Radiation therapy, anti-cancer drugs and infection often result in mouth sores, tender gums and a sore throat or oesophagus. Certain food will irritate an already tender mouth and make chewing and swallowing difficult. By carefully choosing the foods the patients eat and by taking good care of mouth, one can usually make eating easier. Below are some suggestions that may help the patients:
- Patients should try soft foods that are easy to chew and swallow, such as
- Milkshakes
- Bananas, pear and apricot nectars
- Watermelon
- Cottage cheese
- Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese
- Custard, puddings and gelatine
- Scrambled eggs.
- Oatmeal or other cooked cereals
- Pureed or mashed vegetables such as peas and carrots
- Pureed meats
- Liquids
2. Avoid foods that can irritate the mouth such as:
- Citrus fruit or juice such as oranges, grapes fruit, tangerines
- Spicy or salty foods
- Rough, coarse, or dry foods such as raw vegetables, toast, and crackers.
3. Cook food until it is soft and tender
4. Cut food into small pieces.
5. Mix food with butter, thin gravies and sauces to make it easier to swallow
6. Use a blender or food processor to puree food.
7. Use a straw to drink liquids
8. Try foods cold or at room temperature. Hot and warm foods can irritate a tender mouth and throat.
9. Tilt the head back or move forward if swallowing is hard.
10. Try sitting up or standing for about an hour after eating if heartburn is a problem.
11. Rinse mouth with water often to remove food and bacteria and to promote healing.
12. Ask the doctors about anaesthetic lozenges and sprays that can numb the mouth and throat long enough to eat meals.
Miss Rajkumari Binapani is a Lecturer–cum-Dietitian at the Central Referral Hospital, Sikkim Manipal University
At Central Referral Hospital, dietitians support people to improve their health by providing expert nutrition and dietary advice. A dietitian can help you manage health conditions, such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart disease, Renal disease, Dialysis, Cancer. The Diet Clinic at Central Referral Hospital also offers customised meal plan and food chart.
Visit: Diet Clinic, Level 3, Central Referral Hospital, Tadong, Gangtok.
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