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The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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The Food Chain: Cancer, food and me

Magazines & Reviews

Cancer, food and me

27/01/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, Cancer, food and me

Three women discuss how chemotherapy has changed their relationship with food

Three women discuss how chemotherapy has changed their relationship with food.

Can you imagine suddenly finding that it hurts to eat? Or that when you take a bite of your favourite meal you feel nothing? 

In this episode, we’re talking about something that isn’t much talked about: what happens to your relationship with food when you’ve got cancer.  

Ruth Alexander is joined by three women who want you to know about a side effect of treatment that they weren’t fully prepared for - the loss of their sense of taste. 

They share how what is a relatively minor detail, given a devastating diagnosis, nevertheless had a huge effect on their everyday routine, their interactions with family and friends, their sense of self.  

Hear how they learned to cope and how, out of the depths of this distressing experience, came a new appreciation of the everyday. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

(Picture: Grapefruit with pills coming out of it. Credit: Getty/BBC) 

Producer:  

Sarah Stolarz 


Contributors: 

Heather McCollum 

Semira Oguntoyinbo  

Angharad Underwood

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