What Can I Eat When Nothing Tastes Good?

Everything for me,including water, tastes terrible. I’m also vegan-but if I felt a craving or thought I maybe could eat something that wasn’t vegan I’d do it-with guilt but I did it as I had lost 40 pounds. Something’s are absolutely terrible: beans legumes etc. however I find o can eat Mediterranean food. I know-makes no sense-but I can. I feel for you.

Mashed potatoes, oatmeal, toast with a smear of peanut butter and a half banana. Water ice, jello, pudding. Nothing tastes delightful but I would eat small portions of little things.

I had a lot of smoothies with protein powder so I got my calories, protein, & liquids in all at once - I used dairy free milk, unflavored protein powder, frozen fruit especially mango, & sweetener like stevia

Bananas, rice, eggs....soft foods are easier to consume. Crackers and bread were hard to swallow....my mouth was dry.

Smoothies can be a great option to get good for you calories down in a cool (and for some) soothing way.

I lived off of KFC mashed potatoes for several weeks. Only thing that sounded good! Lol. That smoothie recommendation is probably the better suggestion tho ;-)

Bonnie - I’m sorry & I know the feeling! What have you tried so far? Is it foods you were eating beforehand?

Courtney, yes everything I've tried has tasted horrible. I'm lucky if a broth or a smoothie is palatable. I've also started drinking ensure which is good. But that will weigh thin after a while. I'm at a loss. I have two more chemo treatments so this will last awhile.

I’m sorry! I had some of that but it wasn’t constant. One thing that worked for me was shifting my mindset about food during the chemo. I told myself that the only reason I was putting food in was to fuel & heal my body. I had to remove the piece that food is for pleasure or to enjoy & really hammer down on the food for fuel & healing. I looked up recipes & foods that helped with digestion, inflammation & phyonutrients. I know it’s not a sexy solution but it really helped my perspective & gave me the push I needed to put good things in even when they didn’t taste good. I’m declaring good things for you especially food that is palatable - even just one thing that lets your tastebuds (and your heart) say “yuuuummmm” this week!

Taste changes during treatment can make eating feel like such a challenge, and finding foods that are appealing becomes really important for maintaining nutrition and energy. Many people in similar situations find success with bland, room-temperature foods, strong flavors that cut through taste changes, or cold items like smoothies and popsicles. It might help to share what specific taste issues you're experiencing so others in the community can offer their tried-and-true suggestions.