Protein for kids

Protein is a macronutrient that gets a lot of attention and many people think that the body’s requirements for protein are very high and it is difficult to get enough. In reality, however, most Canadians easily meet their protein requirements every day, including kiddos. Proteins are a part of every cell in the body. Protein is needed to build and repair tissue, skin, hair, nails and muscle. Protein is also satiating and helps to keep little tummies feeling full in between meals and snacks. So ensuring your kids get enough protein is important, especially for their active and rapidly growing bodies, but is it as hard to do as parents think?

Protein requirements for children

Children require 1-1.5g of protein for every kilogram of weight each day. To determine how much protein your child needs, divide their weight in pounds by 2.2 in order to determine their weight in kilograms. Then multiply that by 1 - 1.5g and you will get the amount of protein they need every day. For example, a child weighing 35lbs (16kg) would require 16-24g of protein every day. Health Canada has outlined the following protein requirements for children:

1-3 year olds 13g / day

4-8 year olds 19g / day

9-13 year olds 34g / day

Sources of protein

Most foods contain even a little bit of protein but there are some foods that are better sources of protein than others. Typically, animal sources such as meat, fish and poultry in addition to dairy products tend to have the highest amount of protein per serving but eating animal sources is not the only way to get all the protein the body needs. Other foods that are high in protein include beans, lentils, nuts and seeds as well as some grains. Aiming to include a variety of protein sources daily can help meet your child’s protein requirements. See below for a list of some great food choices to get all the protein your kids need. The portion sizes may seem like a lot for a child but they don’t need to eat a whole serving as listed here, this amount of food can be spread out throughout the day.

Food Amount Grams of Protein

Meat / Fish / Poultry 2.5 oz. 21g

Yogurt, Greek 3/4 cup 14g

Hemp Seeds 1/4 cup. 13g

Egg 2 12g

Tofu 3/4 cup 13g

Cheese 1.5 oz 12g

Beans / Lentils 3/4 cup 12g

Milk, cow 1 cup 9g

Milk, soy 1 cup 7g

Peanut butter 2 tbsp 8g

Almond butter 2 tbsp 7g

Quinoa, cooked 1/2 cup 4g

Oats, cooked 3/4 cup ~3g

For a more complete list, check out this link

How can you meet protein requirements

It is important to include sources of protein in meals and snacks throughout the day in order to meet nutritional requirements. You may find however, that including a protein source at every meal and snack actually provides way more protein than what your child needs in a day. Particularly for smaller children. This is not necessarily problematic as long as this amount of protein is not taking the place of food from other food groups and you are still able to offer a variety of other foods (grains, fruit and vegetables) that your child will eat. Offering a balance of different foods at each meal will help to ensure your child is getting the nutrients they need from each of the food groups.

Protein is found in many foods, not just animal products, that means even children following vegetarian or vegan diets can usually meet their requirements daily.

Here is a sample day:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal (2g), 1/4 banana, 1/2 tbsp natural peanut butter (2g) and 1/2 cup cow’s milk (4.5g) Total protein = 8.5g

Snack: 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (10g) and 1/4 cup quartered grapes Total protein = 10g

Lunch: 1/2 slice of whole grain bread (3.5g) with avocado, 1 hardboiled egg (6g) and cucumber slices Total protein = 9.5g

Snack: 1/2 homemade muffin with tangerine slices

Dinner: 1 oz. salmon (8g), 1/4 cup rice (1.5g), 2 tbsp peas (2g), pear slices Total protein = 11.5 g

Total protein intake for the day: 39.5g

39.5g of protein is way more than a small child needs and even slightly more than an older child needs. As you can see, it is actually easier to meet protein requirements than most parents think. A small child, 1-3 years old, who requires 13g of protein in a day, may be having smaller portions than what is outlined above. However, even with smaller portions, they could still easily meet their protein requirements while including a variety of protein sources in meals and snacks throughout the day. In addition, because a smaller child does not require as much protein as listed in the example above, it would be appropriate to include a high protein food with only some meals and snacks in order to meet their requirements instead of having a source at each meal and snack.

What about protein powders?

I get a lot of questions about whether or not a protein powder should be added to a child’s diet in order to help meet their protein requirements each day. This is often a parents concern for picky eaters who may still be learning to enjoy a variety of high protein foods. As you can see from the sample day above, it is not too difficult to meet protein requirements in a day, therefore, in my opinion, there is usually no need to get additional protein from a powder, especially for healthy children. There may be some special situations where a protein powder may be indicated however for most, healthy children, it is best to meet protein needs through food alone. Protein powders often have long ingredient lists including added sugar. Protein powders would add an unnecessarily high amount of protein to a child’s diet and may put extra strain on a child’s kidneys. The kidneys job is to filter out waste products such as the amino acids that are broken down from protein sources. Too much protein means too many amino acids to be filtered through the kidney, this may not cause damage to the kidney but does make the kidney work harder.

Bottom line: Get protein from food! Offer a variety of protein sources each day, both animal and plant based sources are good choices. Adjust portion sizes to meet your child’s needs based their age / body weight.

Check out my recipes section for some great meal and snack ideas for your kiddos and if you have any questions about your child’s nutrition, let’s connect!