Strategies for Mouth Pain

Mouth pain can be an unfortunate and debilitating side effect of many cancer treatments. This can make eating very difficult, so it is important to make sure you are receiving adequate nutrition. Here are some strategies to help make eating less painful for those who experience mouth pain during or after treatment.

• Choose soft foods.
• The texture of the foods you eat can either help heal your damaged mouth or throat or it can further injure your swallowing system so pick soft foods.
• Add gravy and sauces to foods to change their texture. Dip food into other liquids like milk, syrup, custard, or yogurt.
• Prepare your foods to retain moisture by stewing, boiling, or slow cooking meat and veggies instead of frying.
• Trim dry edges from food before serving.
• Avoid acidic fruits and chooses; opt for cherry, apple, grape, or peaches instead of oranges, grapefruits, or lemons.
• Say no to alcohol even in mouthwash!
• Avoid hot and spicy foods.
• Sip liquids after each bite to moisten food in the mouth.
• Don’t eat crusty breads, pretzels, chips, raw fruits, or raw vegetables.

To schedule a free one-on-one nutrition consult, please visit http://www.lls.org/managing-your-cancer/food-and-nutrition.