During treatment, breast cancer patients often experience loss of appetite, nausea and altered taste buds due to drug side‑effects, together with emotional fluctuations, insomnia and other issues. These symptoms are only temporary and will gradually subside once treatment is completed, so there is no need for excessive concern. Below are recommendations to ease such discomforts.
Loss of Appetite
- Do light exercise or relaxing activities such as taking a walk before meals.
- Chew food slowly.
- Eat small, frequent meals.
- Consume high‑protein foods, such as sea cucumber, poultry, fish, eggs and legumes.
- Drink nutritional supplement beverages.
- Choose easily‑digestible foods.
Nausea and Vomiting
- Eat small, frequent meals.
- Maintain balanced hydration and electrolyte levels.
- Avoid overly sweet or greasy food.
- Opt for dry‑textured foods such as crackers.
- Do not drink excessive amounts of water or soup in one go.
Dry Mouth, Mouth Ulcers and Difficulty Swallowing
- Avoid foods that are too salty, sour, spicy, hard or coarse‑textured.
- Drink honey‑lemon water.
- Chop or blend meat before eating.
- Take liquid‑form foods such as congee broth, soups, oatmeal and steamed egg custard.
Food‑related Q&A
Q: Can breast cancer patients eat chicken? A: Many breast cancer patients are wary of eating chicken, believing that farmed chickens are injected with oestrogen (commonly called “injected chickens”) and will harm their health. Doctors and dietitians have pointed out that chicken can be safely eaten. Oestrogen in chickens is mainly stored in fatty tissue, mostly found in chicken skin. Simply remove the skin before consumption.
Q: Does eating soybeans and soy‑based products increase breast‑cancer risk? A: To date, no studies have proven that consuming soybeans or soy‑based products raises breast‑cancer risk. Natural soy products help balance bodily physiological responses. Eating natural soy foods will not stimulate cancer‑cell growth or increase the chance of cancer recurrence.