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Nutrition tips for kids on cancer treatment
It can be hard to focus on healthy foods and nutritional needs for children who are on cancer treatment. We have some tips that might help finding the right balance for you and your family.
Nutrition tips
Well all know that nutrition plays a huge part in a child’s overall health and wellbeing but food often becomes a stressful part of daily life during cancer treatment. It can be hard to balance their nutritional needs, the effects of chemo on taste and digestion, and wanting your child who is going through hard treatment to be happy. On top of other stresses, it can feel overwhelming when you just want you child to eat something.
Here are some tips that might help finding the right balance for you and your family.
Use your support network
Talk to your family and friends, and the hospital team or us at Redkite. Other parents at the hospital are likely facing the same challenges and they might have some tricks that have worked for their child. Talk to your child’s health care team any time you have concerns about how much your child has been eating or drinking. Your doctor, nurse, dietitian can work with you to figure out your child’s needs and come up with an eating plan.
Find the right flavour
During treatment, children might start refusing more food. These tips can help depending on your child’s experience.
Increase carbs and protein
Carbohydrates are important in a high calorie diet. They’re also foods that most kids enjoy and you can make the flavours plain if your child is sensitive to overwhelming tastes, or add a lot of flavour if food is tasting bland. Think pasta, rice, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Nausea
Nausea is a big obstacle when it comes to eating during treatment. It can be hard to get your child to eat anything. To reduce the cooking smell in your home, try preparing a day’s worth of meals beforehand and store them in a freezer or refrigerator for quick heating later.
Other things that may help is eating frequent small meals, trying bland foods like pasta and crackers, and testing if temperature makes your child’s nausea better or worse.
Make meal time fun!
Time in hospital means a change of routine and the environment can be stressful. It’s not uncommon to see a change in behaviour or mood. Children are still learning how to process their emotions. It might mean you’re having to manage difficult behaviours.
If your child is feeling angry, upset or overwhelmed, the last thing you probably feel like doing is playing games. But, adding a bit of fun to mealtimes might actually work! Fancy drinking straws, decorated cups and plates can help make meals more fun. Try cutting vegetables and sandwiches in various shapes with novelty cookie-cutters. Younger children might enjoy seeing their food arranged in a funny face on their plate or making a game out of what to eat first.
Refresh Kids’ Eating Program?
If your child has is due to finish treatment, you can use the Refresh Kids’ Eating Program, a self-paced online nutrition program designed to help parents and carers support their children to learn healthy eating habits after cancer treatment.
The online program, available on the myRedkite portal, is accessible on your computer, tablet and mobile.
The Refresh Kids’ Eating program can help parents and carers to:
Request information And support
We’re ready to help. Please call us on 1800 REDKITE (Mon – Fri 9am – 7pm AEST), or fill out the form below.
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