Protein – The Building Blocks Of Your Child’s Body

Indian food is primarily carbohydrate-heavy and while carbohydrates and fats are necessary for a balanced diet and provide Calories, an adequate amount of protein is required for your child to grow strong and healthy. Proteins are the building blocks and support muscle and tissue growth. Providing adequate calories from Carbohydrates and fats helps in sparing protein for growing body tissues.
Protein also helps in building a strong immune system, maintaining fluid balance, etc. It is important to make sure that your child gets an adequate amount of protein during this phase of growth and development.

Is it true that adults need more protein than children?

The short answer is no.
The long answer is that children and teenagers, especially, need more protein than adults because their bodies are still growing. While if one looks as absolute amount – then it would seem that adults need more amount of protein than children, however, the key is to remember that protein needs are proportional and are best determined based on per kg of body weight.

If you compare the amount of protein needed per kg of body weight, children need a greater amount of protein relative to their body weight simply because their bodies require protein for muscle and tissue growth.
An adult’s nutritional requirements are mainly influenced by their gender and physical activity level.  A healthy, sedentary adult would need around 0.8 to 1 g / kg body weight

So how much protein should your child be getting every day?

So if your 8 year old child is 30 kg then the daily protein requirement for your kid is 30 x 1.18g =35.4g

Given that protein is essential for growth, ensuring that your child eats a balanced diet can be relatively simple because some of the most popular child-friendly foods are rich in protein like cheese and peanut butter. Here is a comprehensive list of foods rich in protein, that you can incorporate in your child’s diet:

• Legumes and Dals: Black beans, kidney beans, lentils, and chickpeas are highly rich in proteins and fibre. Baked beans on toast and chickpea patties are some of the easy ways to get your child to eat their protein.
• Nuts: Pack a box of nuts for your child as a snack because children love the crunchy texture that nuts provide.
• Eggs: Eggs are a greatly enjoyed food item. Scramble, boil, or fry and serve!
• Dairy: Dairy products are rich in calcium and are a versatile class of foods that can be incorporated into your child’s daily diet.
• Peanut Butter: The peanut butter spread when teamed with toast and jam is a delicious snack loved by children, and works well as a high protein breakfast.

Like carbohydrates and fats, proteins are an essential component required for your child’s growth. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Along with fat and carbohydrates, protein is a “macronutrient,” meaning that the body needs relatively large amounts of it. Vitamins and minerals, which are needed in only small quantities, are called “micronutrients.” But, unlike fats and carbohydrates, your child’s body does not store protein, meaning it must be adequately provided in their diet and the appropriate amounts. Inadequate protein intake can lead to alterations in growth and can lead to delayed height gain or stunting.

Click here to buy Complan nutritional drink for your kids

Complan is a Dairy Based Beverage Mix (1.1.2), Proprietary Food.
The information provided in this article is based on the writers personal experience and view.  Any recommendations made about physical activity, nutrition source and benefits on this website should be consulted with your paediatric/ health professional. The information you receive in our blogs and other communication do not take the place of professional medical advice
Complan to be taken as part of daily balanced diet.
Contains- Milk Solids and peanut Oils, May contain Traces of Nuts, Wheat and Soya. For ingredients and allergen details refer product pack.
Complan is scientifically developed to have best quality of protein which is completely sourced from milk and thus is also referred to as 100% first class protein. Complan protein contains all the 9 essential Amino acids and has high digestibility. Compared to protein in health drinks made up of Malt and Wheat protein, milk protein in Complan is a superior quality protein with 3 TIMES BETTER DIASS score (Add a link to the 100% First class protein in the science section). Thus adding a cup of Complan can help you bridge the gap between the requirement and consumption of Protein in your kid. Any recommendations made about physical activity , nutrition or diet on this website should be consulted with your healthcare professional
Growth is influenced by genetics, nutrition, and other environmental factors. Please consult your healthcare professional further.
The information provided in this article is based on the writer’s personal experience and view. Any recommendations made about physical activity, nutrition source, and benefits on this website should be consulted with your paediatric/ health professional. The information you receive in our blogs, and other communication does not take the place of professional medical advice. Any recommendations made about physical activity, nutrition, or diet on this website should be consulted with your healthcare professional