• Try smaller, more frequent meals and snacks.

• Try changing the time, place and surrounding of meals.

• Let your child help with shopping and preparing meals.

• Offer high-calorie, high-protein meals and snacks.

• Avoid forcing your child to eat--this may make your child’s appetite worse.

• Make meal time a happy time.

Mouth Sores:

• Use soft foods that are easy to chew.

• Avoid foods that may cause irritation to the mouth including the following: citrus fruits (i.e., orange, tangerine, and grapefruit), spicy or salty foods, rough, course or dry foods (i.e. raw vegetables, crackers, toast).

• Cut foods into small pieces.

• Serve foods cold or at room temperature-hot foods may irritate the mouth and throat.

• Use a blender to make foods softer and easier to chew.

• Add sauces or gravies to food to make them easier to swallow.

• Offer salty or seasoned foods.

• Use flavourful seasoning on foods

• Try serving foods at different temperatures.

• Offer foods that look and smell good.

• Keep your child’s mouth clean by rinsing and brushing.

• Try sweet or sour foods and drinks such as lemonade.

• Offer hard candy, popsicles or chewing gum.

• Offer softer foods that may be easier to swallow.

• Keep your child’s lips moist with lip balm.

• Offer small, frequent sips of water.

• Offer foods that have more liquid in them.

• Try easy-to-digest food such as clear liquids, gelatine, toast, rice, dry cereals and crackers.

• Avoid foods that are fried, greasy, very sweet, spicy, hot or strong-flavoured.

• Offer small, frequent meals.

• Offer sips of water, juices, sports drinks or other beverages throughout the day.

• Try to avoid high-fibre foods including the following: nuts and seeds, whole grains, dried beans and peas, raw fruits and vegetables.

• Try to limit greasy, fatty or fried foods

• Limit gassy foods, including the following: beans, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, onions.

• Offer small, frequent meals and liquids throughout the day.

• Limit milk and milk products if lactose intolerance is a problem

• Drink plenty of liquids throughout the day.

• Include high-fibre foods, including the following:  whole grain breads and cereals, raw fruits and vegetables, raisins and prunes

• Drink plenty of fluids; hot drinks are sometimes helpful.

• Keep the skin on vegetables when cooking them.

• Use a soft tooth brush and take your child to the dentist regularly.

• Encourage rinsing the mouth with warm water when gums and mouth are sore.

• Encourage brushing teeth after eating meals and sweets.

• Limit foods that stick to the teeth such as caramels, taffy, gummy candy or chewy candy bars.

The treatment of cancer can be difficult for anyone of any age. Supportive care (treatment of disease side effects or symptoms) from the various members of the healthcare team, including dieticians and child life therapists, can make the nutritional aspects of treatment less difficult.