Protein and Gut Health: How Are They Connected?

Protein helps in building muscles, strong bones, supporting weight and height gain, and overall development in your child.^1,2 Just eating protein is not enough; proper digestion and absorption of protein are required for the body to use it efficiently. For this, your child’s digestive or gut health is important and needs to function properly.

Table of Contents

• Understanding Protein and Its Role in Child Growth
• The Gut-Protein Connection: How Digestion Affects Absorption
• Signs of Poor Gut Health Affecting Protein Absorption in Kids
• How to Support Your Child’s Gut Health for Better Protein Absorption
• Best Protein Rich Foods That Also Support Gut Health
• Conclusion

Understanding Protein and Its Role in Child Growth

Protein is the nutrient that helps in muscle growth, bone, and overall development of the body. It is crucial for your child during the growth phase as it is also involved in the synthesis of hormones, blood cells, and the body’s fighter cells (immune cells, antibodies) keeping sickness away.^1,2 Poor protein intake can higher the chances of undernutrition, associated conditions and poor height growth that can be irreversible at a later stage.

The Gut-Protein Connection: How Digestion Affects Absorption

Are you aware of the Gut-Protein Connection? Your child’s gut health influences protein uptake by the body. Poor gut health, often due to impaired gut microbiota, can affect the digestive system. This means, if your child has poor gut health, there will be a difficulty in protein absorption. Wondering how to identify if your child has poor gut health? Here is how.

Signs of Poor Gut Health Affecting Protein Absorption in Kids

Here are some signs of poor gut health that you must watch out for in your child. These can affect protein absorption and lead to poor growth and development.

• Frequent or recurrent digestive issues like stomach ache, irregular bowel movements, bloating, bad breath, etc.
• Falling ill too frequently, weak immunity
• Skin issues like eczema, rashes etc.
• Low energy levels, unexplained weight loss or poor age appropriate weight and height gain
• Persistent low mood, poor mental clarity or behavioural changes^3,4,5,6

So, what can you do –

How to Support Your Child’s Gut Health for Better Protein Absorption:

• Include probiotic-rich foods to augment gut health-

Probiotics are live microorganisms when administered in adequate amounts, has various health benefits in our body. E.g. lactobacillus, bifidobacteria etc. They modulate the gut microbiota and immune system, and aid in child’s growth by reducing the growth of harmful microorganisms and associated infections, lowering incidence of diarrhoea, supporting energy and micronutrient absorption, preventing undernutrition in children, and supporting gut health. ⁷

Sources include:

Yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled vegetables, kombucha, tempeh etc.

• Include prebiotic-rich foods to augment gut health-

Prebiotics are foods for these probiotic micro-organisms, supporting the production of beneficial compounds such as short-chain fatty acids that benefit gut health and nutrient absorption.⁹

Sources include:

Garlic, chicory, onion, Jerusalem artichoke, banana, barley, tomato, rye, soybean, peas, beans etc.⁸

• Reduce intake of processed foods, adequate intake of fiber rich foods and foods high in antioxidants-

These include green leafy vegetables, carrot, red, yellow, and green bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, whole grains, nuts and seeds, whole fruits, berries, etc. ⁹

You can support gut health in your child by including these foods in their daily routine.

Best Protein Rich Foods That Also Support Gut Health

1. Curd/Yogurt:

Curd and yogurt are protein rich foods beneficial for gut health. They contain good bacteria (probiotics) and support the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. You can give yogurt with fruits, curd rice (dahi chawal), buttermilk with meals, etc., to build gut health and to contribute to protein intake.^9,10

2. Legumes:

Legumes are plant based protein foods that have high fiber content and support gut health. The fiber in these legumes is not well digested and reaches the large intestine, undergoes fermentation, leading to the production of beneficial substances that augment nutrient and energy absorption, supporting gut health. ^12,11 These can be given as curries with cereals such as rajma chawal, chole pulao, chole/chana with roti or as a healthy snack like chana chaat, ragda, sprouts chaat in the evening.

3. Tempeh:

Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and is hence, a protein rich food. It exhibits a prebiotic effect, aiding in production of beneficial substances that support gut health¹². Tempeh can be added to paratha, thepla, roti wraps, pulao etc.

4. Chia Seeds:

Chia seeds are both protein and fiber rich. Its beneficial role in gut health is associated with presence of fiber that maintains the balance of good and bad microorganisms supporting gut health¹³. Chia seeds can be added to breakfast porridges, smoothies, or had as it is soaked in water in between meals.

Conclusion:

Protein and gut health are interconnected as poor gut health can impair protein digestion and absorption leading to poor growth and development. So as much as we focus on protein intake, emphasis on maintaining gut health is also important for adequate absorption by the body. Including probiotic and prebiotic rich foods, adequate fiber intake from fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts and seeds and reducing intake of processed foods supports gut health in children. Certain foods are both protein rich and gut friendly such as yogurt, chia seeds, tempeh and legumes.

Sometimes you may be unable to meet all nutritional needs for your child due to poor appetite, food likes and dislikes, allergies etc. Here is where, nutritional drinks like Complan come in as a useful support to a balanced diet. Complan not only has 63% higher protein than the other leading malt-based nutritional drink, but it also has a total of 34 vital nutrients essential for your child’s growth. Addition of Complan to your child’s balanced diet will help meet the required nutritional needs.

Source:

¹ Uauy, R., Kurpad, A., Tano-Debrah, K., Otoo, G. E., Aaron, G. A., Toride, Y., & Ghosh, S. (2015). Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Infant and Young Child Nutrition: Protein and Amino Acid Needs and Relationship with Child Growth. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology, 61 Suppl, S192–S194. https://doi.org/10.3177/jnsv.61.S192

² Mısırlıoğlu, M., Yıldızdaş, D., Ekinci, F., Horoz, Ö. Ö., Özkale, Y., Özkale, M., Yöntem, A., Arslan, İ., & Tümgör, G. (2023). The Effects of Protein Intake on Clinical Outcome in Pediatric Intensive Care Units. Turkish archives of pediatrics, 58(1), 68–74. https://doi.org/10.5152/TurkArchPediatr.2022.22108

³ Saeed, N. K., Al-Beltagi, M., Bediwy, A. S., El-Sawaf, Y., & Toema, O. (2022). Gut microbiota in various childhood disorders: Implication and indications. World journal of gastroenterology, 28(18), 1875–1901. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v28.i18.1875.

⁴ Caminero, A., Meisel, M., Jabri, B., & Verdu, E. F. (2019). Mechanisms by which gut microorganisms influence food sensitivities. Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 16(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-018-0064-z

⁵ Wu, H. J., & Wu, E. (2012). The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. Gut microbes, 3(1), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.4161/gmic.19320

⁶ Appleton J. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 17(4), 28–32.

⁷ Heuven, L. A., Pyle, S., Greyling, A., Melse-Boonstra, A., & Eilander, A. (2021). Gut Microbiota-Targeted Nutritional Interventions Improving Child Growth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review. Current developments in nutrition, 5(11), nzab124. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab124

⁸ Davani-Davari, D., Negahdaripour, M., Karimzadeh, I., Seifan, M., Mohkam, M., Masoumi, S. J., Berenjian, A., & Ghasemi, Y. (2019). Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 8(3), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8030092

⁹ Di Profio, E., Magenes, V. C., Fiore, G., Agostinelli, M., La Mendola, A., Acunzo, M., Francavilla, R., Indrio, F., Bosetti, A., D’Auria, E., Borghi, E., Zuccotti, G., & Verduci, E. (2022). Special Diets in Infants and Children and Impact on Gut Microbioma. Nutrients, 14(15), 3198. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14153198

¹⁰ T. Longvah, R. Ananthan, K. Bhaskarachary and K. Venkaiah, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Accessed on 3^rd April 2025.

¹¹ Kadyan, S., Sharma, A., Arjmandi, B. H., Singh, P., & Nagpal, R. (2022). Prebiotic Potential of Dietary Beans and Pulses and Their Resistant Starch for Aging-Associated Gut and Metabolic Health. Nutrients, 14(9), 1726. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091726

¹² Rizzo G. (2024). Soy-Based Tempeh as a Functional Food: Evidence for Human Health and Future Perspective. Frontiers in bioscience (Elite edition), 16(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbe1601003

¹³ Motyka, S., Skała, E., Ekiert, H., & Szopa, A. (2023). Health-promoting approaches of the use of chia seeds. Journal of Functional Foods, 103, 105480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2023.105480