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Recipes and snacks
The following quick meal and snack suggestions are for when you feel too tired or unwell to shop for food or cook, or if you’re missing meals while having treatment. Some may not seem like healthy choices, but if you have a poor appetite it’s important to focus on high-protein and high-energy food and fluids to ensure your body gets all the energy it needs.
You can return to the healthy eating guidelines when your appetite improves. If you have another health condition, such as diabetes, the following suggestions may not be suitable. Check with your health professionals before changing your diet during cancer treatment.
Learn more about:
Meal and snack ideas
Breakfast |
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Main meals |
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Snacks |
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Drinks |
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Additional resources
Jenelle Loeliger, Head of Nutrition and Speech Pathology Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; ebecca Blower, Public Health Advisor, Cancer Prevention, Cancer Council Queensland, QLD; Julia Davenport, Consumer; Irene Deftereos, Senior Dietitian, Western Health, VIC; Lynda Menzies, A/Senior Dietitian – Cancer Care (APD), Sunshine Coast University Hospital, QLD; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Janice Savage, Consumer.
View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.
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