Diet and nutrition
Following a cancer diagnosis, it can be difficult to know what to eat. You may have a lot of questions about diet and cancer.
At King’s, we have specialist dietitians who can help you at any stage of your cancer journey.
A dietitian can help you to:
- eat and drink well throughout your treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplant
- manage nutritional problems such as weight loss, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, taste changes, constipation and diarrhoea
- be as healthy as possible before treatment or surgery by minimising weight loss and helping to increase muscle mass and strength
- empower you to be confident in making appropriate food choices before and after treatment or surgery, and during any hospital stays
- aid recovery and wound healing after surgery
- adopt a healthy eating pattern and lifestyle during and after your treatment
Service locations
We offer dietetic services at:
- King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill
- Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH), Orpington
- Beckenham Beacon, Beckenham
- Tessa Jowell Health Centre, Dulwich
We also offer telephone and virtual consultations.
How to access the service
Diet and nutrition will be discussed as part of your Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA). Please talk to your clinical nurse specialist (CNS) if you feel you would benefit from a referral to the cancer specialist dietitians.
You can also call the King’s Macmillan Cancer Information Centre for more information.
The dietetic team will assess your nutritional needs, and will invite you to attend either a one-to-one appointment or a group session. These may be held by video call.
Further information and support
For more information and support, please visit the below web pages from trusted cancer and diet organisations:
- Eating well and keeping active
- How to build up your diet when your appetite is poor
- Eating problems and cancer
- Malnutrition: food fact sheet
- Eat well during cancer