Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSupportive, Not PushyOffer Favorite FoodsSmall Frequent MealsAvoid Strong OdorsConstipation/NauseaLiquid SupplementsMedication OptionsNatural Remedies
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Supportive, Not Pushy
Offer Favorite Foods
Small Frequent Meals
Avoid Strong Odors
Constipation/Nausea
Liquid Supplements
Medication Options
Natural Remedies
No matter the setting—home,hospicefacility, orpalliative-care center—caregivers often find a loved one’sloss of appetiteand unintended weight loss disturbing.
Eric Audras / Getty Images
Be Supportive, Not Pushy
While people struggling with a serious illness may want to eat, symptoms such as the lack of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, andmouth soresmay stand in their way of doing so. Pushing them to eat only adds to the frustration they’re already dealing with.
Isolating someone who isn’t hungry can cause depression and loneliness.To encourage eating, make mealtimes an opportunity to socialize.
Even if eating is difficult, invite your loved one to the dinner table or recruit family members and friends to share meals at the bedside. Doing so may enhance their appetite.
Always set realistic goals and celebrate every small achievement. By being supportive, you allow your loved one to be a part of the solution rather than being told what to do.
People are more likely to eat if provided the foods they love.
If the loss of appetite is severe, don’t worry so much about feeding your loved one the “right” diet. Instead, find the foods that whet the appetite, even if it’s just dessert or a plate of mashed potatoes.
If your loved one feels like eating, find the high-calorie, high-fat foods that are most likely to tempt the taste buds. Look for soft or pureed foods that anyone can eat, such as:
Offer Smaller, Frequent Meals
One of the easiest and most effective ways of increasing a loved one’s caloric intake is to offer a smaller meal every couple of hours several times a day, ideally five to six.
Often, people struggling with an appetite will dread the prospect of sitting down for a big meal they know they can’t eat. Snacking takes off the pressure.
Even if they miss one meal, you’ll still have four or five chances to meet their daily nutrition needs.
Avoid Strong Food Odors
Many long-term illnesses affect not only a person’s sense of taste, but their sense of smell, as well.It helps to steer clear of foods with strong odors or flavors, such as:
Cold foods generally have fewer odors and may be an appropriate option for someone who finds certain food smells nauseating.
Treat Constipation and Nausea
Constipationcan create a sense of fullness even if someone is nutritionally deprived.
To treat constipation, ensure that your loved one is properly hydrated and speak with your healthcare provider about the appropriate treatment options, including laxatives and fiber supplements.
Limiting caffeine intake and increasing fiber intake with fruits, vegetables, and grains (20 to 35 grams daily) can also help.
If your loved one is struggling with nausea, try bland foods such as theBRAT diet(bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast). Ginger tea is also a popular anti-nausea remedy.The same non-irritating foods can help people with mouth sores.
Hard candy, popsicles, and ice chips can also help produce saliva and keep the mouth moist.
Best Foods to Eat When You’re Constipated
Provide Nutritional Supplements
Plenty of liquid dietary supplements on the market today, such asEnsureandBoost, that can enhance daily nutrition and help increase weight.
In the past, supplement drinks were only available in chocolate or vanilla flavor, but today you have a wider range of to choose from.
In addition, gels, puddings, and bars are available that provide a variety of textures to help tantalizes the taste buds.
While valuable as a nutritional aid, supplements should never be used as the sole (or even primary) source of daily nutrition.
Explore Medication Options
If dietary measures fail to reverse weight loss, ask your health provider about medications that are known to stimulate the appetite. These include:
Healthcare providers will usually try one or more of these medications and discontinue their use if they do not prove effective.
In the United States, a growing number of states are legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. This drug may not only stimulate the appetite but also improve a sick person’s mood.
Consider Natural Remedies
Several naturopathic remedies may also help stimulate the appetite. These include:
While there is little hard evidence of their benefits, herbs, teas, and roots like these have been used this way for centuries.
Even so, naturopathic remedies can sometimes interact with your loved one’s medications, so check with their nurse or healthcare provider before adding any such product to the treatment plan.
Symptoms of Loss of Appetite With Cancer
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ni J, Zhang L.Cancer Cachexia: Definition, Staging, and Emerging Treatments.Cancer Manag Res. 2020 Jul 9;12:5597-5605. doi:10.2147/CMAR.S261585Ge L, Yap CW, Ong R, Heng BH.Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study.PLoS One. 2017 Aug 23;12(8):e0182145. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0182145American Cancer Society.Loss of Appetite.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Appetite Loss.University of California at San Francisco.Patient Education: Constipation.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Nausea and vomiting.OncoLink, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.Mucositis (Mouth Sores) & Oral Care Tip Sheet.Childs DS, Jatoi A.A hunger for hunger: a review of palliative therapies for cancer-associated anorexia.Ann Palliat Med. 2019;8(1):50–58. doi:10.21037/apm.2018.05.08Anderson, Susan P. et al.Impact of Medical Cannabis on Patient-Reported Symptoms for Patients With Cancer Enrolled in Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program.Journal of Oncology Practice. 2019;15(4):e338-e345. doi:10.1200/JOP.18.00562International Pain Foundation.5 Natural Herbs That Could Stimulate The Appetite.Cheng KC, Li YX, Cheng JT.The use of herbal medicine in cancer-related anorexia/ cachexia treatment around the world.Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(31):4819-26. doi:10.2174/138161212803216979Asher, Gary N.Common Herbal Dietary Supplement–Drug Interactions.Am Fam Physician.2017;96(2):101-107.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ni J, Zhang L.Cancer Cachexia: Definition, Staging, and Emerging Treatments.Cancer Manag Res. 2020 Jul 9;12:5597-5605. doi:10.2147/CMAR.S261585Ge L, Yap CW, Ong R, Heng BH.Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study.PLoS One. 2017 Aug 23;12(8):e0182145. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0182145American Cancer Society.Loss of Appetite.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Appetite Loss.University of California at San Francisco.Patient Education: Constipation.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Nausea and vomiting.OncoLink, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.Mucositis (Mouth Sores) & Oral Care Tip Sheet.Childs DS, Jatoi A.A hunger for hunger: a review of palliative therapies for cancer-associated anorexia.Ann Palliat Med. 2019;8(1):50–58. doi:10.21037/apm.2018.05.08Anderson, Susan P. et al.Impact of Medical Cannabis on Patient-Reported Symptoms for Patients With Cancer Enrolled in Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program.Journal of Oncology Practice. 2019;15(4):e338-e345. doi:10.1200/JOP.18.00562International Pain Foundation.5 Natural Herbs That Could Stimulate The Appetite.Cheng KC, Li YX, Cheng JT.The use of herbal medicine in cancer-related anorexia/ cachexia treatment around the world.Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(31):4819-26. doi:10.2174/138161212803216979Asher, Gary N.Common Herbal Dietary Supplement–Drug Interactions.Am Fam Physician.2017;96(2):101-107.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Ni J, Zhang L.Cancer Cachexia: Definition, Staging, and Emerging Treatments.Cancer Manag Res. 2020 Jul 9;12:5597-5605. doi:10.2147/CMAR.S261585Ge L, Yap CW, Ong R, Heng BH.Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study.PLoS One. 2017 Aug 23;12(8):e0182145. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0182145American Cancer Society.Loss of Appetite.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Appetite Loss.University of California at San Francisco.Patient Education: Constipation.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Nausea and vomiting.OncoLink, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.Mucositis (Mouth Sores) & Oral Care Tip Sheet.Childs DS, Jatoi A.A hunger for hunger: a review of palliative therapies for cancer-associated anorexia.Ann Palliat Med. 2019;8(1):50–58. doi:10.21037/apm.2018.05.08Anderson, Susan P. et al.Impact of Medical Cannabis on Patient-Reported Symptoms for Patients With Cancer Enrolled in Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program.Journal of Oncology Practice. 2019;15(4):e338-e345. doi:10.1200/JOP.18.00562International Pain Foundation.5 Natural Herbs That Could Stimulate The Appetite.Cheng KC, Li YX, Cheng JT.The use of herbal medicine in cancer-related anorexia/ cachexia treatment around the world.Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(31):4819-26. doi:10.2174/138161212803216979Asher, Gary N.Common Herbal Dietary Supplement–Drug Interactions.Am Fam Physician.2017;96(2):101-107.
Ni J, Zhang L.Cancer Cachexia: Definition, Staging, and Emerging Treatments.Cancer Manag Res. 2020 Jul 9;12:5597-5605. doi:10.2147/CMAR.S261585
Ge L, Yap CW, Ong R, Heng BH.Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study.PLoS One. 2017 Aug 23;12(8):e0182145. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0182145
American Cancer Society.Loss of Appetite.
American Society of Clinical Oncology.Appetite Loss.
University of California at San Francisco.Patient Education: Constipation.
American Society of Clinical Oncology.Nausea and vomiting.
OncoLink, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.Mucositis (Mouth Sores) & Oral Care Tip Sheet.
Childs DS, Jatoi A.A hunger for hunger: a review of palliative therapies for cancer-associated anorexia.Ann Palliat Med. 2019;8(1):50–58. doi:10.21037/apm.2018.05.08
Anderson, Susan P. et al.Impact of Medical Cannabis on Patient-Reported Symptoms for Patients With Cancer Enrolled in Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program.Journal of Oncology Practice. 2019;15(4):e338-e345. doi:10.1200/JOP.18.00562
International Pain Foundation.5 Natural Herbs That Could Stimulate The Appetite.
Cheng KC, Li YX, Cheng JT.The use of herbal medicine in cancer-related anorexia/ cachexia treatment around the world.Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(31):4819-26. doi:10.2174/138161212803216979
Asher, Gary N.Common Herbal Dietary Supplement–Drug Interactions.Am Fam Physician.2017;96(2):101-107.
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