Most foods are fine during chemotherapy, and the most important thing is food safety, because treatment can make the body more open to germs carried in food. Avoid raw or undercooked meat, chicken, fish and eggs, unpasteurised milk and cheese, raw sprouts and unwashed fruit and vegetables [1, 2]. If you take cancer tablets, ask about grapefruit and Seville oranges, and tell your doctor about every vitamin, supplement or herbal product, because some of them affect how treatment works [5, 2].
Key points
- Food safety matters more than a long list of banned foods: wash your hands and your fruit and vegetables, cook meat and eggs thoroughly, and keep food in the fridge [1, 2].
- You do not need to cut out raw fruit and vegetables; in studies, a strict diet did not lower infections compared with a normal diet [3, 4].
- Eggs are a good source of protein; just make sure the yolk and white are cooked until firm [1, 2].
- Coffee and tea are on the list of drinks for people having treatment, but they make diarrhoea worse if you have it [2].
- Grapefruit and Seville oranges may raise the amount of some cancer tablets in the blood [5, 6, 7].
- Show every supplement or herbal product to your doctor; for example, the herb St John's wort lowers the amount of some cancer medicines in the blood [6, 10].
Which foods should I avoid during chemotherapy?
Some cancer treatments make the body more open to germs carried in food; at these times you need to take more care with how you buy, store and cook food [2]. When the immune system is weak, food poisoning can be more severe [1]. Not all foods carry the same risk; the table below shows higher-risk foods next to lower-risk alternatives [1].
| Food | Higher risk: avoid | Lower risk: eat |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and chicken | Raw or undercooked meat, chicken or liver; for example, grilled meat or liver that is still pink inside [1, 2] | Meat and chicken cooked through with no pink inside [1, 2] |
| Fish and seafood | Sushi, raw or undercooked fish, refrigerated smoked fish, partly cooked prawns [1, 2] | Fully cooked fish and prawns, tinned fish [1] |
| Eggs | Soft-boiled or runny fried eggs, homemade sauces or desserts that contain raw egg (such as homemade mayonnaise) [1, 2] | Eggs cooked until the yolk and white are firm; pasteurised eggs for recipes that call for raw egg [1, 2] |
| Milk and dairy | Raw milk and soft cheeses made from unpasteurised milk, such as farm or market cheese sold loose; mouldy cheeses [1, 2] | Pasteurised milk, yoghurt, yoghurt drinks and cheese; hard cheeses [1, 2] |
| Cold meats and ready-made salads | Hot dogs and cold meats that have not been reheated; ready-made salads from a shop counter or restaurant, such as potato or egg salad [1] | Hot dogs and cold meats reheated until steaming; freshly made salads at home [1] |
| Sprouts | Raw sprouts (mung bean, wheat, alfalfa and similar) [1] | Cooked sprouts [1] |
| Fruit and vegetables | Unwashed fruit and vegetables; and, when blood counts are low, fruit that is hard to wash well, such as strawberries and grapes [1, 2] | Fruit and vegetables that are well washed or cooked [1, 2] |
| Juice | Unpasteurised juice, such as freshly squeezed juice (made at home or bought) [1, 2] | Pasteurised juice [1, 2] |
| Nuts and loose foods | Raw nuts, food from bulk bins, any food that is mouldy or past its date [2] | Roasted, shelled nuts [2] |
These precautions matter most when treatment has made your body more open to infection [2, 12]. Ask your treatment team on which days, and for how long, you need to follow them.
How do I keep food safe at home?
Clean
Wash your hands, knives and worktops before and after preparing food, especially after touching raw meat, chicken or fish. Scrub raw fruit and vegetables with a brush under water [2].
Separate
Cook
Cook meat, chicken and eggs thoroughly; meat should not be pink inside and egg yolks should not be runny. Thaw meat in the fridge or the microwave, not on the counter [2].
Chill, and leftovers
Keep hot food hot and cold food cold, and put leftovers in the fridge as soon as you have finished eating. Do not eat food that has been out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, or leftovers that have been in the fridge for more than 3 days. Eat rice freshly cooked, and do not eat leftover rice or leftovers that contain rice [2].
What is a neutropenic diet? Do I need to cut out raw fruit and vegetables?
A "neutropenic diet" is a diet that for many years was advised for people with low white blood cell counts; it cuts out raw fruit and vegetables so that fewer germs enter the body [3].
In a study of 153 people with a blood cancer (acute myeloid leukaemia) receiving strong chemotherapy, a group that ate no raw fruit or vegetables was compared with a group that ate fresh fruit and vegetables. There was no clear difference between the two groups in serious infections or in how long people lived [4]. When the results of several studies were put together, the strict diet still did not lower infections [3].
For this reason, the American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline does not recommend this diet to prevent infection; it is not pleasant to eat and may deprive people of important nutrients [3]. Instead, the usual food-safety rules are enough: wash fruit and vegetables well and cook meat and eggs thoroughly [2, 12]. If your doctor has given you different instructions, for example during a bone marrow transplant, follow them.
Can I eat eggs during chemotherapy?
Yes. Eggs are a good source of protein and are on the lists of foods that are easy on the stomach and on a sore mouth [2]. Just cook them thoroughly: the yolk and white should be firm, not runny [1, 2]. Hard-boiled eggs, omelettes and well-cooked scrambled eggs are good choices; avoid soft-boiled eggs and fried eggs with runny yolks [1]. Keep eggs in the fridge [1].
Can I drink coffee and tea during chemotherapy?
In the US National Cancer Institute's eating guide, coffee and tea are listed among the drinks for people having treatment, and a hot drink such as coffee or tea helps many people with constipation [2]. But in some situations it is better to cut down or stop [2]:
- Diarrhoea: foods and drinks with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, some fizzy drinks and chocolate, make diarrhoea worse.
- Nausea: the smell of coffee may make you feel more sick.
- Mouth sores: hot drinks hurt a sore mouth more; let them cool first.
For the link between very hot drinks and cancer of the oesophagus, see Does coffee or tea cause cancer?
Grapefruit, Seville oranges and cancer tablets
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice stop some medicines from being broken down in the gut; as a result, more of the medicine gets into the blood and it stays in the body longer. Seville oranges, pomelos and tangelos may have the same effect [5]. The official prescribing information of several oral cancer medicines mentions this; for example:
- Imatinib: avoid grapefruit juice [6].
- Venetoclax: avoid grapefruit products, Seville oranges and starfruit [7].
- Olaparib: avoid grapefruit, Seville oranges and their juices [8].
This list is not complete. If you take a cancer tablet or any other medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether you should avoid these fruits [5]. Seville orange juice poured over food or salads counts too [5, 8].
Alcohol during chemotherapy
Alcohol makes mouth sores, dry mouth and diarrhoea worse, so it should be avoided when you have them [2]. After treatment ends, too, it is best not to drink alcohol [2]. For the link between alcohol and cancer, see Does alcohol cause cancer?
Vitamins, supplements and herbal medicines during chemotherapy
Many people would like to help their treatment with vitamins, supplements or herbal medicines. Some of these products can change how treatment works, so tell your doctor, nurse or dietitian about everything you take or want to start [2]. A few examples of what we know:
- St John's wort (a herb taken for low mood) lowers the amount of medicines such as irinotecan and imatinib in the blood [10, 6].
- In a study of more than 1,000 women with breast cancer having chemotherapy, there were signs that taking antioxidant supplements (such as vitamins A, C and E) before and during treatment was linked with a higher chance of the cancer coming back. Taking vitamin B12 and iron was also linked with worse results, but an ordinary multivitamin was not [9]. This kind of study does not prove cause, but the researchers concluded that caution is needed with supplements [9].
- Vitamins and minerals in the amounts you need each day are enough, and large doses are not recommended unless you have a deficiency [11].
If your doctor has prescribed a supplement for a specific deficiency, talk to them before you stop it.
When should I call my doctor?
- A temperature of 38 °C or higher: call your treatment team straight away or go to the emergency department [12].
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps or fever, especially after a food you are unsure about; when the immune system is weak, food poisoning can be severe [1].
- Diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, or with pain and cramps [2].
- Vomiting for more than 1 or 2 days, or you cannot keep any fluids down [2].
If you suddenly feel very unwell, call your local emergency number.
Frequently asked questions
What should I not eat after chemotherapy, and for how long?
The same higher-risk foods as in the table above: raw or undercooked food, unpasteurised dairy, raw sprouts and unwashed fruit and vegetables [1, 2]. These precautions matter most when treatment has made your body more open to infection, for example when your white blood cell count is low [2, 12]. How long depends on your treatment; ask your treatment team.
Can I eat sushi or smoked fish?
Can I have yoghurt, yoghurt drinks and cheese?
What about nuts and dried fruit?
Roasted, shelled nuts are fine, but avoid raw nuts and food from bulk bins [2]. Dried fruit such as prunes, dates and raisins helps with constipation [2]. Read more: What to eat before and after chemotherapy.
Can I eat out or at restaurants?
So what can I eat?
Most ordinary foods are fine if they are prepared safely, and during this time your body may need more protein and calories [2]. For a daily eating plan and foods that help with nausea, mouth sores and diarrhoea, see What to eat before and after chemotherapy.
Related pages
Evidence details (for doctors)
For physicians
- Gardner 2008 (JCO): 153 patients with newly diagnosed AML receiving induction therapy in a HEPA-filtered room with antibacterial and antifungal prophylaxis; cooked diet without raw fruit or vegetables (78 patients) vs diet containing fresh fruit and vegetables (75 patients). Major infection (pneumonia, bacteraemia or fungaemia) 29% vs 35% (P=0.60); time to major infection and survival similar; fever of unknown origin 51% vs 36% [4].
- ASCO 2022 (Ligibel): in a meta-analysis of 5 randomised trials (388 patients, children and adults), infection occurred in 53.7% with a neutropenic diet vs 50.0% with an unrestricted diet (RR 1.13; 95% CI 0.98 to 1.30). Recommendation 2.2: neutropenic diets (excluding raw fruit and vegetables) are not recommended to prevent infection during active treatment (harms likely outweigh benefits; evidence quality low; strength weak). The diets studied were more restrictive than the FDA and CDC food-safety practices for the general population [3].
- SWOG S0221 (Ambrosone 2020): 1,134 patients with breast cancer in a trial of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and paclitaxel; antioxidant use before and during chemotherapy: adjusted HR for recurrence 1.41 (95% CI 0.98 to 2.04; P=0.06). Vitamin B12 before and during treatment: poorer DFS (HR 1.83; 1.15 to 2.92) and OS (HR 2.04; 1.22 to 3.40). Iron during chemotherapy: recurrence (HR 1.79; 1.20 to 2.67). Multivitamin use was not associated with outcomes [9].
- Interactions in FDA labels: venetoclax: avoid grapefruit products, Seville oranges and starfruit, which contain CYP3A inhibitors [7]. Imatinib: grapefruit juice may increase plasma concentrations; co-administration of St John's wort reduced imatinib AUC by 30% [6]. Irinotecan: exposure to irinotecan and SN-38 is substantially reduced with strong CYP3A4 inducers including St John's wort; the appropriate starting dose in these patients has not been defined, and substituting non-enzyme-inducing therapies at least 2 weeks before starting is suggested [10].
References
12 referencesShow all references, 4 with a study cardClose the reference list
Numbers in the text, such as [1], refer to these sources. Sources with a “Study card” button are summarised in the site’s evidence library.
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- 11ESPEN practical guideline: Clinical Nutrition in cancer
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This page is based on reputable scientific sources and was last updated on 28 October 2026. The content of this website is for educational and informational purposes only and does not replace consultation, diagnosis or treatment by a specialist physician. Consult your treating physician about any treatment decision.
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