How much Protein should my child be eating? (Hint: it could be more than you think!)

I wanted to talk to you about protein. I'm sure you know that protein is really important for our health - the amino acids contained in protein are pretty much like the building blocks of our body. And most kids who come see me in clinic just aren't enough protein to meet their needs.

Children & teen's need protein to:

+ support growth

+ support a robust immune system

+ build healthy hormones

+ support muscle growth & repair

How much protein do our kids need? 

Each child's needs will vary according to their age, their stage of growth & their daily activity level, but children and teen's actually need more protein per kilo of body weight than adults! The Australian Govt Guidelines suggest the following:

- Children aged 4-8 0.91g/kg body weight

- Girls aged 9-13 0.87g/kg body weight 

- Boys aged 9-13 0.94g/kg of body weight 

- Girls 14-18 0.77g/kg of body weight 

- Boys 14-18 0.99g/kg of body weight 

However, the latest science suggests that these are fairly conservative intake requirements - they are enough to avoid a protein deficiency but aren't based on optimal health measures. Your active teen may require closer to 1.3-1.8g per kg of body weight/day!

How to meet your child's protein requirements?

+ Include protein with breakfast 

+ Spread out protein foods throughout the day 

+ Serve some protein with most meals and snacks 

+ Cut back on empty-calorie foods like processed carbohydrates, junk food, packet snacks etc, that can displace the protein foods in the diet

Here's an example of a Day on a Plate for an active 14YO Male:

An active 14 year old male who weighs 65kg will need around 65g of protein per day AS A MINIMUM, & 97.5g calculated at 1.5g/kg of body weight 

B: 2 eggs on wholemeal sourdough (14g protein) 

S: 1 apple & 1 Carmens muesli bar (4g protein) 

L: leftover rice & amaranth pasta with beef & lentil bolognese (25g protein) 

S: smoothie with 1 banana, 100g kefir, 1 tablespoon peanut butter & 1 teaspoon hemp seeds, dairy or soy milk & 1 mandarin (16g protein) 

D: 1 chicken breast schnitzel with roast potatoes, green peas & broccoli (30g protein), followed by yoghurt with frozen blueberries & hemp seeds for dessert (10g protein) 

Total daily protein = 99g

PS Have you tried my high protein green pikelet recipe? Grab it here>>