The Fear of Losing Control Over Eating

Cancer often brings a sense of losing control—over your health, your body, and sometimes your eating habits. This can feel overwhelming, leaving you disconnected from a part of life that once felt natural. Patients who have experienced bowel, gastric, or head and neck cancers may encounter these challenges more frequently due to treatment side effects.

What can help:

• Focus on what you can control: Small choices, like deciding what time to eat or how your food is presented, can help you regain a sense of autonomy.
• Be gentle with yourself: Recognise that your relationship with food may ebb and flow. Progress, not perfection, is the goal.
• Seek guidance: An oncology dietitian, clinical nutritionist, or support group can provide practical tools and emotional reassurance. Sometimes just knowing that you’re not alone can be a huge relief.

The Grief of Favourite Foods No Longer Tasting the Same

Cancer treatments can affect taste and smell, turning once-loved meals into unrecognisable or unpleasant experiences. This can feel like losing a part of yourself or your identity. Celebratory occasions like birthdays, Easter, and Christmas can be particularly challenging.

What can help:

• Experiment with substitutes: If coffee now tastes bitter, try herbal teas or hot cacao. Experimenting with new herbs can bring back small joys and introduce new flavours.
• Celebrate the sensory experience of food: Focus on texture, colour, and temperature if flavour remains challenging.
• Remind yourself it’s temporary: Taste changes often improve with time. Allow yourself to grieve, but stay curious about what works for your palate now.

The Fear of Food Intolerances or Triggering Symptoms

Developing sensitivities or intolerances after cancer treatment can feel like yet another hurdle, especially when foods that were once staples—like dairy or gluten—now cause discomfort. And yes, even chocolate and coffee might be off the table temporarily!

What can help:

• Work with a professional: An oncology dietitian or clinical nutritionist can help you find alternatives that meet your nutritional needs while bringing satisfaction.
• Rebuild trust with your body: Introduce new or challenging foods slowly, and listen to your body’s signals without judgment.
• Reframe your mindset: Focus on the foods you can eat. With good advice and support, many food intolerances may be temporary.

The Anxiety Around Cancer Recurrence

For many survivors, every bite can feel loaded with the fear of “doing something wrong” that might lead to recurrence. This can make eating stressful and guilt-ridden.

What can help:

• Don’t trust unverified sources: Avoid advice from “Dr Google” or well-meaning but unqualified acquaintances.
• Speak with your care team: They can clarify dietary myths and help you feel confident in your choices.
• Embrace balance: No single food or meal will determine your health. Focus on overall patterns rather than perfection. (The 80/20 rule is a popular guideline in The NutraThrive Collective).
• Practise mindfulness: Engage in mindful eating to quiet intrusive thoughts. Focus on the smell, texture, and taste of your meal.

The Frustration of Food-Triggered Nausea or Bowel Frequency

To our friends recovering from bowel, rectal, and gastric cancers—we see you! Nausea, bloating, or the fear of loose and uncontrollable stools can turn eating into a source of dread. We’ve been there, and we know how distressing it can be.

What can help:

• Prioritise gentle nourishment: Simple, bland foods like rice crackers, bananas, or broth can be easier to tolerate.
• Focus on non-food joys: If a meal feels impossible, shift your attention to comforting rituals like a warm bath or soft music.
• Allow space for emotions: It’s okay to feel frustrated or sad when symptoms rob you of a meal. Acknowledging these feelings can help you move through them.

Finding Your Way Back to Food Joy

Cancer changes many things, and your relationship with food is often one of the most significantly impacted areas of life. But even amidst these changes, you can rebuild a positive connection with eating.

• Celebrate small wins: Eating half a meal, discovering a new favourite food, or enjoying a meal without anxiety are all victories worth celebrating.
• Let go of “shoulds”: There’s no perfect diet for cancer recovery. Focus on what feels good and works for you.
• Lean on support: Friends, family, and professionals can help lighten the emotional load of food fears.

It’s important to allow yourself to grieve the losses cancer brings, including changes to your eating habits. With time, patience, and support, you can rediscover food as a source of nourishment, joy, and healing. One bite at a time, you’ll find your way to a new chapter.

We are here to Support and Guide you 

We’re here to support and guide you through education, expert guidance and an incredible community.  

We've been where you are, and we've helped thousands navigate this journey. Our community offers:

• Personal support from a community who understands
• We read the science and interpret it into easy to understand small bites
• Expert guidance from health care professionals who are cancer survivors 
• Regular Q&A sessions to answer your questions so that you can take the worry and confusion out of managing supplements  and nutrition after cancer 
• Support groups for sharing experiences and tips

We would love for you to join our growing community of cancer patients (during and post treatment), carers, and experts. Join Us Now.

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A/Professor Teresa Mitchell-Paterson and Sally Kriel Co-Founders of The NutraThrive Collective

Disclaimer: Always consult your healthcare team before starting or changing any health regimen. We empower our community of readers and members to take control of their own health and wellbeing through asking their medical team questions to understand their medical condition, treatment options, and treatment plan.

Helpful Resources 

1. Eating Hints: Before, during and after Cancer Treatment - National Cancer Institute
2. Your feelings about diet problems – Cancer Research UK
3. Diet and Nutrition After Cancer Treatment – City of Hope
4. Loss of Appetite (Anorexia) and Cachexia – American Cancer Society
5. Cancer Council Victoria – Nutrition
6. No appetite? How to get nutrition during cancer treatment – Mayo Clinic