Does anyone have a list of foods we can and can’t eat while doing chemo and what sort of take aways we can eat?
Thank you very much
Sharon Xx
Hi Sharon,
Im due chemo January, so looked into this and was told to avoid any foods you would have avoided whilst pregnant. I believe alltake aways, buffet foods, should be avoided. Soft cheese, pâté, pre packed salad, certain honey, shellfish…I’m sure there are more things we should stay away from, maybe other ladies might be able to advise.
Maggie x
No rare meat, no unpasturised milk products, no raw or undercooked eggs, no grapefruit… but you should get a set of guidelines from your chemo unit. I think mine came from Macmillan, so you could check their website. Wash fruit, veg and salad carefully and be extra careful with knives, both in terms of possible infection and possibly bleeding more than usual. (Been there, done that, got the plasters.) Consider yourself immuno-compromised throughout. That doesn’t mean avoiding all convenience foods, but food hygiene is even more important than usual.
I wasn’t given any advice re foods to avoid and continued eating soft cheese, runny eggs and shell fish with no ill effects.
With hindsight, I was possibly lucky, but I think that as long as you don’t start eating anything new to you and take care to only have takeaways from a trusted source, you should be OK.
Just follow good food hygiene practices.
Good luck
Dx
I was told to avoid takeaways and not to have any friendly bacteria yogurts like Actimel.
Good luck xxx
I just followed good food hygiene. I did avoid blue cheese and pâté, that’s all. My most helpful tip would be get some hand gelI, I carried one everywhere I went, you can use it to clean hands, but also to wipe down any cutlery you do use wheN out. I also bought a digital thermometer, do not use one that goes in your mouth, its just a breeding ground!!