Cooking, Eating and Nutrition

09 July 2026 — lia-rogers

Getting the nourishment you need is important, but it’s not always easy. What does a balanced diet look like? What if I don’t feel like eating? What if I’m having trouble with swallowing or digestion? There is support out there, from nutritional advice to cookery courses.

These days, everyone seems to have a different opinion on what a ‘healthy diet’ means. With so much conflicting advice, it’s hard to know where to start. For most people affected by cancer, eating to lose weight or achieve aesthetic goals is best left for another time. When you are living with cancer, going through treatment, or recovering, your body needs nourishment. 

If you want to get back to basics and understand what a balanced diet looks like, resources from organisations like The World Cancer Research Fund can help. It offers online advice on healthy living through recipes and cookbooks, which can be ordered or downloaded via the website. If you have questions, it also has a nutrition helpline run by a team of oncology specialist dietitians that offer expert information and support on the role of nutrition in cancer. 

There is also the Macmillan Healthy Eating and Cancer information page and dietary advice from the NHS which you can find online through different NHS trusts. 

If you are looking for more personalised support, there are plenty of registered specialist nutritionists listed on Cancer Care Map, alongside paid online programmes like Eat Well, Live Well by Field Doctor, developed by cancer specialists at Perci Health and clinical advisors from The Royal Marsden to support cancer recovery. The programme combines an online video support, weekly meal plan, online cookbook.

Illness and treatment can also affect your appetite, digestion, and in some cases your ability to chew and swallow. Macmillan have a free audiobook providing practical advice and information about some common eating problems during and after cancer treatment, and why they might happen. This includes advice to carers and loved ones too. They also sell a cookbook called The Gut Stuff Book, and all profits made from sales of this go back into the charity.

If you don’t know what to eat when you don’t feel like eating, you might find some of the tips on Cancer Research’s Taste Changes and Loss of Appetite advice page. 

For those who love to cook, or want to start cooking more – even when dealing with the issues cancer can present – The World Cancer Research Fund also offer live online cookery classes for people living with or beyond cancer and their loved ones and carers. These classes are led by professional chef and oncology specialist dietitians, so you can learn how to prepare dishes that can help with appetite loss, nausea and changes in taste. You’ll also find local groups where you can learn essential cookery skills, gain confidence in the kitchen and find out how to cook meals that are healthier, tasty and within your budget. (Type your postcode into the Cancer Care Map homepage and the keyword ‘cookery’ to find out what’s available near you).

There may be periods when cooking for yourself is not possible, so it might be helpful to check out some of the meal delivery services listed on Cancer Care Map too. There are nationwide services like Parsley Box for example. Or you might find that there are charities that offer these services locally when you type your postcode into our homepage, like Hope House in Scunthorpe, who provide assistance and support to families and individuals affected by cancer, including a meal delivery service.

Find support to eat well with cancer on Cancer Care Map.