The esophagus is an important part of the human digestive system and is the long organ that carries food from the oropharynx to the stomach. The surgical treatment of esophageal cancer often requires partial resection and reconnection of esophagus and stomach. After surgery, due to the trauma of stomach, anatomical position change and damage of vagus nerve, the normal physiological function of patients is affected, and they often have symptoms such as postprandial fullness, acid reflux, nausea and vomiting. At the same time, due to the trauma of surgery, a large amount of protein and fat are consumed in the body, which often leads to weight loss and malnutrition after surgery, and in serious cases, it may lead to complications such as anastomotic fistula. Therefore, “how to eat” after esophageal cancer surgery is very important. How to eat after esophageal cancer surgery is scientific and reasonable? It can be roughly divided into the following four stages: Stage 1: about 1-5 days after esophageal cancer surgery, when the patient is in the healing period of surgery, the esophagogastric junction is not yet firm, and the gastrointestinal function is not yet fully recovered. At this stage, the doctor will give the patient nasal feeding diet and intravenous nutrition support. Patients are in a state of “starvation”. Stage 2: About 5 to 7 days after esophageal cancer surgery, the doctor will arrange the patient to undergo iodine contrast examination to check the status of the anastomosis and gastric emptying ability. If the examination result is good, the patient can eat liquid diet through mouth, firstly, gradually transition from small amount of warm water to liquid food such as rice soup and fish soup. The amount of food can be gradually increased from a few tablespoons to 100-200 ml each time, about 6-8 times a day. Stage 3: About 8 days after esophageal cancer surgery, patients can mostly enter semi-liquid diet, such as rice porridge, noodles, wontons, egg soup, etc., and still need to follow the principle of eating less and more meals. If patients have no obvious discomfort and good condition after semi-liquid diet, they can arrange to be discharged. After discharge, the semi-liquid diet is usually maintained for another 2 weeks or so. After eating, appropriate activities should be carried out for about half an hour, not lying flat immediately, which is conducive to prevent and reduce symptoms such as acid reflux and vomiting. Stage 4: Starting from 3 weeks after esophageal cancer surgery, patients can slowly transition to normal diet, and still need to maintain less food and more meals for a period of time. After eating, a small amount of water can be drunk to flush the esophagus and remove the food residue in the esophagus. Sleep with a high pillow to reduce acid reflux symptoms. In terms of food selection, attention should be paid to balanced nutrition and avoid spicy and other stimulating foods such as chili, raw onion, ginger and garlic, as well as less smoked and pickled foods. In addition, extra care should be taken not to eat too hot, too hard or rough indigestible food to avoid damage to the esophagogastric anastomosis. In conclusion, post-operative diet is a matter that needs more attention and careful arrangement for esophageal cancer patients. Only a scientific and reasonable diet with balanced nutrition can help improve the quality of life after surgery and enhance the immunity of the body, thus preventing tumor recurrence and prolonging the life of patients.