Beyond Nutrition: The Role of Food in Palliative Care
09/08/2025
When we think about food in health care, it’s usually in terms of nutritional value, but new research published in Palliative Care and Social Practice shows that food is much more than fuel for palliative patients. Patients, family members, and staff from Bruyère Health’s palliative care unit found that food carried deep emotional meaning that went far beyond nutrition.
“As patients’ illness progressed, the role of food shifted from a source of nutrition to being a source of love, comfort, and memories,” said Krystal Kehoe MacLeod, Postdoctoral Fellow at Bruyère Health Research Institute and Principal Investigator of the study. “Patients and caregivers wanted access to foods that would spark fond memories or were aligned with their cultural identity, providing comfort and joy.”
The research team found that early in the palliative care journey, when a terminal diagnosis was recent and symptom management was the main priority, patients and family caregivers saw food as a source of nutrition to help them get strong and healthy again. As their illness progressed, food became a means to connect with childhood memories, cultural identity, and comfort before their declining health made meals a potential health hazard. This was a challenge for caregivers as well, for whom preparing and sharing meals is an important way of showing love.
The study highlighted the importance of open and honest conversations between patients, caregivers and family, and hospital staff. Many patients struggle with changes in their appetite, and caregivers often feel a deep loss when food is no longer part of their role. Yet health care staff felt unprepared to guide families through these emotional shifts. With compassionate communication, these difficult moments can be reframed around an evolving relationship with food as a central part of person-centered care.
Part of the study explored the opportunities for staff from both the palliative care unit and food services team to bridge the gap in how food preferences and cultural options could be better identified and met in a hospital environment.
“Making the meal experience better for all patients is person-centered care at its core—nutrition and food is not one-size fits all,” said Jennifer Yeung, Director of Nutrition and Food Services at Bruyère Health. “I hope research like this can bring awareness to how important it is to provide comfort and nutrition at all stages of life and improve how food services and care teams on the floor can work together to bring patients foods that are accessible, safe, nutritious, as well as meaningful.”
The team is now expanding their research to further explore traditional and cultural foods as therapy for palliative and end-of-life care Indigenous patients and hopes to work with instructors of medical and nursing students to better prepare new clinicians to have difficult conversations with patients and families around the changing role of food as part of palliative and end-of-life care.
“Food in a palliative care setting is more than just for health, it’s a source of comfort, which is central to a palliative approach to care,” said Kehoe MacLeod. “By acknowledging food has a changing role for people experiencing a life-limiting illness, and equipping care teams to navigate difficult conversations, we can ensure meals support not just nutrition, but dignity and comfort at all stages of life.”
"The Role of Food as Part of Person-Centred Palliative Care: An Exploratory Ethnographic Study" was published in Palliative Care and Social Practice.