Ovarian cancer,  
     diet and nutrition
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                                                                                  The Eatwell 
         When you have ovarian cancer you might find that your                    Guide
         appetite (the amount you want to eat) and the types 
         of food you want to eat are different from before. You 
         might also be wondering if there is anything you can 
         change about your diet (including eating or not eating 
         specific foods) that might impact on how your cancer 
         acts or how effective your treatment is. This booklet 
         aims to give you an overview of the evidence for diet 
         and nutrition in relation to ovarian cancer so that you 
         can make choices that are right for you. 
                                                                                  The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what you eat overall should 
                                                                                  come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.  
                                                                                  It is the UK’s current healthy eating model for most adults and is a 
                                                                                  good model to base your diet on.
                                                                                         Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates  
                                                                                         (in general, choose wholegrain or higher fibre options with less 
                                                                                         added fat, salt and sugar)
                                                                                         Fruit and vegetables (eat a variety each day)
         This information has been written                                               Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
         based on current evidence and 
         guidance but things are always                                                  Dairy and alternatives (in general, choose lower fat and sugar options)
         changing. You should discuss any 
         changes in your diet with your clinical                                         Oil and spreads (in general, choose unsaturated oils and use in small 
         team or dietitian. For the most                                                 amounts)
         up-to-date information about diet 
         and nutrition in relation to ovarian                                            Foods high in fat, salt and sugars such as cakes, sweets, crisps 
         cancer, please call our Support Line                                            and chocolate are not needed in our diet so should be eaten less 
         on 020 7923 5475 or contact the                                                 often and in smaller amounts
         organisations listed in the Where can                                           Water, lower-fat milk, fruit juice, smoothies and sugar-free drinks 
         I find out more? section.                                                       including tea and coffee all count towards the fluid (liquid) you drink 
                                                                                         (in general, aim for six to eight cups each day)
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            What should I be eating?                                                                        I feel full after a few mouthfuls.  
                                                                                                            What can I do?
            The most important thing for you is being as well-nourished as 
            possible. This means eating foods that are made up of things to help                            It’s normal for people diagnosed with ovarian cancer to feel full after 
            your body to maintain and repair itself and to give you the energy you                          eating small amounts of food. This could be because of changes to 
            need. Depending on your particular circumstances (for example your                              how the chemicals in your body work because of the cancer, or perhaps 
            individual treatment plan or your usual diet) this may mean eating                              because the cancer or excess fluid in your tummy (ascites) is squashing 
            more or less of specific foods or food groups (such as carbohydrates                            your stomach. If you can’t eat very much it’s important to make every 
            or proteins). But in general there is no right or wrong thing to eat after                      mouthful count.
            an ovarian cancer diagnosis – as long as you are maintaining a healthy 
            weight and eating a balanced diet.                                                              •  Try to eat foods that are nutritious and can give you lots of protein 
                                                                                                               and energy, even if you don’t eat big portions. Things like fish, eggs, 
                                                                                                               yoghurt and nuts are ideal.
                                                                                                            •  You could also try eating foods that you particularly enjoy. Maybe 
                                                                                                               you have favourite foods from childhood or something that you 
                                                                                                               always eat to mark special occasions. Try eating that.
                                                                                                            •  It can be daunting to put lots of food on your plate at once. Eating 
                                                                                                               little and often is just as good as eating two or three large meals. If 
                                                                                                               you start with a small amount of food you can always go back for 
                                                                                                               more if you want to. 
                                                                                                            •  Add some extra energy to your food by using full-fat products rather 
            During and after treatment for ovarian cancer some                                                 than low-fat alternatives. You can also add things like butter, olive oil, 
            people find it particularly difficult to maintain a healthy                                        cream, peanut butter, pesto or honey.
            weight. You may find that you weigh more or less than                                           •  Keep a selection of nutritious snacks close at hand to graze on. 
            you would like to and this can affect your self-esteem                                             Things like yoghurts, fruit loaf or cheese and biscuits can give you a 
            (how you feel about yourself) and be difficult to cope                                             burst of energy and are not overwhelming to prepare. 
            with. If this is how you feel please don’t be afraid to ask 
            for help. Your Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) or a dietitian                                   Remember that there are also no rules about what to eat when:  
            can give you lots of different ideas about how to get the                                       if you want to have cereal in the evening or custard in the morning  
            nourishment you need. You might also find it helpful to                                         then feel free!
            contact the organisations listed in the Where can I find 
            out more? section at the end of this guide. 
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             I have little or no appetite. What can I do?
             Lots of people who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer find that they 
             don’t want to eat as much as they used to. When you feel like this it can 
             be helpful to remember that food doesn’t have to be cooked or eaten 
             in large portions or meals. How about eating little and often during 
             the day? You could have six or seven snacks if two or three meals is 
             off-putting. Things like houmous or taramasalata on pitta bread, slices 
             of quiche, rice pots or cheese cubes are all good sources of protein and 
             energy and are easy to prepare.                                                                        Should I avoid sugar?
             Sometimes doing a bit of gentle exercise can also help you to feel more 
             like eating. If you feel able to, take a gentle walk to the end of your road                           Some people think that not eating sugar is a good idea as it means that 
             or around your garden; this might help.                                                                cancer cells don’t get the energy they need to grow. But there is no strong 
             Drinking milkshakes and smoothies can help you to get some extra                                       evidence to suggest that following a sugar-free diet has any impact on 
             calories when you are really struggling to eat. Smoothies can help                                     how cancer grows or behaves. Cutting out sugar altogether is not a good 
             you get some extra energy when you are really struggling to eat. Try to                                idea because our bodies needs sugar (glucose) to work. If you don’t eat 
             choose yoghurt-based rather than low-fat alternatives as this will help                                enough sugar then your cells will start making glucose from protein and 
             keep your energy levels up.                                                                            fat as a last resort. This can mean that you lose weight which can make it 
                                                                                                                    harder to cope with treatment and take longer for you to get well. 
             “The dietitian I spoke to encouraged me to do                                                          Lots of foods that are good for us (like fruit, cereal and wholemeal 
             something called ‘food fortification’ – adding cream                                                   biscuits and bread) contain natural sugar so eating these things is a 
             or full-fat milk to my food. This was really helpful                                                   good way for us to get energy from sugar. But some foods and drinks 
                                                                                                                    (like full-fat fizzy drinks, sweets and cakes) have lots of sugar added 
             because most women are always thinking how not to                                                      to them – like you would add sugar to tea and coffee to make it taste 
             put on weight and are almost conditioned to avoid full-                                                sweeter. This added sugar is less good for you than natural sugar so it’s 
             fat anything! It was really important for me to know                                                   best to eat and drink it in smaller quantities. Take a look at the nutrition 
             how to put on weight to gain strength and be ready for                                                 information labels on food packaging to help you make balanced 
                                                                                                                    choices. You can still have high-sugar food but it’s important to balance 
             my operation and chemotherapy.”                                                                        your sugar intake with other sources of energy so that your body gets all 
                                                                                                                    of the nutrients it needs.
             Christine
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