What to Avoid

Sore Mouth
Cancer and cancer treatment can sometimes cause the mouth to Helpful Techniques
become very sore and make it difficult to chew and swallow. Certain
◆ Tilt your head back and forth
chemotherapy agents and radiation therapy to the head and neck
to help foods and liquids flow
area can make the inside of the mouth raw and irritated. There are things
to the back of the throat for
you can do to help your mouth heal and to make it feel better.
swallowing.
◆ Drink through a straw to
◆ Choose soft, bland-tasting foods that are served cold or at room tem-
bypass an irritated mouth,
perature. Try blenderized fruits and vegetables; creamed soup; cooked
especially if you have sores
cereal; macaroni and cheese; yogurt; pudding; and chicken, beef, or fish
and tender places in your
cooked until very tender. Other soft foods include milkshakes, bananas,
mouth.
applesauce, mashed potatoes, pasta, noodles, cottage cheese, custard,
◆ Rinse your mouth often with
gelatin, scrambled eggs, and pureed meats.
baking soda and salt mouth
◆ Chilled foods and beverages can be soothing. Try freezing fruits such as
rinse (made with 1 quart
grapes, banana pieces, melon balls, peach slices, or mandarin orange
water, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 1
slices. Suck on frozen fruit pops (Popsicles), fruit ices, ice chips, or
teaspoon baking soda) to
other cold foods.
remove food and germs, and
◆ Puree or liquify foods in a blender to make them easier to swallow.
to enhance healing.
◆ Add broth, soup, sauces, gravy, butter, or margarine to moisten foods.
Dip or soak food in whatever you are drinking.
What to Ask Your Doctor,
◆ Serve foods cold or lukewarm, rather than hot, to reduce mouth
Dietitian, or Nurse
irritation.
◆
◆
Eat high-protein, high-calorie foods to speed healing.
Ask about nutritional supple-
ments, such as liquid meal
What to Avoid
replacements, because they
may be helpful during this
◆ Avoid citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, limes, lemons) and tomatoes
time. Your doctor, nurse, or
because their high acid content can irritate a sore mouth.
dietitian may have samples
◆ Avoid irritating spices, seasonings, and condiments such as pepper, chili
and suggestions about which
powder, cloves, nutmeg, salsa, pepper sauces, and horseradish, although
supplements would be best
capsaicin taffy has been helpful for mouth pain (see recipe).
for you.
◆ Avoid rough, dry, or coarse foods, which can scratch an irritated mouth
◆ Talk to your doctor about
or throat.
medications that can numb
◆ Avoid commercial mouthwashes, alcoholic and acidic beverages, and
and soothe your mouth or
tobacco. They can dry and irritate your mouth.
throat.
This handout may be duplicated for patient education.

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Food List
Recommended
Foods That May Cause Distress
High-protein foods
Ground, chopped, or blenderized meats,
Whole meats, poultry, or fish; dry meats
poultry, or fish; casseroles; egg, cheese, and
bean dishes; milkshakes, yogurt, and
commercial liquid nutritional supplements
Breads, cereals, rice,
Moistened breads, cooked cereals, cold cereal
Dry toast, hard rolls, English muffins,
and pasta
soaked in milk, pasta and rice in sauce
dry crackers, bagels
Fruits and vegetables
Cooked or blenderized fruits and vegetables
Fresh fruits and vegetables (unless very
ripe, soft, and juicy—for example,
bananas or watermelon); citrus fruits,
pineapple, and other acidic fruits;
pickled fruits; raw and pickled
vegetables
Beverages, desserts,
Fruit nectars; flavored gelatin, ice cream,
Carbonated beverages; cookies and
and miscellaneous
sherbet, or pudding; butter, margarine, and
cakes unless soaked in liquids; crunchy
vegetable oils
snacks such pretzels and chips;
condiments such as pepper sauces,
chili, salsa, pepper, and cloves; vinegar
This handout may be duplicated for patient education.

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Recipes Recipes Recipes
Apricot Smoothie
¼ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
Blend ingredients to desired consistency and chill
½ cup whole milk
well before serving.
½ cup canned apricots (packed in heavy syrup)
Makes one serving. Each serving contains 280 calories
1 tbsp honey
and 8 grams protein (calculated with plain nonfat
yogurt).
Peaches and Cream
1 cup whole milk
Blend ingredients and chill well before serving.
1 cup canned peaches (packed in heavy syrup),
including juice
Makes two servings. Each serving contains 300 calories
1 cup vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
and 7 grams protein.
Almond or vanilla extract to taste
Capsaicin Taffy*
1 cup sugar
Combine all ingredients except flavoring and cayenne
¾ cup light corn syrup
pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring constant-
2 3 cup water
ly, to 256°F (use candy thermometer) or hard ball
1 tbsp cornstarch
stage. Remove from heat and stir in flavoring and
2 tbsp butter or margarine
cayenne pepper. When cool enough to handle, pull
1 tsp salt
taffy. When stiff, cut into strips, then into pieces,
Flavoring (such as 2 tsp vanilla)
and wrap. Recipe makes about 1 pound of candy. (To
1½ tsp cayenne pepper
begin with, the candy may be made with half the
pepper called for in the recipe.)
*Reprinted from Berger A, Henderson M, Nadoolman W, Duffy V, Cooper D, Saberski L, Bartoshuk L. Oral capsaicin provides temporary
relief for oral mucositis pain secondary to chemotherapy/radiation therapy. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1995;10:243–248. Reprinted with
permission from US Cancer Pain Relief Committee.
This handout may be duplicated for patient education.

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