Changes in taste or smell

Taste changes

Smell changes

• Add extra flavour to meals (e.g. fresh herbs, spices, lemon, lime, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, chilli, pepper, Worcestershire sauce or pickles).
• Keep trying different foods, as your tastes may change. You may not like bitter drinks (e.g. tea, coffee, beer, wine) or sweet foods (e.g. chocolate), even if you liked them before treatment. It is common to prefer savoury foods after treatment.
• If meat tastes unpleasant during treatment, replace it with other protein sources (e.g. cheese, eggs, nuts, dairy foods, seafood, baked beans, lentils, chickpeas).
• Add a little sugar to food if it tastes bitter or salty.
• Serve food hot or warm.
• Use bamboo cutlery if metal spoons, forks and knives taste metallic.
• Drink through a paper or silicone straw so the taste isn’t as strong. Metal straws may add a metallic taste.

• Eat cold food or food at room temperature – hot food smells stronger.
• Consider not eating your favourite foods when having chemotherapy. Some people find afterwards that they cannot tolerate the smell of foods associated with their treatment.
• Avoid using large amounts of strong-smelling ingredients (e.g. garlic, onion, spices).
• If cooking smells bother you, ask others to cook, then stay out of the kitchen when food is being prepared.
• Turn on the exhaust fan, open a window and cover pots with lids to help reduce cooking smells, or cook outside on the barbecue.
• Avoid eating in stuffy or overly warm rooms. Have meals outside.
• Take good care of your mouth, as a bad or bitter taste in the mouth can make things mell unpleasant.