 [ Symptoms ] can diet help with chemotherapy nausea [ Disease ] there is no special chemotherapy diet but experts say that foods that are spicy or strong smelling are more likely to cause nausea ideally i would like people to eat a healthy diet during chemotherapy so that they get enough vitamins and minerals  says christy russell md chair of the american cancer society breast cancer advisory committee any foods that get you through your treatment are probably ok  you need to stay hydrated dehydration can interfere with your treatment and has other risks if you do not drink enough fluids you can wind up in the emergency room  says carmen escalante md chair of the department of general internal medicine at the university of texas m d anderson cancer center eating smaller meals more often than you used to may prevent nausea says escalante although you should never force yourself to eat when you are nauseous russell says that it is important to eat regularly never come to get chemotherapy on an empty stomach  says russell it just raises the risks that you are going to feel queasy 