in a dish helps any cook punch up the flavor to entice those with a lackluster appetite. Look for details in her book, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen (Celestial Arts, 2009) or on her website.

2 of 15

3 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Recipes That Follow Katz’s Approach

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
These five recipes offer that perfect FASS balance (fat, acid, salt, and sweet) to stimulate the appetite and please the taste buds.

• Shrimp, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad
• Melon Gazpacho with Frizzled Prosciutto
• Steak Sandwiches with Pickled Onion and Herb Aioli
• Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup 
• Greek Yogurt with Warm Black and Blueberry Sauce

 

3 of 15

Advertisement

4 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The Culinary Oncologist

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Luis F. Pineda, MD
After 30 years in the field, Birmingham, Alabama, oncologist Luis F. Pineda, MD, says he still gets frustrated when patients don’t enjoy eating. “At the end of the day, I wanted to know what I could do to help people with cancer eat better,” says Pineda. “I was interested in the biochemical changes that happen with taste and smell.” So Pineda attended culinary school every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for a few years. The end result: a cookbook called Prescription to Taste: A Cooking Guide for Cancer Patients. Full of chili-laced entrées and desserts (to spark appetite and squelch nausea), it can be downloaded for free at www.cookingwithcancer.org.

4 of 15

5 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Recipes With a Gentle Kick

Pineda finds spicy foods help to combat nausea and pique the appetite so stick with these recipes featuring jalapeños or cayenne pepper.

• Poblano Jalapeño Chili
• Cilantro-Jalapeño Limeade
• Cranberry-Jalapeño Granita
• Spicy Jalapeño Corn Bread  
• Blackened Cumin-Cayenne Tilapia 

5 of 15

6 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The Integrative Strategist

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Jacki Glew, MS, RD
At the Block Integrative Center for Cancer Care, experts use a combination of conventional and complementary therapies that look at the mind and body as a whole. Top on the list is a plant-based diet. “There are thousands of disease-fighting chemicals in plant foods,” says Jacki Glew, MS, RD, Lead Clinical Nutrition Manager, “so we’re encouraging people to get as much fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains into their diets as possible.” Also key: “Stop eating junk!” Too much white sugar, white bread, and white rice can elevate blood sugar and give cancer cells fuel to grow.

6 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Plant-Based Recipes to Try

Credit: Photo: Anna Williams
Glew suggests eating “foods from the ground” like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains because of the antioxidants they contain.

• Golden Beet Salad with Wheat Berries and Pumpkinseed Vinaigrette
• Three Bean Vegetarian Chili
• Roasted Winter Vegetables
• Cumin-Scented Carrots
• Greens with Garlic and Lemon

7 of 15

8 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Follow the Symptoms Says ACS

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Michele Szafranski, MS, RD
Just starting cancer treatments? Be ready for symptoms and tastes to change from day to day or even hour by hour, says Michele Szafranski, MS, RD, a board certified specialist in oncology nutrition with the American Cancer Society. “I tell people to stock up on single-serving foods with lots of flavor and variety.” Try small cartons of yogurt for when you crave tart and creamy or trail mix for sweet and salty flavors with a crunchy texture. “If you’ve got a day when cheesecake is the only thing you feel like eating, then have cheesecake,” she says. ACS’s cookbook What to Eat During Cancer Treatment offers recipes that treat various symptoms.

8 of 15

9 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Recipes for Changing Tastes

Credit: Photo: Gentl & Hyers
Because your tastes can change each day from different cancer treatments, Szafranski suggests stocking up on foods that vary in flavor and texture.

• Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake
•
 Honey-Roasted Nuts and Fruit
• Cinnamon Crisps with Blackberries and Yogurt
•
 Sweet-Spicy Glazed Salmon
•
 Prosciutto, Peach, and Sweet Lettuce Salad

9 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The AICR Weighs In

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Karen Collins, MS, RD
“For people who are struggling to avoid weight loss, sometimes getting enough calories, protein, and other nutrients can only be accomplished with very concentrated sources of calories,” says Karen Collins, MS, RD, Nutrition Advisor to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR.) Good choices include dried fruits, fruit smoothies, and healthy fats such as avocados and nuts. Gaining weight? Limit calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Large weight gain, more common with breast and prostate cancer, lead to poorer outcomes, says Collins. Need more details? Check out AICR’s Cancer Resource.

10 of 15

11 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Nutrient-Dense and Low-Cal Recipes to Try

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
The side effects of cancer treatments have been known to cause weight gain in some and weight loss in others. The first three recipes are nutrient dense while the others pack in fewer calories but the same great taste.

• Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
•
 Blueberry Power Smoothie
•
 Toasted Almond and Pecorino Snap Peas
•
 Avocado-Mango Salsa with Roasted Corn Chips (low cal)
•
 Sunshine Smoothie (low cal)

11 of 15

12 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The Cancer RD: A Personal Story

Credit: Photo: Dan Hemmelgarn
Organic garlic farmer Diana Dyer, MS, RD, crams “36 hours of work into every 24-hour day” on her family’s Ann Arbor, Michigan farm. But 17 years ago this registered dietitian was battling breast cancer and sifting through scientific journals for ways to make her diet healthier. Her book, A Dietitian’s Cancer Story (Swan Press, 2010) and website, give detailed advice about what, and how much, to eat if you’re battling cancer. From whole soy foods to cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage) to winter squash, Dyer says the first step: “Set aside time to cook, and think of it as healing time, not drudgery.”

12 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Recipes That Fit Dyer’s Plan

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Dyer suggests a low-fat, plant-based diet that includes small amounts of animal products for both variety and nutrition.

• Szechuan-Style Tofu with Peanuts
• Lemon-Parmesan Broccoli
•
 Quinoa-Stuffed Squash
•
 Kimchi-Style Cabbage
•
 Pumpkin Hummus

13 of 15

14 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Mayo Clinic Strategies

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
“So much of our culture revolves around showing love through food,” says Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky, RD. “But try to imagine what it would be like to not have an appetite or to have a sore mouth.” She urges family members to be respectful of a loved one’s symptoms and gradually work with them to find foods they can tolerate. Here’s a long list of tips to help you do just that. Foods taste blah? Try punching them up with bold-flavored ingredients like barbecue or teriyaki sauce. Meat not appealing? Search out other protein-rich foods like lentils, peanut butter, or yogurt.

14 of 15

15 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Recipes That Employ Mayo Clinic Tips

Credit: Photo: Francesco Tonelli
Side effects from treatment may make foods lack flavor or taste too sweet, salty, or metallic. These recipes have sauces, marinades and seasonings to perk up the flavor and help meet protein, vitamin, and mineral needs.

• Barbecue Salmon 
• Pan-Fried Udon Noodles with Teriyaki Sauce
•
 Arctic Char with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce  
•
 Peanut Butter, Banana, and Flax Smoothies
•
 Sloppy Lentils in Pita  

15 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Maureen Callahan

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 15 Choose the Diet That Is Right for You
    2 of 15 A Chef’s Approach
    3 of 15 Recipes That Follow Katz’s Approach
    4 of 15 The Culinary Oncologist
    5 of 15 Recipes With a Gentle Kick
    6 of 15 The Integrative Strategist
    7 of 15 Plant-Based Recipes to Try
    8 of 15 Follow the Symptoms Says ACS
    9 of 15 Recipes for Changing Tastes
    10 of 15 The AICR Weighs In
    11 of 15 Nutrient-Dense and Low-Cal Recipes to Try
    12 of 15 The Cancer RD: A Personal Story
    13 of 15 Recipes That Fit Dyer’s Plan
    14 of 15 Mayo Clinic Strategies
    15 of 15 Recipes That Employ Mayo Clinic Tips

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    The Experts Weigh In: What to Eat When You Have Cancer
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.