Nutrition

As you prepare for your cancer treatment, it’s important to eat well. Choosing a wide variety of foods and well-balanced meals can help you feel better, maximise your energy levels and build up good immunity.

What should I eat?

You should try to have at least 3 meals per day.

Aim for:

  • starchy carbohydrates at each meal, for example cereals, bread potatoes, rice, chapattis and pasta. A portion is typically 2-3 tablespoons or 1 slice.
  • 2 to 3 portions of dairy items or dairy-free alternatives every day to help support your bone health. If you’re overweight, choose the lower fat variety. A portion is typically one pot of yoghurt, matchbox size piece of cheese or 200ml of milk.
  • protein with each meal, for example, meat, chicken, fish, egg, nuts, beans, lentils, pulses, Quorn© or tofu.
  • at least 5 portions of different fruit and vegetables each day. One portion is roughly the size of your clenched fist. Fresh, dried, tinned and frozen varieties are all suitable.
  • 6 to 8 glasses of fluid throughout the day.
  • a vitamin D supplement of 10 micrograms/day if you have reduced access to sunlight or you spend most of your time indoors. Discuss with your healthcare professional if you should take a supplement.

Find out more about eating well during cancer treatment.

Unintentional weight loss before cancer treatment

You may find you’ve lost weight unintentionally before or after your cancer diagnosis. You may need to maintain or regain some of this lost weight before
starting treatment.

If you are underweight, losing weight or have a poor appetite, you may need to follow some ‘build up’ advice in preparation for your cancer treatment.

You should:

  • try to eat 3 meals a day with snacks and nourishing drinks in between. Try including mixed nuts, yoghurts, cheese and crackers, toast, crumpets or full fat milk, hot chocolate, milkshakes or smoothies.
  • switch to the full fat or full calorie equivalents as the extra energy in them may help slow any unintentional weight loss.
  • include some protein foods in each meal and snack, such as meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, beans and nuts.
  • enrich your foods by adding extra calories to them, for example, add cheese to soups, pasta, mash potato or vegetables, add extra butter, margarine to vegetables, bread or scrambled egg.
  • have drinks after meals rather than with meals so that they do not fill you up.

I’m concerned about my nutrition and weight, what should I do?

Speak with your oncology team (doctor or nurse specialist). They will support you and signpost to the most appropriate advice. They may also refer you to the Macmillan Specialist Dietitians if you need further nutritional support.

Supporting gradual weight loss in preparation for cancer treatment

We generally don’t encourage weight loss during cancer treatment. But if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is high,  your medical team may encourage you to lose some weight before treatment.

Find out more about achieving a gradual weight loss.

Our nutrition advice for cancer patients (patient guides)

In this section