Healthy snacks
One of the more uncomfortable and visible signs of Ovarian Cancer is a build up of fluid in the abdomen. The cancer produces fluid quicker than the body can pass it. As a result, my mum has a large and rounded belly, she looks 4 months pregnant! Ovarian Caner also makes her feel full very quickly. After a few mouthfuls, with the added discomfort of a heavy tummy loading her down, the meal is no longer an enjoyment. So I've started to create light and healthy snacks for my mum to eat between meals. This is to ensure she keeps her calorie intake up to fight the cancer and have a consistent level of energy throughout the day.
We very rarely snack between meals but will occasionally eat a packet of crisps, my mum also likes a cup of tea with a biscuit in the morning. I've recently started preparing healthy snacks for her to munch on when we leave the house between meals such as carrot sticks. So far this has been successful but I've learnt that she only likes a handful and too much, makes her jaw ache she says.
My favourite recipe is rice cakes with an assortment of toppings. As Chinese people, we rarely make salads and as mu mum does not watch English cooking programmes, she is not very inspired with her cooking. She likes rice cakes (it's rice!) but will tend to eat them plain so she loved the toppings that I did on them as a snack or a light breakfast.
1. The secret is to finely chop the tomato. It makes it more appealing and generates some interest which you shouldn't under estimate when there's no appetite.
2. Add olive oil. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and loaded with antioxidants. It also has a lovely nutty taste which is important when you're not adding artificial flavourings such as salt and pepper.
(Optional) The next day I added finely chopped celery and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds for some variety. Variety is good as it encourages the appetite. To be honest, I think my mum was also touched by the effort that I put into the snacks and was obliged to eat it, but that's ok, as long as she eats. You can pretty much try this with any form of vegetables as the goal is for the cancer sufferer to consume as many nutrients as possible and increase calorie intake.
Try this and let me know what you think.
M x
We very rarely snack between meals but will occasionally eat a packet of crisps, my mum also likes a cup of tea with a biscuit in the morning. I've recently started preparing healthy snacks for her to munch on when we leave the house between meals such as carrot sticks. So far this has been successful but I've learnt that she only likes a handful and too much, makes her jaw ache she says.
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| Healthy snacks |
My favourite recipe is rice cakes with an assortment of toppings. As Chinese people, we rarely make salads and as mu mum does not watch English cooking programmes, she is not very inspired with her cooking. She likes rice cakes (it's rice!) but will tend to eat them plain so she loved the toppings that I did on them as a snack or a light breakfast.
1. The secret is to finely chop the tomato. It makes it more appealing and generates some interest which you shouldn't under estimate when there's no appetite.
2. Add olive oil. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and loaded with antioxidants. It also has a lovely nutty taste which is important when you're not adding artificial flavourings such as salt and pepper.
(Optional) The next day I added finely chopped celery and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds for some variety. Variety is good as it encourages the appetite. To be honest, I think my mum was also touched by the effort that I put into the snacks and was obliged to eat it, but that's ok, as long as she eats. You can pretty much try this with any form of vegetables as the goal is for the cancer sufferer to consume as many nutrients as possible and increase calorie intake.
Try this and let me know what you think.
M x
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