To reduce the metallic or bitter taste in the mouth caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment, you can use tips such as using only plastic and glass utensils to prepare food, marinating meat in fruit juices and adding aromatic herbs to season food. .
This change in taste can happen during or up to 4 weeks after treatment, and it is common for foods to change flavor or become tasteless, in addition to there being a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth. This happens mainly after consuming red meat, as foods rich in protein are the ones that change the taste the most.
Some tips on what to do to alleviate this problem are:
- Use glass or plastic utensils to prepare food and eat, including cutlery, as this helps to reduce the metallic taste in the mouth;
- Take a small glass of water with lemon drops or baking soda before meals, to clean the taste buds and remove bad tastes from the mouth;
- Eat an acidic fruit after mealssuch as orange, tangerine or pineapple, but you must remember to avoid these foods if there are sores in your mouth;
- Aromatize the water with drops of lemon, cinnamon or a piece of ginger to drink throughout the day;
- Use aromatic herbs to season foods, such as rosemary, parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, pepper, paprika, thyme, basil and coriander;
- Chew sugar-free mint or cinnamon gum to mask the bad taste in the mouth;
- Marinate meat in acidic fruit juices as lemon and pineapple, vinegar or in sweet wines;
- Eat less red meat and prefer to consume chicken, fish, eggs and cheese as the main sources of protein, if red meat causes too much change in taste;
- Use sea salt to season food instead of common salt;
- Prefer cold foods or frozen rather than hot.
In addition, you need to keep your mouth clean and healthy, brushing your teeth and tongue frequently, flossing and avoiding wounds and canker sores, which is also important to combat the unpleasant taste in your mouth caused by bacteria.
Cancer treatment does not always cause a change in the taste of food, but at least half of patients experience this side effect. To alleviate this, you need to test these tips and see which ones help in each case, as each person adapts better in a different way. See other side effects of chemotherapy.
Because the flavor changes
A bad taste in the mouth due to chemotherapy occurs because the treatment causes changes in the taste buds, which are responsible for the sensation of taste. The papillae renew themselves every 3 weeks, and as chemotherapy acts on cells that reproduce quickly, one of its side effects is affecting the papillae.
In radiotherapy, this happens when the treatment is carried out in the head and neck region, as the radiation also ends up reaching the papillae. After both treatments, the bad taste in the mouth usually goes away in about 3 to 4 weeks, but in some cases it may take longer.
Flavored Water Recipe
Flavored water helps maintain good hydration and remove bitter or metallic tastes from the mouth, and can be used throughout the day.
Ingredients:
- 10 fresh mint leaves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 thin slices of fresh ginger
- 4 slices of lemon, orange or tangerine with the peel
- 1 liter of filtered water
Preparation mode: Add the ingredients to the water, store in the refrigerator and wait at least 3 hours before drinking, the time needed to flavor and aromatize the water.
Orange Marinated Chicken Recipe
Marinating meats in fruit helps reduce the metallic or bitter taste in the mouth, so see below how to make a fruit marinade.
Ingredients:
- 500 g chicken fillet
- juice of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- rosemary to taste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation mode:
Place the chicken fillets in a container and squeeze the orange, add the crushed garlic, olive oil and rosemary. Then mix everything and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
Heat the frying pan well and then grill the fillets. Brown well on both sides, don’t let the chicken grill for too long as it dries out and becomes difficult to eat, try to leave it wet but well done.
See more tips on what to eat to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.
