Yes, children who have had cancer may eat meat. Research shows that people who continue to eat meat after being diagnosed with cancer do not live longer or shorter than people who eat less meat or stop eating meat altogether.
Would you like to know whether your child may eat meat during treatment? Click here.
What are red, white, and processed meats?
Red meat includes meat from cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and also deer and other game. It’s called red meat because it looks red when raw, and cooked meat from these animals is also considered red meat.
White meat includes chicken, turkey, and other poultry. This meat is lighter in color when raw.
Processed meat is any meat that has been smoked, salted, or otherwise processed to make it last longer. Examples include all types of cold cuts, ready-made hamburgers, pre-seasoned ground meat, smoked bacon, and sausage.
What does research show?
There is no research on eating meat and the risk of cancer recurrence in children.
Studies in healthy adults show that eating too much red meat and eating processed meat increases the risk of colon cancer. The recommendation for adults is to eat no more than 350–500 grams of red meat per week. For processed meat, there is no safe amount, so both adults and children are advised to eat as little processed meat as possible.
For children, there is no specific recommendation for the maximum amount of red meat. There is, however, advice for total meat consumption per week:
Children aged 1–8 years: up to 250 grams per week
Children aged 9 years and older: up to 500 grams per week
(Weights refer to the uncooked product.)
Research among adults with colorectal cancer shows that people who continue to eat meat after diagnosis do not live longer or shorter than those who eat less or no meat.
Eating less or no meat
Meat provides important nutrients such as protein, iron, and vitamins B1 and B12, and it fits into a healthy diet.
More and more people are choosing to eat less or no meat for reasons of animal welfare, the environment, or their own health. This is fine, as long as you include good alternatives and other foods that provide enough protein, iron, vitamin B1, and vitamin B12.
When choosing ready-made meat substitutes, check the amount of salt. Children under four years old cannot handle much salt, and many store-bought vegetarian products contain a lot of it.
Good alternatives to red meat include fish, chicken, cheese, eggs, or vegetarian products such as tofu and tempeh. Milk and dairy products, whole grains, nuts, and legumes are good additions to a vegetarian diet.
Our advice
Your child may eat meat after cancer treatment. The same advice applies as for children who have not had cancer:
1–8 years: no more than 250 grams of meat per week
9 years and older: no more than 500 grams of meat per week
Choose unprocessed meat as much as possible and limit red meat.
If your child eats little or no meat, make sure they get enough protein, iron, vitamin B1, and vitamin B12 from other foods or meat substitutes.
Sources
World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2018). Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: a Global Perspective. Continuous Update Project Expert Report.
Van Zutphen, M., Kampman, E., Giovannucci, E.L., van Duijnhoven, F.J.B. (2017). Lifestyle after Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis in Relation to Survival and Recurrence: A Review of the Literature. Curr Colorectal Cancer Rep. 13(5):370–401.
Carr, P.R., Banbury, B.L., Berndt, S.I., Campbell, P.T., Chang-Claude, J., Hayes, R.B., ... & Nishihara, R. (2019). Association Between Intake of Red and Processed Meat and Survival in Patients With Colorectal Cancer in a Pooled Analysis. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 17(8), 1561–1570.
Vogel, J., Beijer, S., Delsink, P., Doornink, N., ten Have, H., & van Lieshout, R. (2016). Handbook of Nutrition in Cancer Care. Utrecht: De Tijdstroom.