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Home > About childhood cancer > For parents > Food >The better nourished your child is, the more able they will be to cope with their treatment and fight infections.
If your child is eating well then it is important to encourage them to eat a good variety of foods. If your child’s appetite is poor the most important thing is just to get them to eat.
Through good nutrition their body will be more able to rebuild and repair healthy tissues damaged by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Being well-nourished also means they won’t tire so easily or feel so “run down”. It will also help them to continue to grow and develop during their treatment.
This means letting your child have what they want to eat and not forcing them to eat foods they are not keen on or don’t feel like eating. Due to taste changes, it is not unusual for a child to go off foods they previously liked or to focus on one or two foods only and eat them frequently.
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We want to make this section as useful as possible. We will soon be providing further information from specialist dieticians, and we would also like to publish your tips and recipes. If you would like to submit your ideas please visit our 'submit your ideas' page and chose which way is best for you.
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