For many of us the festive season is all about sharing a Christmas meal and connecting with loved ones over an indulgent Christmas feast, but when you're going through cancer treatment Christmas can be a particularly stressful time of year.
If you or a loved one are experiencing treatment side effects, food can become another one of those stressors, with side effects dictating how and what you are able to eat. Side effects such as nausea, mouth sores and taste changes (to just name a few) are some of the issues that can completely take away your enjoyment of food, and sometimes these side effects can be so severe that it can be difficult to enjoy a meal with family and friends.
But Alyx Stewart, founder of the Centre for Cancer Nutrition wants to ensure that nobody misses out on eating indulgent festive food and provides tips on how to make Christmas dinner more palatable if you or a loved one are going through cancer treatment.
Alyx specifically offers advice for dealing with the following side effects:
sore mouth, difficulty chewing & swallowing, dry mouth & throat
nausea
loss or reduced smell and taste
We'd like to say a massive thank you to Alyx for creating this video for CancerPal. You can find lots more ideas and recipes, not just for the festive period, on the Centre for Cancer Nutrition website.
If you or a loved one is going through cancer this Christmas, we hope Alyx's tips help you to enjoy a delicious Christmas and if you're looking for Christmas gifts for a loved one with cancer, take a look at our Christmas gift ideas for someone going through cancer.