“Nearly everyone who has been through or is going through cancer treatment, myself included, has had to deal with the rather sneaky side effect of taste changes during chemo,” writes Ann Ogden Gaffney, founder of Cook for Your Life (cookforyourlife.com).

To get rid of a metallic taste, she suggests adding a sweetener, such as maple syrup, as well as acids, such as lemon or lime or vinegar. Acids can also help eliminate an overly sweet taste (keep adding until the taste goes away) as well as a too salty taste. (A squeeze of lemon or lime to water can also help you drink more fluids.) If foods taste overly bitter, add a sweetener. Bland and tasteless? Add salt until the flavors surface. “The good news? Once chemo is over, your taste buds usually go back to normal,” writes Ogden Gaffney.