Serves: 5

During treatment, cancer patients often experience side effects of chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Foods may taste metallic, patterns of hunger may be different, or, as several patients have commented, "Food just did not taste the way I remembered it before treatment."

There are ways you can bring back the joy of eating and eat well try these suggestions.

1. Start small. Eat small quantities of food more often. You may feel full after eating only a little bit of food. Try eating a small amount, then try eating more food 30 minutes later.

2. Eat big when you can. Try eating your largest meal at a time when you are the least tired. If you are less tired in the morning or at noon, try eating your main meal then, instead of waiting until evening.

3. Have someone else cook. Food just seems to taste better when someone else cooks! Invite friends or family members to cook in your home, or pick a day when you're feeling better and try dining at their home.

4. Dine at restaurants. "If I choose good foods when eating out, it entices me to eat more because of the variety of choices," said a patient who ate many of her meals at restaurants.

5. Choose comfort foods. Everyone has a different version of comfort foods. Rice pudding, custard, mashed potatoes, oatmeal and macaroni and cheese conjure up pleasant, nostalgic thoughts, and are comforting and enjoyable for many. Use one of the many comfort food recipes in this book, or pull your favorites from your recipe collection.

6. Eat foods at room temperature. Because room-temperature foods have less aroma, this is of particular help when you are experiencing nausea.

7. Eat away from the kitchen. Avoid the smells associated with cooking by eating in a room other than the kitchen. Another environment can be quite helpful if you have nausea.

8. Eat foods that are easy to swallow. If you have mouth sores or dry mouth, this is key. "Soups, mashed potatoes and oatmeal went down easily," suggests one patient.

9. Avoid greasy or fried foods. Difficult for anyone to digest, greasy or fatty foods are particularly difficult to digest if you have an upset stomach or are feeling nauseated.

10. Eat foods that agree with you. Trial and error is the only way to know which are the best foods for your system right now. Start with small tastes of foods to see how well you tolerate them and if they taste good to you before you opt for a larger serving.

11. Enhance eating. Find simple ways to add pleasure to your dining experience. Try using colored plates, lighting candles or adding fresh flowers to improve your mood and help make you feel more like eating.

From "Betty Crocker's Living with Cancer Cookbook." Text Copyright 2005 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Betty Crocker's Living With Cancer Cookbook Cookbook:
Barley and Asparagus
Broccoli-Bacon Salad
Bulgur Pilaf
ENJOYING FOOD DURING CANCER TREATMENT
Easy Cheesy Broccoli Bake
Easy Creamed Vegetables
Easy Fresh-Fruit Salad
Grilled Marinated Vegetables
Mashed Potatoes
Orange-Pineapple Fruit Salad
Savory Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon
Stir-Fried Vegetables
Wild Rice Stuffing