The truth about high protein diets and tweens
Tweens and teens are often tempted to follow a high protein diet, but extra protein can be dangerous to your child’s health.
Growing kids need protein to help them build and repair cells, enzymes, and hormones, and, as a last resort, to provide energy. However, too much protein can be bad for your tween’s health.
If your child has an iron deficiency, your health care provider may very well recommend a diet high in protein to boost your child’s iron levels. However, a high protein diet is only recommended if your child really needs one. The good news is that most children already get two to three times the protein they need daily just from eating a balanced diet. Therefore, it’s uncommon for a child to need extra.
How much daily protein does my child need?
So how much protein is enough? Ten to 30% of your tween’s calorie intake should come from protein. For younger children, it breaks down by age:
- Children ages 4 to 9 need 19 grams of protein each day
- Children ages 9 and 13 need 34 grams of protein each day
- Adolescents ages 14 to 18 need 46 to 52 grams of protein each day
Overall, children should get enough protein every day for basic needs and athletics if they eat two servings of lean protein, such as lean beef, pork, poultry, fish.
The dangers of high protein diets
Your child’s body needs glucose to function and provide enough energy for normal metabolic processes. On a high protein diet, your child will be restricting their carbohydrate and starch intake. The body cannot change protein into glucose, so it goes into the fat stores and muscle stores and starts to break them down. Too much protein in your tween’s diet can cause long-term health problems, including:
- Weight gain: Excess protein means excess calories. If a child can’t burn the calories off, the body stores them as fats.
- Organ damage: High protein levels can make the kidneys work harder to filter out waste products.
When should I supplement my tween’s diet with extra protein?
Your tween may need extra protein if they are:
- Underweight
- A picky eater
- Following a vegan/vegetarian diet
- Have a metabolic condition
