food tastes different?

[ItsKate]

hi, new here and have a questions. i'm helping a friend who is on chemo by making some of her meals, but she is saying that the food has a strange taste. this has happened with many meals ive made. does anyone know what would cause this? is it the chemo? thanks, i really want to help.

[Petreep]

A lot of chemo patients have difficulty eating Some foods and other times it could be there favorite food and it just doesn’t taste the same. I couldn’t eat much of anything. At one point the only thing I could eat was tomatoes and watermelon. I would go to the store and think oh that looks good, but when I got home it tasted awful. I finally ended up using protein shakes and milkshakes. You may just have to experiment until you find something she feels like eating. But it’s awesome she has you willing to help. Hang in there for both if you.

[ItsKate in reply to Petreep]

thank you!

[BklynCatwoman]

What a good friend you are! I found that I couldn't eat certain foods--like bananas--which I normally loved. I got a mouth infection with every infusion, so my mouth ended up tasting like there were ashes in it, no matter what I did/tried (rinses, mouthwashes, etc.) But antibiotics cleared it up.

It's not your cooking, though! Some types of chemo leave a metallic taste in your mouth and that could be affecting your friend's taste buds.

I found that I craved strong-tasting ethnic foods like Indian, Chinese and Mexican food. But many chemo patients don't tolerate these kinds of food and like bland foods. I think you can't go wrong with something like a hearty chicken soup. But ask your friend what they crave and what tastes especially weird.

[ItsKate in reply to BklynCatwoman]

thank you i will ask her!

[BklynCatwoman in reply to ItsKate]

You're very welcome!

[Mabethea]

Yes, definitely chemo. Everything tasted metallic to me. The "worst" was chocolate tasted awful!!!! Seriously though, you just have to try different things. During chemo was the first time in my life anyone told me to eat whatever I felt like. There were days I just couldn't eat at all. It wasn't that my stomach was upset...i just couldn't eat. So please don't get your feelings hurt if that happens. It is very important that she stay hydrated. I had a lot of chocolate milkshakes from wherever my sister went. They usually say not too spicy foods, especially if she is nauseated. Ate a lot of muffins and toast. But the days at the end if my cycle I wanted Sweet and Sour Chicken from our favorite Chinese restaurant. Try Boost or similar meal replacements is she'll drink them. Bless you for helping.

[ItsKate in reply to Mabethea]

thank you so much!

[ItsKate]

thank you all- this is all good to know. i will keep trying new foods and see what is working.

[Tinydancer1]

I had a hard time with my taste buds during chemo. Everything either tasted like cardboard or was metallic. I then bought MBerry, which is a tablet that you place on your tongue to dissolve just before eating. For the next half hour or so, your taste buds are woken up, and food takes on a somewhat sweet taste. It may not taste exactly like it’s supposed to, but it’s better than metal or cardboard! You can find it on mberry.us. Some people use it for parties as entertainment where they distribute it to their guests along with lemons and other sour foods because it makes these foods taste sweet.

[Hidden]

I ate whatever tasted decent. I ate a lot of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream. That was about it! Chemo leaves a metallic taste. It goes away eventually when you finish chemo.

[Hidden]

P.S. All the nutritionists tell you to eat your vegetables, whole grains, etc. But honestly, with that metallic taste & lack of appetite, I ate whatever I was able to eat.

[IGotSunshine]

Yes, food lost its magic for me when I was on chemo. I managed to choke down whatever my husband (bless his heart) put in front of me, but I have a cousin-in-law who lived on nothing but potato chips during her chemo! Worth a try ...

[RobertaG1961]

She is blessed to have such a good friend. I don't have much to add but keep experimenting. Try carbs...I remember baked potatoes with some butter went down pretty easily.