Protein
Vital to Growing Children
Protein is a vital building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood; basically every cell in the body. The body also uses protein to make enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals as well as the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood and in the building and repairing of the body’s tissues.
The basic building blocks for all proteins are called amino acids. The body does not store amino acids as it does fats or carbohydrates so it needs a daily supply to make new proteins. Of the 20 amino acids used by humans, only 9 are essential, meaning the body cannot make them; they must come from a dietary source.
Most dietary sources of protein like meats, eggs, grains, legumes, and dairy products have a complete balance of all 9 essential amino acids; however mixing up the types of proteins in your child’s diet will guarantee that he or she is getting the building blocks needed for healthy development.
Determining Your Child's Protein Needs
Follow this basic rule of thumb to determine how much protein your child needs each day: Your child’s weight/2 = # of grams of protein.
So if your child is 70lbs, he would need about 35 grams of protein each day. As your child grows he will need more protein until he reaches his adult size, then the number of grams levels off to about 60 grams per day.
In “developed” nations the chance of protein deficiency is very rare. There is protein in almost everthing we eat:
- cereal
- pasta
- rice
- yogurt
- beans
- meats
- fish
- cheese
- milk
- bread