On this page:

• What type of diet should I be on?
• Common eating problems
• Diet and cancer videos
• More support and information
• Speak to our specialist nurses

Eating problems due to ovarian cancer or its treatment are common, and there are things you can do to help. You might notice changes to your appetite, how foods taste or what you want to eat. Treatment may also cause side effects such as diarrhoea or constipation that can be helped through your diet. A lot of women also find that their weight changes during and after treatment, and this can be difficult to deal with.

It’s important to stay well-nourished to keep your strength during and after ovarian cancer treatment. Ask your medical team if you have any concerns or want to know more about what diet is right for you. They will be familiar with common eating issues and how to help. You can also speak to one of our specialist nurses on the support line. The World Cancer Research Fund also have a specific Cancer and Nutrition Helpline and Eat Well During Cancer information guide.

If you have a stoma, there's specific information on what to eat, how to stay hydrated and how to manage your stoma:

• Order or download our Ovarian cancer and stomas guide.
• Colostomy UK have specialist advice and a support line.

What type of diet should I be on?

Eating a well-balanced diet is important to make sure you get the range of proteins, vitamins and minerals needed for your body to work well. Some people may require a specific diet. You should seek specific advice from a dietitian if this is the case. Macmillan has information about what makes up a well-balanced diet and a healthy eating and cancer guide.   

Healthy food can be more expensive than less healthy food, and it can be hard to eat well on a budget. Macmillan have tips for eating well when on a budget. The World Cancer Research Fund have recipe ideas for cheap and healthy eats.

The NHS Eatwell guide explains how much of each food type you should be eating to keep a balanced diet. There are Eatwell guides if you have a vegetarian or vegan diet. There are also Eatwell guides based on South Asian and African and Caribbean foods.

Ovarian cancer or its treatment may cause you to lose weight but it’s important to try and maintain your strength and energy levels. This can sometimes be hard as treatment can cause problems that make eating more difficult. The building up diet can help you increase the amount of protein and energy included in your diet without increasing how much you eat. Macmillan have meal suggestions for the building up diet.  

Diet, cancer and misinformation

There's a lot of misinformation about diets that help fight cancer or foods you should avoid. Cancer Research UK and the British Dietetic Association have information on common food myths around cancer. If you're planning to make changes to your diet or take any supplements, it's important to talk to your treatment team first so they can advise whether it’s safe to do so.  

Common eating problems

I feel sick all the time. What can I do?

It’s common to experience nausea (feel sick) or to be sick when going through ovarian cancer treatment. This can make cooking and eating particularly difficult, as even the smells of food can make you feel unwell.  

There’s lots of different anti-sickness medicines that may help with this. Speak to your clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or GP to find one that works for you. If you’re being sick after every meal, it’s important that you speak to your treatment team as soon as possible. That's because it's important to keep up your strength and make sure you're getting the nutrients that you need when going through treatment.

Often feeling sick can mean that you don’t want to eat or drink anything but having an empty stomach can make this feeling worse. Try to eat or drink small amounts often through the day. 

Other things that may help: 

• Ginger can be a natural way to help make you feel less sick. Try dunking a ginger biscuit in a hot drink to soften it, or drinking ginger beer or ginger tea.
• Plain biscuits might also help to settle your stomach first thing in the morning, either by themselves or dunked in a hot drink.  
• Try eating cold foods to reduce the smell of cooking or cooked food. This could include a wrap, salad or yoghurt.
• Some people find that fizzy drinks such as lemonade, ginger ale, cola or sparkling water help settle their stomach. You could add a scoop of ice cream into your drink to make it more of a treat and to add extra calories if you’re not able to eat much as usual.
• Sucking on boiled sweets can give you a bit of a distraction from feeling unwell and they provide a quick burst of energy too.
• Fresh air can help you to feel less sick. Going outside or just opening a window may help.  

I don’t feel hungry, or I feel full quickly. What can I do?

When going through treatment for ovarian cancer it’s common to feel like you don’t want to eat as much as you used to. When you feel like this it can be helpful to remember that food doesn’t have to be cooked or eaten in large portions or meals. If you’re finding it hard to get all the nutrients you need, speak to your treatment team. They might suggest special high energy, nutritional supplement drinks. The building up diet can also help you get as many nutrients as possible without increasing the amount of food you eat.

Feeling full after eating small amounts of food can be for a number of reasons. Things like ascites (a build up of fluid in your tummy), the tumour being near your stomach, or indigestion from treatment can all make you feel fuller quicker. If you can’t eat very much it’s important to make every mouthful count in order to get the nutrients you need. You could:

• Try to eat nutritious foods like fish, eggs, tofu, yoghurt, lentils, dried fruits, nuts and cheese (e.g. cheddar, cottage cheese, paneer) as these can give you lots of protein and energy, even if you don’t eat big portions.  
• Try eating foods that you particularly enjoy.
• Eating little and often, which is just as good as eating two or three large meals. You could have six or seven snacks if eating two or three meals is difficult.
• Try and fortify all foods that you eat. This is when you add extra nutrients to food without increasing the amount of food that needs to be eaten. Nutrients are needed to help your body function and develop. You can fortify foods by ensuring all products are full-fat. You can also add things like butter, olive oil, ghee, cream, peanut butter, pesto, skimmed milk powder or honey.
• Keep some nutritious snacks close at hand to graze on. Things like yoghurts, fruit loaf or cheese and biscuits can give you a burst of energy and aren’t a lot of effort to prepare.
• Drinking milkshakes and smoothies can help you to get extra calories when you’re really struggling to eat. Try to choose yoghurt-based rather than low-fat options as this will help keep your energy levels up. You can also add a spoonful of smooth nut butter (any type), skimmed milk powder, ice cream and your favourite fruit to make a tasty and nourishing smoothie.
• If you’re finding it difficult to eat, speak to your treatment team or dietitian about building up your intake of nutrients using special high energy drinks (for example Fortijuice® or Fortisip®). 

Is there anything that can help to ease bloating after eating?

Often with ovarian cancer, you may find that you get very bloated especially after meals. Some ways to help with bloating include:  

• Eating little and often (aim for five to six smaller meals per day rather than three larger meals).
• Foods high in fibre can make bloating worse. These include wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, and certain fruit and vegetables. Try eating lower fibre alternatives (for example white bread or white pasta) or peel and cook your fruit and vegetables.
• Try and walk around after eating to help food pass through the digestive tract (the organs in the body that food and drink travels through). 

Is there anything that helps with constipation?

Constipation means you’re not able to poo as often as normal. This can mean it’s difficult or painful for you to poo. Some chemotherapy drugs, anti-sickness medicines and painkillers can cause constipation or make it worse. If you have constipation there are some simple changes that might help: 

• Drinking plenty of water and other drinks (but not alcohol) can help to make your poo softer and easier to pass. Try to have nourishing drinks, such as milkshakes, milk, smoothies or hot chocolate. This will help increase your energy intake.  
• Adding some more fibre to your diet might also make it easier to poo. Speak to your CNS or a dietitian about whether this might help as sometimes adding extra fibre to your diet may make your symptoms worse. Wholemeal bread or pasta and wholegrain cereals like Weetabix (wheat biscuits) and porridge all contain lots of fibre. Remember to keep drinking plenty of water as eating fibre without drinking enough can make constipation worse.  
• Eating prunes or dried apricots can be a natural way to help avoid or ease constipation.  
• Doing some exercise, such as a walk, every day can help you to poo more often.  
• If you’re finding it hard to poo it may also help to give yourself plenty of time to use the toilet. You could also try resting your feet on a low stool when you’re sitting on the toilet.  

If you’re constipated because of the medication you’re taking it’s important to speak to your treatment team as there may be some changes you can make. You may find that taking a laxative for a short time may make it easier or more comfortable to poo.

Constipation is a common side effect of ovarian cancer treatment, and you will get to know what’s normal for you. If constipation is lasting longer than usual, you feel something has changed, or you start to vomit call your emergency chemotherapy line as soon as possible, as this can be a sign that your bowel is blocked, which is called a bowel obstruction. 

Is there anything to help with diarrhoea? 

Treatments like chemotherapy (carboplatin) and targeted therapies like PARP inhibitors can cause diarrhoea. Your treatment team can give you anti-diarrhoea medication to help with this.  

Other things that may help:

• Eating less fibre can help to ease diarrhoea. White rice, bread and pasta, plain biscuits and cereal are all low in fibre. Peeling and cooking fruit and vegetables can also lower the fibre in them while keeping a well-balanced diet.
• Try and drink plenty of water to replace the water lost in your poo and stop you becoming dehydrated. Avoid alcohol and caffeine where possible. 

My mouth is sore or has ulcers. What can I do? 

Treatments like chemotherapy or bevacizumab (a targeted treatment) can make your mouth inflamed or cause mouth ulcers (small sores inside the mouth). If this happens it can help to:

• Avoid really spicy or salty foods.
• Eat foods or have drinks at room temperature, rather than hot.
• Eat or drink milk-based products like whole milk or custard (or plant-based alternatives to these).
• Avoid fizzy drinks or acidic fruit juices like orange juice.  
• If cold food or drinks help, try sucking on ice or eating ice cream.  

Sore mouths can get infected (for example oral thrush). If you’re worried about this speak to your doctor as it can be treated with antifungal medicine. 

I am having problems with swallowing food. What can I do? 

If you’re finding it difficult to swallow solid food you could try having smaller portions of nutrient-rich foods and drinks such as smoothies and soups. Eating or drinking these will mean you’re getting the energy your body needs but making every mouthful count.

You may also want to consider eating softer foods, like yoghurt or scrambled egg, or liquidising your food. This is when foods are blended into a liquid. It doesn’t have to mean all of your food tastes and looks the same. Try liquidising each part of the meal separately so you can still notice and enjoy the different tastes and colours.  

You can add extra liquids to food to make the texture easier to swallow. Things like milk or tinned soups can help with this and add more flavour and nourishment than water.

My food tastes different or I can’t taste anything at all. What can I do? 

You may experience changes in taste because of ovarian cancer treatment. It's something that often happens during chemotherapy, from common chemotherapy drugs like carboplatin.

This might mean that food tastes different (metallic or chemical). It might mean food tastes stronger than before (saltier or sweeter). You may find your sense of taste disappears completely. There are things you can do to help:  

• Sharp-tasting foods can help you to create more saliva and stimulate your taste buds. Try adding a squeeze of lemon to dishes or a fruit compote to a milky pudding.
• If food tastes bland, try adding a bit of texture to the dish. For example, adding croutons to soup or granola to yoghurt. You might also want to consider using stronger or smoked version of food to improve flavour. For example, strong cheese, smoked ham or salmon. 
• Adding fresh or dried herbs and spices to dishes can give them an extra boost of flavour. Curries are a god option for extra flavour.
• Sauces can to give food a different flavour. Try ketchup, and brown sauce, mustard, mint or sweet sauces including apple sauce and cranberry sauce or chutneys. 
• If food tastes too strong or unpleasant, try eating blander foods like rice, potatoes, cereal, oatmeal or plain yoghurt.
• If food tastes metallic, try using plastic or wooden cutlery.
• Taste changes can come and go during and after your treatment. This means that the same foods can taste different at different points. Keep re-trying foods that taste different as the taste might change again.
• Having a dry mouth can also affect how food tastes. Keeping your mouth as moist as possible and having a drink while eating can help. You can also get artificial saliva products (e.g. dry mouth spray) to help with this. Speak to your doctor or you can buy them from pharmacies.

What are the signs of a bowel blockage? 

Sometimes, if you have advanced ovarian cancer, your bowel can become blocked, either partially or completely. This is called bowel obstruction. Some of the eating problems below can be symptoms of bowel obstruction. If you’re worried about this you should speak to your treatment team as soon as possible. Symptoms include:

• bloating
• constipation (not being able to poo at all)
• diarrhoea
• pain in the lower tummy
• not passing wind
• feeling or being sick.