How can I deal with a change or loss of taste as a result of cancer treatment?

Cancer, or cancer treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy, can change your taste. Certain foods may no longer taste how you remember them, things you used to love might suddenly not taste so good anymore.

How you experience the taste of certain foods can differ from day to day. While these changes can affect the enjoyment of food, for many, taste changes are temporary, and for most people, they will eventually return to normal.

Most health care professionals recommend finding flavours you still enjoy and adjusting your food choices accordingly. You can avoid products that you don’t like anymore.

Scientific research on how cancer can affect your taste and how to cope with this is still very limited. However, there are some recommendations that may improve your perception of flavours when your taste has changed.

How does taste work?

There are taste buds on your tongue, on the inside of your mouth and in your throat. These buds allow us to taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (a savoury taste) flavours. Taste is partly determined by our sense of smell too.

The texture and temperature of food and drink can also play a role in how we taste and experience foods. For example, some foods can cause your mouth to feel dry while others might cause a greasy feeling. Crispy or spicy foods can stimulate the production of more saliva, which can stimulate taste. The way food is prepared also has an influence on how you perceive taste, as well as the environment where you eat your food.

Below you will find a short description of various taste changes that can be experienced and some tips on how to cope with them.

None or little taste or smell

After treatment you may not taste much for a while. There are ways to add more flavour to your food. For example, adding fresh and sour flavours, such as lemon, or adding fresh herbs, can make food taste better.

Food tastes different

If food tastes different, it is important to discover what your new taste preferences are. If you like sweet tastes, then you can add honey or syrup to a dish. If you like sour foods, you could try adding vinegar or lemon. Cinnamon and other spices can help when foods have a metallic taste.

Food feels different in your mouth

If food feels different in your mouth, adding something fatty such as butter may help. Trying different textures can also make food feel nicer to eat. For example, adding croutons to salad or soup can help to add new textures. Temperature also determines how something feels in your mouth. Eating your food lukewarm or cold can help improve its flavour.

Aversion to food and smells

Cold food such as a pasta salad will not smell as strong as a hot meal, try experimenting with the temperature of foods if you are experiencing aversions to smells. If you no longer like a certain food, there’s no need to force yourself to keep eating it. You can even try foods you didn’t like before, as your preferences may have changed.

By following the steps below, you can discover what taste, smells and textures of food you like.

I have little to no taste and/or smell little

To add a strong or fresh taste

Vinegar, lemon, lime, yoghurt, fresh fruit
Spring onion, celery, celeriac, bell pepper, parsnip, tomato, onion, fennel
Chutney, candied ginger, mustard, piccalilli, wasabi
Spicy sauces, such as chilli sauce and hot sauce
Spicy seasoned foods, such as spicy seasoned nuts or seeds
Sweet and sour pickles and onions
Fruit compote

Add something crispy

Croutons
(chopped) nuts
pieces of cucumber

Add fresh herbs and spices with a strong taste

Basil, cayenne pepper, chilli pepper, dill, tarragon, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, curry, garlic, coriander, cloves, bay leaves, mint, nutmeg, rosemary, celery, star anise, thyme, fresh pepper, white pepper

Try something new

Baking or grilling (instead of boiling) gives more flavour
Piccalilli or chutney with your meals
Desserts, cereals and porridge with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg
Cranberry sauce, apple sauce or fruit chutney with meals
Marinate meat or meat substitutes in, for example, fruit juice with vinegar or soy sauce
Grilling vegetables with fresh herbs

Everything tastes different. I prefer sweet

Add sweet flavours to your meal

White or brown sugar, jam, honey, syrup (all kinds)
Milk or cream sauce or butter with vegetables
Fresh fruit, dried fruit (raisins, apricots, apple)
Fruit compotes, such as apple, pear, or cranberry compote
Chutney, sweet soy sauce, ginger syrup, sweet satay sauce

Add fresh herbs and spices with a strong taste

Basil
dill
cardamom
cumin

Try the following foods

Pumpkin
red pepper
onion
carrot
sweet potato
sweet fizzy drinks
dried fruits
cooked pear
apple compote

Everything tastes different. I prefer sour

Add sour flavours to your meal

Lemon, lime
Crème fraiche, sour cream, yoghurt
Salad dressing with olive oil, vinegar, wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, salt, pepper, vinegar, gherkins, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, mustard, capers, lime, silverskin pickled onions, ketchup, sour wine sauce, piccalilli

Add fresh herbs

Lemon
dill
parsley

Try the following foods

Endives
purslane
tomato
sauerkraut
berries
raw vegetables
aged cheese
sour drinks, such as buttermilk, lemonade, and bitter lemon

Everything tastes different. I prefer salty

Everything tastes different. I prefer bitter

Everything tastes different. I prefer savoury (umami)

Everything tastes too strong

Use neutral or bland flavours

Mashed potatoes
Prepare vegetables that have a stronger taste in a white sauce, eggs, fruits, honey, neutral dairy products: milk, cream, porridge, young cheese, processed cheese
Neutral grain products: bread, rice, pasta
Salads, carrots, pease

Check the temperature of your meals

Hot/warm dishes have a stronger taste than cold dishes
Try out the temperature at which food tastes best for you

The smell of food makes my appetite disappear. I cannot tolerate strong smells from food

I don’t like the taste of any food. Everything tastes like metal

I don’t like the taste of any food. Everything tastes bad

It’s a generic bad taste, cardboard box taste, bitter taste

Add fresh, sour and fruit flavours to your meal

Fresh and sour flavours, such as pickles, fresh fruit, yoghurt, silverskin onions
Strong flavours, such as basil, lemon, peppermint, sweet and sour sauces
Fruit flavours, such as cranberry sauce, apple sauce, and fruit chutney
Savoury flavours can also help, such as anchovies, mustard, salt

To reduce a bitter taste

Garlic
coriander
cream
watercress

Try the following foods

Add lemon or cucumber to water
Herring and beetroot salad
Combine meat or meat substitutes with something fresh such as cranberry sauce, apple sauce or fruit chutney or marinate in for example fruit juice with vinegar
Yoghurt with fruit

(A bad taste can also result from a dry mouth. Good oral hygiene and rinsing or drinking before eating to wash away the taste can help to improve the taste)

Recipes for people living with cancer

If you’re dealing with taste changes as a result of cancer and its treatment, you may be interested in our recipe guides that are written for people living with cancer. They’re created by the chef Ryan Riley.

Order a free Ryan Riley recipe booklet