Breast cancer engagement peer-led cooking workshop for managing chemotherapy side effects: an experience report

Abstract

This experience report describes a consumer-based, peer-led cooking workshop as an adjunct strategy to manage chemotherapy-related side effects in patients with breast cancer, including the development of a recipe e-book. The workshop was conducted at the dietetics laboratory of the School of Nutrition, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil, and facilitated by nutritionists specialized in oncology. Ingredients and preparations with potential to alleviate previously reported side effects were prioritized, including taste alterations, difficulty swallowing, mucositis, weight gain, fluid retention, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, anemia, and reduced immunity. The acceptability of the preparations was assessed using a hedonic scale and testimonials from participants. Subsequently, an illustrated e-book was developed, detailing preparation methods, portion sizes, nutritional composition, and indications for managing the main side effects experienced during chemotherapy. A total of 14 patients and 6 nutritionists participated in the workshop, and 27 recipes were developed. Participants reported improved knowledge regarding food choices and culinary strategies to manage chemotherapy treatment-related symptoms. Recipes were evaluated by 26 volunteers, and all achieved acceptability scores ≥6 on the hedonic scale. The e-book was published in 2019 and is freely available online. This initiative contributed to breast cancer patient support and to the dissemination of practical nutritional strategies for managing chemotherapy-related side effects.