Rachel Lippmann-Turner, MS, RD
It is meal-time and you do your best to provide your child with healthy foods from all food groups. Your little one signals that he is done eating, and is ready to move on to the next activity. You notice that all the food is gobbled up except the chicken. Your mind wanders back to previous meals, thinking you notice a pattern. You ask yourself, “Is he getting enough protein?”
Protein provides the building blocks for growth and development. It is responsible for making enzymes and hormones which regulate many of the body’s functions. Animal sources include meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy (milk, cheese, and yogurt). Non-animal or plant-based sources include soy and soy products, nuts and seeds, legumes (chick peas, lentils and beans) and grains like quinoa and oats. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommend the following protein intake:
1-3 years old: 13 grams of protein per day
4-8 years old: 13-19 grams of protein per day
9-13 years old: 19-34 grams of protein per day
14-18 years old (female): up to 46 grams of protein per day
14-18 years old (male): up to 52 grams of protein per day
Keep in mind that there are about 7 grams of protein in once ounce of meat. An easy way to estimate this is to visualize the size of a deck of cards. This size is equivalent to about 3 ounces of meat. An egg contains about 1 ounce of protein. You can also read food labels for the protein amount. Be sure to look at the serving size to ensure adequate calculation. Visit https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ for more information on serving sizes of protein and all the food groups. This may help to put your mind at ease, knowing that you are meeting your child’s daily nutritional needs for protein.
For more information on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines click on the link below:
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-2/
Rachel is a Registered Dietitian and the Nutrition Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program’s Parent Toddler Nutrition Program. She can be reached at ral326@cornell.edu
In my years as a pediatric dietitian, I have seen many concerned parents who were worried that their babies and picky toddlers weren’t getting enough protein. In the past few months, however, I started receiving more questions about the long term consequences of too much protein in the diets of healthy babies and toddlers.
While we still don’t have lots of good research regarding the excess protein issue, a few studies came to a similar conclusion: There seems to be a link between high dietary protein in the first 24 months of life and a higher risk of being overweight or obese later in life.
Enough might be Okay but i still believe everything should be measured
You make a good point. Providing too much protein can lead to dehydration and kidney problems to name a few. Providing parents with guidelines on age appropriate portion size may help reinforce balanced eating, reduce overeating, and obesity.