Main content

Cancer, food and me

Three women discuss how chemotherapy has changed their relationship with food.

Can you imagine suddenly finding that it hurts to eat? Or that when you take a bite of your favourite meal you feel nothing?

In this episode, we鈥檙e talking about something that isn鈥檛 much talked about: what happens to your relationship with food when you鈥檝e got cancer.

Ruth Alexander is joined by three women who want you to know about a side effect of treatment that they weren鈥檛 fully prepared for - the loss of their sense of taste.

They share how what is a relatively minor detail, given a devastating diagnosis, nevertheless had a huge effect on their everyday routine, their interactions with family and friends, their sense of self.

Hear how they learned to cope and how, out of the depths of this distressing experience, came a new appreciation of the everyday.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Grapefruit with pills coming out of it. Credit: Getty/成人快手)

Producer:

Sarah Stolarz

Contributors:

Heather McCollum

Semira Oguntoyinbo

Angharad Underwood

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 30 Jan 2022 08:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 04:32GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 05:32GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 11:32GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 21:32GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 23:32GMT
  • Sun 30 Jan 2022 08:32GMT

Food Chain highlights

Tea, coffee, spices, chillies ... snack on a selection of programme highlights

Podcast