How much red meat should I eat, and does it affect cancer risk?
Red meat provides protein, iron and vitamin B12, but higher intake is linked with colorectal cancer risk. For people who eat it, WCRF advises no more than about three portions weekly, equivalent to 350–500 g cooked weight, and very little, if any, processed meat.
Details
What does that amount mean?
It is an approximate upper limit, not an intake target or a guarantee of zero risk. Count cooked rather than raw weight. Red meat includes beef, lamb and goat; the category is not simply the colour of the finished dish.
Vary your protein sources
Replace some meals with beans, fish or unprocessed poultry and choose leaner cuts. Daily red meat is not essential for a balanced diet, but excluding it requires suitable sources of iron, protein and B12.
Needs can differ during pregnancy, anaemia or cancer treatment. Increasing meat intake alone is not an adequate response to iron deficiency: the cause and appropriate treatment still need assessment.
Related reading: Do processed meats cause cancer, and what does their classification mean?.