Food as Comfort

Some people gravitate towards comfort foods during cancer treatment. Comfort foods mean something different to each of us, but generally comfort foods can be foods that make us feel warm and nurtured, foods that remind us of our childhood, foods that are easy to prepare, soft foods that are easy to chew or digest, or foods that fulfill a craving such as sweets or salty snacks.

Even in perfect times, it’s hard to maintain a perfectly healthy diet. During cancer treatment, it’s normal to crave foods that feel safe and familiar. Many nutritionists advocate for the 80-20 rule. This means, aim to follow a healthy Mediterranean-type diet 80% of the time, and eat whatever you crave the other 20%.

Food is certainly meant to serve us nutritionally, but food symbolizes so much more for us as individuals and culturally. We each have unique relationships with the role of food during hard times. Be gentle with yourself and work towards reducing or eliminating guilt around food. It is normal to crave comfort foods when we are feeling stressed, sleep deprived, sick, or bored. Listen to your body during these times and ask yourself why you may be craving a particular food. For instance, if you are exhausted, food may provide momentary comfort, but ultimately the solution is to find time to rest and restore. If you are stressed or angry, comfort food can feel like a familiar old friend, but the food can’t soothe the emotional distress for very long. Other times, comfort foods feel the most easily digestible when our bodies are going through a hard time in terms of illness and treatment.

There are several strategies for managing comfort food cravings. One strategy might be to bring some snacks and healthy drink options with you during chemotherapy. This way, you can control the quality of your comfort foods instead of eating processed foods that may be readily available at many hospitals or chemotherapy infusion suites.

At home, see if you can be creative about how to take healthy ingredients and make warm comforting foods. There are many soup and casserole recipes that have taken traditional home-cooked recipes to create healthier versions of the same foods. Dessert recipes can also be adjusted by adding a few healthier ingredients (like crushed nuts, seeds, or dried fruits), or by reducing the amount of sugar or using some coconut oil to replace the butter. Foods like bananas, peanut butter, dark chocolate, pre-made nut/seed energy ‘balls’, sesame crackers, popcorn and mixed nuts can help soothe unhealthier snack cravings.

Most importantly, this is not a time to punish yourself about food. Be gentle with your spirit and see if you can listen deeply to the type of nutrition that your body needs and craves. Stay well-hydrated the best you can. If you are craving a special treat, enjoy it fully. You deserve to be nurtured.