Children with cancer need protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals. A dietitian can help you understand your child’s specific needs and develop an eating plan. Your child's baseline nutritional status (Is he overweight? underweight?), diagnosis, treatment plan, age, activity levels, and the medicines he gets are all used to make a nutrition plan.

Proteins

The body uses protein to grow, repair tissues, and to maintain the skin, blood cells, the immune system, and the lining of the digestive tract. Children with cancer who do not get enough protein may recover from illness more slowly and even be more likely to get infections. After a child has surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation treatments, he or she may need extra protein to heal tissues and to help prevent infection.

Protein is also key to a child’s growth and development. During illness, a child’s need for protein goes up. Work with your child's cancer care team to figure out her specific needs at this time.

Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, nuts, dried beans, peas and lentils, and soy foods are good sources of protein.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates give the body the fuel (calories) it needs for physical activity and proper organ function. A child’s calorie needs depend on his or her age, size, and level of physical activity. Healthy infants, children, and adolescents need more calories per pound than adults to support growth and development. Children being treated for cancer may need even more calories for tissue healing and energy. In fact, a child being treated for cancer may need anywhere from 20% to 90% more calories than his counterpart who is not getting cancer treatment.

The best sources of carbohydrates -- fruits, vegetables, and whole grains -- give the body's cells the vitamins and minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients (key nutrients from plants) they need. Other sources of carbohydrates include bread, potatoes, rice, spaghetti, pasta, cereals, dried beans, corn, peas, and beans. These carbohyrate foods also contain B vitamins and fiber. Sweets (desserts, candy, and drinks with sugar) can supply carbohydrates, but provide very few nutrients.

Fats

Fats and oils are a rich source of energy (calories) for the body. They provide more than 2 times the calories per gram than carbohydrates. They are used to store energy, insulate body tissues, and transport some types of vitamins through the blood. They also play an important role in food preparation by making food taste better, making baked products moist, and conducting heat during cooking. You may have heard that some fats are better than others. For the most part, unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), are better choices. Here is a breakdown of the different fats found in food:

• Monounsaturated fats are found mainly in vegetable oils such as olive, canola, and peanut oils. They are liquid at room temperature.

• Polyunsaturated fats are found mainly in vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn, flaxseed, and canola oils. Polyunsaturated fats are also the main fats found in seafood. They are liquid or soft at room temperature. Certain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, are called essential fatty acids, because the body cannot make them. We need them to build cells and make hormones. Essential fatty acids must come from foods we choose. Soybean, canola, and walnut oils are good sources of essential fatty acids.

• Saturated fats (or saturated fatty acids) are mainly found in animal sources, such as meat and poultry, whole or reduced-fat milk, and butter. Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature. But some vegetable oils like coconut, palm kernel oil, and palm oil are saturated.

• Trans fatty acids are formed when vegetable oils are processed into margarine or shortening. Sources of trans fats include snack foods and baked goods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or vegetable shortening. Trans fats also occur naturally in some animal products, such as dairy products.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are needed for proper growth and development. They also allow the body to use the calories it gets from food. Children who eat a balanced diet usually get plenty of vitamins and minerals. But studies have shown that even healthy kids often don't get enough calcium and vitamin D—which are especially important for bone growth. And some of the drugs used to treat cancer can lower calcium and vitamin D levels, too, so extra amounts may be needed.

It may be hard for a child getting cancer treatment to eat a balanced diet. Common treatment side effects, like nausea and vomiting and mouth sores (mucositis) can make it hard to eat well. If your child has ongoing eating problems, ask your doctor, nurse, or dietitian for help. Sometimes your doctor will recommend a daily multivitamin while your child undergoes treatment. But a multivitamin does not replace adequate calorie and protein intake. Always talk to the doctor before giving any vitamin or mineral supplements to your child.

Water

All body cells need water to function. If your child does not take in enough fluids or loses fluids from vomiting or diarrhea, he or she may become dehydrated. You can check your child for dehydration by lightly pinching the skin over the breast bone. If the skin does not return to normal and stays raised, your child may be dehydrated. Other symptoms include dryness in the lining of the mouth, darker colored urine, listlessness, and dizziness. If you think your child is dehydrated, call your doctor right away. Ask your doctor, nurse, or dietitian how much fluid your child needs each day to keep from becoming dehydrated.

Last Medical Review: 02/06/2009
Last Revised: 02/06/2009