Creamotherapy: My Doctor’s Recipe turned cancer nutrition into ice cream patients may want to finish

My Doctor’s Recipe and Havas Lynx have reimagined nutritional support for people undergoing cancer treatment as a fortified ice cream called Nutri-Ice.

The initiative, named “Creamotherapy,” responds to a difficult problem in cancer care. Treatment-related nausea, mouth ulcers, swallowing difficulties, altered senses of taste and smell, food aversion and poor appetite can make eating uncomfortable or unappealing.

Patients may be given liquid nutritional supplements, but consuming the required quantity can still be challenging when the taste, smell or texture feels medicinal.

Nutri-Ice delivers calories, protein, vitamins and minerals through a small frozen serving designed to taste like ordinary ice cream. The project’s central argument is simple: nutritional support can only help if patients are willing and able to consume it.

Malnutrition can complicate cancer treatment

Creamotherapy opens with the claim that one in five cancer patients die from malnutrition rather than cancer itself.

This figure comes from published medical literature estimating that malnutrition and its complications may contribute to roughly 20% of deaths among people with cancer. However, the risk varies considerably according to the type and stage of cancer, the treatment involved and the individual patient’s condition.

Malnutrition can lead to weight and muscle loss, reduced strength and poorer tolerance of treatment. It may also contribute to complications, longer hospital stays or interruptions to planned care.

The campaign wants nutrition to be considered an essential part of cancer support rather than a secondary concern addressed only after substantial weight loss has occurred.

Ice cream solves an important consumption problem

Cold, soft foods can be easier for some patients to tolerate when treatment has made chewing or swallowing difficult. Ice cream may also feel familiar and comforting during an otherwise clinical experience.

Ordinary commercial ice cream, however, is not formulated as complete nutritional support. It may provide calories but lacks the specific balance of protein, vitamins and minerals required by patients at risk of malnutrition.

Nutri-Ice attempts to combine the appeal of ice cream with the nutritional purpose of a hospital supplement.

Each 100ml serving contains protein and a blend of seven vitamins and minerals. The company says it provides 340% more protein than typical commercial ice cream and remains soft for approximately 60 minutes after leaving the freezer, allowing patients more time to finish it at their bedside.

The product is available in flavours including vanilla, chocolate, cappuccino, banana and strawberry.

Microencapsulation protects the flavour

Adding vitamins and minerals to food can create an artificial smell, metallic taste or unpleasant aftertaste. For patients already experiencing changes in taste and smell, those characteristics may make a supplement even harder to consume.

Nutri-Ice uses the company’s DJK+ microencapsulation technology to coat nutrients inside a lipid layer. This separates the fortified ingredients from the rest of the ice cream until they reach the digestive system.

The process is intended to preserve the familiar flavour and texture of the product while still delivering its nutritional contents.

The company also says Nutri-Ice contains no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or emulsifiers and is naturally sweetened with date syrup.

Patient preference shaped the product

My Doctor’s Recipe tested its frozen supplement with 96 patients.

In that company-run study, 80% of participants reported disliking the taste of existing hospital nutritional drinks. When offered the frozen alternative, 76% selected it over traditional supplements, citing its taste, texture and use of recognisable ingredients.

These findings are encouraging but come from a relatively small study conducted by the product’s developer. They show preference rather than proving improved survival or treatment outcomes.

The campaign’s case materials also report increased consumption and adherence compared with existing supplements. Wider independent clinical evidence would be needed to establish the product’s long-term medical impact.

Nutri-Ice is a nutritional supplement, not a cancer treatment. Its suitability should be assessed by the patient’s oncologist, dietitian or medical team.

More than ten hospitals have introduced Nutri-Ice

Nutri-Ice has been certified for use in private hospitals and is being prescribed by dietitians in UK healthcare settings.

The project reports that more than ten hospitals have introduced the frozen supplement. Creamotherapy is continuing its rollout while encouraging clinicians to consider whether conventional nutritional options are appealing enough for patients to consume consistently.

The company also sells Nutri-Ice directly, although the campaign’s most important application remains nutritional support during illness, treatment and recovery.

My Doctor’s Recipe grew from a personal experience with cancer. Co-founder Alan MacKenzie began developing the business after losing his wife to the disease. He worked with oncologist Dr Jon Krell to create food that could provide practical nutritional support without sacrificing enjoyment.

Packaging turns a treat into clinical support

The Creamotherapy identity deliberately combines the language of chemotherapy with the familiarity of cream and ice cream.

That name immediately communicates the product’s purpose, but it also changes the emotional presentation of medical nutrition. Instead of resembling another hospital drink or medicine bottle, Nutri-Ice arrives as a small tub associated with comfort and pleasure.

Havas Lynx developed the campaign to educate healthcare professionals while elevating nutrition within the wider treatment conversation.

The product design, scientific explanation, packaging and campaign platform operate together. The advertising does not simply promote a new flavour. It presents an alternative method of delivering nutrition to people who may struggle with existing formats.

Creamotherapy moves from awareness to utility

Many healthcare campaigns explain a neglected problem and ask others to act. Creamotherapy goes further by attaching that message to a product already being used in hospitals.

The initiative received a Future Impact Pencil in 2025. In 2026, it earned a Silver Pencil for Products for Good, a Bronze Pencil for Health & Wellness Products and two additional merits for healthcare innovation.

Its larger success will depend on continued hospital adoption and stronger independent evidence showing whether increased preference produces meaningful nutritional and clinical benefits.

For now, Creamotherapy makes one valuable change to the treatment experience. It asks not only what nutrients patients need, but also what they might still enjoy eating.

Credits

Creamotherapy was created for My Doctor’s Recipe by Havas Lynx, Manchester, with post-production by Prose on Pixels. Medical Director and Co-Founder: Dr Jon Krell; Managing Director: Alan MacKenzie; Chief Executive Officer: Claire Knapp; Chief Creative Officer: Alex Okada; Executive Creative Director: Chris Wellard; Chief Medical Officer: Vernon Bainton; Medical Scientist and Nutritionist: Dr Federica Amati; Medical Advisor: Dr John Brinsley; Creative Director: Richard Hague; Copywriter: Chris Will; Art Director: Ben Neilson; Lead Designer and Integrated Producer: Femi Anderson; Planning Director: Dan Bryne; Senior Account Manager: Lauren Thompson; Post Producer: Richard Berry; Production Assistant: Bella Fix; Producers: Annabelle Marshall and John Fisher; Content Creators: Dila Cuhadar and Elvin Musiriza; Senior Editor: Chris Johnson; Senior Motion Graphics Artist: Stephen Ryan; Videographer: James Walton; 3D Motion Graphics Artist: Cade Nicholas; Post-Production Manager and Senior Editor: Dan Lord; Head of Artwork: Mike Sweeney; Senior Planning Executive: Amy Settle; Junior Medical Writer: Zac Tait.