Taste changes
Experiencing a change in taste is common in cancer. This can be due to the disease itself or treatments/medications.
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Many people on chemotherapy can experience a metallic taste or be unable to taste anything. Radiotherapy to the mouth and throat area can also cause taste changes.
How you experience the taste of certain foods can differ from day to day. While these changes can affect the enjoyment of food, for many, taste changes are temporary, and for most people, they will eventually return to normal. Unfortunately, in some cases this can be permanent.
Smell and taste go together. If your sense of smell is reduced, your taste will be weakened too. Your sense of smell may also have changed, and you may smell things differently.
However, it’s important to keep eating enough so that your body has the energy and nutrients it needs to support you through your treatment and minimise weight loss.
How does taste work?
There are taste buds on your tongue, on the inside of your mouth and in your throat. These buds allow us to taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (a savoury taste) flavours. Taste is partly determined by our sense of smell too.
The texture and temperature of food and drink can also play a role in how we taste and experience foods. For example, some foods can cause your mouth to feel dry while others might cause a greasy feeling. Crispy or spicy foods can stimulate the production of more saliva, which can stimulate taste. The way food is prepared also has an influence on how you perceive taste, as well as the environment where you eat your food.
Below you will find a short description of various taste changes that can be experienced and some tips on how to cope with them.
None or little taste or small
After treatment you may not taste much for a while. There are ways to add more flavour to your food. For example, adding fresh and sour flavours, such as lemon, or adding fresh herbs, can make food taste better.
Food tastes different
If food tastes different, it’s important to discover what your new taste preferences are. If you like sweet tastes, then you can add honey or syrup to a dish. If you like sour foods, you could try adding vinegar or lemon. Cinnamon and other spices can help when foods have a metallic taste.
Food feels different in your mouth
If food feels different in your mouth, adding something fatty such as butter may help. Trying different textures can also make food feel nicer to eat. For example, adding croutons to salad or soup can help to add new textures.
Temperature also determines how something feels in your mouth. Eating your food lukewarm or cold can help improve its flavour.
Aversion to foods and smells
Cold food such as a pasta salad will not smell as strong as a hot meal, try experimenting with the temperature of foods if you are experiencing aversions to smells.
If you no longer like a certain food, there’s no need to force yourself to keep eating it. You can even try foods you didn’t like before, as your preferences may have changed.
Discover how to change your diet
Follow the steps below to understand what taste, smells and textures of food you like and how to incorporate them into your diet.
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I have little to no taste and/or smell little
To add a strong or fresh taste
- Vinegar, lemon, lime, yoghurt, fresh fruit
- Spring onion, celery, celeriac, bell pepper, parsnip, tomato, onion, fennel
- Chutney, candied ginger, mustard, piccalilli, wasabi
- Spicy sauces, such as chilli sauce and hot sauce
- Spicy seasoned foods, such as spicy seasoned nuts or seeds
- Sweet and sour pickles and onions
- Fruit compote
Add something crispy
- Croutons
- (chopped) nuts
- pieces of cucumber
Add fresh herbs and spices with a strong taste
Basil, cayenne pepper, chilli pepper, dill, tarragon, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, curry, garlic, coriander, cloves, bay leaves, mint, nutmeg, rosemary, celery, star anise, thyme, fresh pepper, white pepper
Try something new
- Baking or grilling (instead of boiling) gives more flavour
- Piccalilli or chutney with your meals
- Desserts, cereals and porridge with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg
- Cranberry sauce, apple sauce or fruit chutney with meals
- Marinate meat or meat substitutes in, for example, fruit juice with vinegar or soy sauce
- Grilling vegetables with fresh herbs
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Everything tastes different. I prefer sweet
Add sweet flavours to your meal
- White or brown sugar, jam, honey, syrup (all kinds)
- Milk or cream sauce or butter with vegetables
- Fresh fruit, dried fruit (raisins, apricots, apple)
- Fruit compotes, such as apple, pear, or cranberry compote
- Chutney, sweet soy sauce, ginger syrup, sweet satay sauce
Add fresh herbs and spices with a strong taste
- Basil
- dill
- cardamom
- cumin
Try the following foods
- Pumpkin
- red pepper
- onion
- carrot
- sweet potato
- sweet fizzy drinks
- dried fruits
- cooked pear
- apple compote
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Everything tastes different. I prefer sour
Add sour flavours to your meal
- Lemon, lime
- Crème fraiche, sour cream, yoghurt
- Salad dressing with olive oil, vinegar, wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, salt, pepper, vinegar, gherkins, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, mustard, capers, lime, silverskin pickled onions, ketchup, sour wine sauce, piccalilli
Add fresh herbs
- Lemon
- dill
- parsley
Try the following foods
- Endives
- purslane
- tomato
- sauerkraut
- berries
- raw vegetables
- aged cheese
- sour drinks, such as buttermilk, lemonade, and bitter lemon
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Everything tastes different. I prefer salty
(If you are on a low salt diet due to medical conditions, following these tips is not recommended.)
Add salty flavours to your meal
- Salted or smoked fish, chicken, or meat
- smoked salmon
- Marmite
- teriyaki, tamari, (aged) cheese sauces
- samphire
- salt / sea salt
- soy sauce
- mustard
- sardines, and other canned fish
Add fresh herbs
- Parsley
- chives
- cardamom
Try the following foods
- Soup
- stew
- salad with smoked chicken or fish
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Everything tastes different.
Add bitter flavours to your meal
- Marmalade
- pickles
- mustard
- capers
- spring onions
- crème fraiche
- yoghurt
- dressing with vinegar, tarragon vinegar, lemon, wine vinegar, (aged) cheese, blue cheese
Add fresh herbs and spices with a strong taste
- Coriander
- turmeric
- curcumin
- galangal
- basil
- celery
- dill
- green herbs
- cumin
- bay leaves
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Everything tastes different. I prefer savoury (umami)
Add umami flavours to your meal
- Balsamic vinegar
- tomato / tomato ketchup
- butter
- broth
- ginger (fresh, or paste)
- dried onion
- aged cheese / parmesan cheese
- pine nuts
- red onion
- fish sauce
- anchovies
Add fresh herbs and spices with a strong taste
- Basil
- dill
- coriander
- ginger
- cardamom
- parsley
- shrimp paste
Try the following foods
- Nasi goreng (Indonesian stir fried rice)
- bami goreng (Indonesian stir fried noodles)
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Everything tastes too strong
Use neutral or bland flavours
- Mashed potatoes
- Prepare vegetables that have a stronger taste in a white sauce, eggs, fruits, honey, neutral dairy products: milk, cream, porridge, young cheese, processed cheese
- Neutral grain products: bread, rice, pasta
- Salads, carrots, pease
Check the temperature of your meals
- Hot/warm dishes have a stronger taste than cold dishes
- Try out the temperature at which food tastes best for you
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The smell of food makes my appetite disappear. I cannot tolerate strong smells from food
The temperature of your food
Cold food has a weaker smell. Do not eat hot food, choose food that is lukewarm or at room temperature. Choose cold dishes and drinks
Try the following foods
- Fruit and vegetable smoothie
- frozen yoghurt
- cold soup such as gazpacho
- cold meals or (pasta) salad
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I don’t like the taste of any food. Everything tastes like metal
Add flavours to your meal
- Grated carrot
- honey
Add fresh herbs and spices
- Basil
- cinnamon
- oregano
- pepper
- thyme
Try the following
- Cold meals
- The bad taste in your mouth might be caused by a dry mouth. Good oral hygiene and rinsing or drinking before eating to wash away the taste can help to improve the taste.
- Try using wood, bamboo or plastic instead of metal cutlery
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I don’t like the taste of any food. Everything tastes bad
It’s a generic bad taste, cardboard box taste, bitter taste
Add fresh, sour and fruit flavours to your meal
- Fresh and sour flavours, such as pickles, fresh fruit, yoghurt, silverskin onions
- Strong flavours, such as basil, lemon, peppermint, sweet and sour sauces
- Fruit flavours, such as cranberry sauce, apple sauce, and fruit chutney
- Savoury flavours can also help, such as anchovies, mustard, salt
To reduce a bitter taste
- Garlic
- coriander
- cream
- watercress
Try the following foods
- Add lemon or cucumber to water
- Herring and beetroot salad
- Combine meat or meat substitutes with something fresh such as cranberry sauce, apple sauce or fruit chutney or marinate in for example fruit juice with vinegar
- Yoghurt with fruit
(A bad taste can also result from a dry mouth. Good oral hygiene and rinsing or drinking before eating to wash away the taste can help to improve the taste)
Try our recipe books
We have two dedicated recipe books for people living with cancer to help you enjoy food again
Try our recipes for people living with cancer
Cancer and nutrition helpline
We have oncology dietitians available to answer any questions you may have
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