Childhood cancer: how to ensure adequate nutrition

To improve the appetite of the child undergoing cancer treatment, one should offer foods rich in calories and tasty, such as desserts enriched with fruits and condensed milk, for example. In addition, it is important to make meals attractive and colorful to help stimulate your child to want to eat more.

Loss of appetite and the appearance of sores in the mouth are common consequences of cancer treatment that can be treated with special care with food to help the child feel better and stronger to face this stage of life.

Foods that Improve Appetite

To improve the appetite, the child should be offered foods rich in calories, which provide enough energy even if he eats in small amounts. Some examples of these foods are:

Meat, fish and eggs; Whole milk, yogurt and cheese; Vegetables enriched with creams and sauces; Desserts enriched with fruits, cream and condensed milk.

However, it is important to avoid foods that are low in nutrients and are low in calories, such as skim milk and dairy products, green salads with raw vegetables, powdered fruit juices and soft drinks.

Tips to improve your child's appetite for cancer treatment

Tips to increase appetite

To increase the child's appetite, you should increase the frequency of meals, offer food in small quantities and give preference to the child's favorite foods, creating a warm and lively atmosphere during meals.

Another tip that helps to improve your appetite is to drip drops of lemon under your tongue or chew ice about 30 to 60 minutes before meals.

What to do in case of mouth or throat sores

In addition to the loss of petite, it is common to have sores in the mouth and throat during treatment for cancer, making feeding difficult.

In these cases, you should cook the food well until it becomes pasty and soft or use the blender to make purees, offering mainly foods that are easy to chew and swallow, such as:

Mashed banana, papaya and avocado, shaved watermelon, apple and pear; pureed vegetables such as peas, carrots and pumpkin; mashed potatoes and pasta with sauces; scrambled eggs, ground or shredded meats; porridge, creams, puddings and gelatin.

In addition, acidic foods that irritate the mouth, such as pineapple, orange, lemon, mandarin, pepper and raw vegetables, should be avoided. Another tip is to avoid very hot or dry foods, such as toast and cookies.