Managing Your Diet During Treatment

Learn more about what to eat and how to eat during treatment and after.

We know good nutrition is vital to your overall health, but it’s even more important when you have pancreatic cancer. That’s because the cancer disrupts your body’s ability to break down and absorb nutrients from the food you eat.

Our series of articles on nutrition provides a guide for what to eat, how to eat, and tips to help you get the most out of your food.

illustrations of food

How Pancreatic Cancer Affects Nutrition

The pancreas is part of your digestive system, helping your body break down the food you eat by releasing enzymes. A healthy pancreas makes enough of these enzymes to aid in digestion. However, cancer of the pancreas can disrupt this process by limiting or completely blocking the amount of digestive enzymes your pancreas produces. When this happens, the body has trouble breaking down food, and you will absorb fewer nutrients from the food you eat. As a result, you might lose weight, as well as have stomach problems like bloating, gas, nausea, and changes to your stool. The location of the tumor can also affect your nutrition. Tumors in the tail of the pancreas may also press on your stomach.

Once you start treatment, the chemotherapy drugs may affect your eating habits, altering your sense of taste and causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth sores, and loss of appetite.

So, what can you do?

Follow Best Practices

Even though eating during and after treatment can be challenging, our experts can help guide you through some best practices to get the most out of every meal. Here are tips to get you started.

  • Eat small portions, but eat often. Portion control helps you limit unpleasant side effects like gas and bloating, which occur more often with larger servings. Modify your meals so that you feel better afterwards.
  • Ramp up the protein. Fighting cancer increases your body’s protein demands because it needs the extra protein to help your immune system fight off illness. So try to include a good serving of protein with every meal.
  • Keep it simple. Make it easier for your digestive system to break down your meals. Soups, smoothies, protein shakes, or chopped and cooked meats and vegetables require less effort to digest.

Fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish
Diet and Nutrition
May 2, 2024 • 6 Min

What to Eat—and What to Avoid—When You Have Pancreatic Cancer

The disease and treatment for pancreatic cancer affect the digestive system. Dietitian L.J. Amaral guides you to the best nutrition sources.

Maria Petzel, oncology dietitian
Diet and Nutrition
March 12, 2024 • 6 Min

How to Eat with Pancreatic Cancer

What should I eat while in treatment? Oncology dietitian Maria Petzel provides eating strategies for pancreatic cancer patients.

Oncology dietitians L.J. Amaral and Jessica Harrison
Diet and Nutrition
February 14, 2024 • 5 Min

Nutrition Myths Debunked

Does sugar really feed cancer? Is a keto diet better for cancer? Should cancer patients avoid fats? Dietitians L.J. Amaral and Jessica Harrison take on common nutrition myths.

Patter Birsic, Sally Sampson, Dr. Anna Evans Phillips, Jane Holt
Diet and Nutrition
October 30, 2023 • 5 Min

Focus on Nutrition with The National Pancreas Foundation

Because they focus on all diseases of the pancreas, the National Pancreas Foundation created a cookbook to guide patients on how to eat.

Ann Ogden holds a platter of fresh spinach for patients. Nutritious food is key for patients after a Whipple procedure.
Diet and Nutrition
May 1, 2017 • 7 Min

How to Eat After a Whipple Procedure

Cancer survivor Ann Ogden helps patients learn to cook food that would help them through treatment and recovery after a Whipple procedure.