Table 1.

Dietary recommendations according to nutritional impact symptoms.

Symptoms	Dietary Recommendations
Appetite loss, anorexia	Minimize eating effort by preferring high energy and protein foods through small and frequent snacks throughout the day. High caloric liquid meals may be useful.
Taste and smell changes	Adjust diet in accordance with new taste preferences and by avoiding foods that may evoke aversion, such as those with an intense odor (roast meat, fish). Prefer mildly flavored foods. Cold foods are generally less odorous. If the oral mucosa is not sensitive, use salt, herbs, spices, and seasonings.
Nausea and vomiting	Prefer small and frequent snacks throughout the day (crackers, biscuits) in order to avoid stomach emptying. Take advantage of times when the patient feels less fatigued, or between cycles of chemotherapy. Less odorous and cold foods may be better tolerated.
Oral mucositis, pain	Prefer soft, creamy, or liquid foods, and avoid hard ones that could damage the oral membrane (nuts, hard fruit, crusts, hard baked goods). Prefer foods at room temperature, and avoid hot dishes and beverages. Ice cold foods and fluids may be pleasant. Avoid extreme tastes, such as spicy and acidic foods, citrus fruits, and very salty products.
Oropharyngeal dysphagia	Chopping or grinding and moisturizing food (adding cream, gravy, or sauce) allows an adequate thickness to be achieved to facilitate swallowing. Add a thickener to viscous foods in order to prevent choking. Avoid mixed consistency foods due to their high choking risk.
Esophageal dysphagia	Transit of bolus throughout the esophagus can be favored by chopping finely and dipping foods in liquids (drinks, gravy, or sauces). Chewing well and eating slowly and mindfully are recommended precautions, such as small and frequent meal consumption.
Constipation	An adequate liquid and fiber intake is aimed at preventing dehydration. Although 30–40 g of fibers per day is the goal for healthy subjects, this result is difficult to achieve in practice. Variate different types of fibers.