Get into the Spirit at Holiday Gatherings (Even When You Don’t Feel Like Eating or Drinking)

Highlights Cancer and its treatment can cause a number of eating problems. For a full examination of these, click here. Keeping your mouth clean and fresh will help you better taste foods. Try these tips.

A holiday party or dinner with all the seasonal colors, lights, foods, and festivity may be just the break you need from the regimen of treatment. However, cancer and its treatment can sometimes affect your senses of taste and smell, causing a loss of appetite for the very foods you’d like to be able to enjoy. Here are some ways to enjoy the fun and frivolity and also get some of the calories and nutrition you need right now.

• On the day of an event, try to fit in a brisk walk or other exercise. This can tend to increase your appetite. Or, try eating less during the day of an event than you would on a normal day.
• Seek out the spices of the season. Hosts and hostesses will likely provide a variety of party food choices, perhaps including some tastes and spices that aren’t usually in your repertoire. These can tend to heighten your senses of taste and smell, and thus increase your appetite. Indulge in foods and hors d’oeuvres flavored with onion, garlic, chili powder, basil, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, barbecue sauce, mustard, catsup, or mint.
• This is also the season for “nibbling,” so no one will think it unusual if you take only small pieces of this or that. Try to choose high-calorie, high-protein items such as bite-size pieces of cheese and nuts of all types. Fresh fruits at room temperature are usually full of flavor and are easy to eat in small bites.
• Unless you have been cautioned not to drink alcoholic beverages, you may want to try something festive like champagne or sparkling wine instead of whiskeys. These two wines offer flavor that breaks through plus the delightful tickle of the bubbles.
• If you have a sore mouth, mouth sores, or a sore throat, you’ll probably need to make slightly different choices than those above. You may want to avoid alcoholic beverages altogether and instead try apple juice, nectars, soft drinks, and even egg nog. Instead of spicy foods and raw vegetables, try the mild cheeses, mild meats such as chicken, and mild deviled eggs.