Easy source of Protein for kids

Adding high-quality source of protein for kids can be challenging especially when the child does not eat meat. Kids aside, adults also face deficiency of protein in their daily diets. According to the Protein Consumption in the Diet of Adult Indians Survey, 9 out of 10 Indians consumed less than adequate proteins daily. 91% of the vegetarians and 85% of the non-vegetarians were protein-deficient.

Protein is considered the body’s building block and repair agent. It’s also integral in forming enzymes and hormones in the body. From digestion to immunity, from hair to nails, everything requires protein. The suggested intake of protein is decided at 0.8 gm per kg of body weight. For athletes or kids in active sports, few studies state that it is best to eat protein within 30 minutes of exercise. This is the period when most muscle formation or muscle repair happens, and timely protein consumption enables that.

Signs of Protein Deficiency

One of the most common signs of not getting enough high-quality protein food for kids is swelling in any body part. This usually happens in legs, feet, hands or abdomen. Proteins circulate in blood and keep fluid from building up in tissues. In the absence of enough protein, fluid begins to collect thereby resulting in swelling. More generally, kids who are protein deficient develop weaker bones and muscles, damaged skin, hair nails, lower immunity and also compromised or delayed physical growth.

The suggested intake of protein is decided at 0.8 gm per kg of body weight. It can be helpful to include a high-quality protein food for kids in most meals and snacks to help children achieve the daily recommended intake of protein. It is even better to give protein in kids preferred food formats like chocolate covered nuts (recipe), lentil wraps (recipe), pizza (recipe), chocolate spreads (check here) and others.

protein in food WHICH IS VEGETARIAN:

Nuts & Seeds:
Consuming protein though nuts can be the easiest form of consumption. Peanuts, Almond and Pista (what are their benefits?) are higher in protein than other nuts. 20g of these nuts or 1 tablespoon of nut butter spread can be enough for 7g of protein.
Pumpkin seed is the highest source of protein with 7g protein in just a spoon of seed powder.
Mixing this in the batter or dough is an easy way to feed nutrition to kids in their favourite formats. (How to feed DAILY NUTRITION of 6g protein easily)

Lentils & Beans:
All types of dried beans, lentils, split beans are great sources of protein. They can be cooked to consume directly, or sprouted (why sprout?) or made into a batter for wraps (recipe for lentil wrap or lentil soup ). These can also be boiled and added to the dough (along with the water).
It is necessary to soak these before cooking. Soaking (why soak?)breaks down the phytic acid which makes it easy for the body to absorb all the nutrients and also digest the food better.
A cup of cooked lentil can give roughly 18g of protein which is around 50-60% of the child’s daily requirement. This is a great source of protein in food which is vegetarian.

Dairy: Dairy and its products are a great source of protein and hence a good option to be added in the list of natural, high-quality protein food for kids. It can be consumed directly, or mixed with nut powder or, flavoured with fruits. Some dairy products like cheese (which cheese is better?) can be consumed raw or with pizza and wraps. Together the meal will be rich in protein. In addition to protein, milk and milk products provide other essential vitamins and minerals for child growth, including calcium and vitamin D. Milk helps to balance the nutrition in your kids’ meals. When you pair your kids’ meals with an 8-ounce glass of milk, you can help them reach their daily recommended value for protein, calcium and vitamin D.

NON-DAIRY PROTEIN IN FOOD ITEMS

For those who are off dairy, soy or nut is a good source of protein milk. Tofu is a great alternative for added protein (tofu wrap recipe). It is although less preferable to consume nuts or soy or oats in protein milk form after filtering out all the fibre.

If your child is not a fussy eater then other sources of high quality protein can be spinach, cauliflower, broccoli etc which can be grated or pureed and added to whole-wheat or multi-grain dough to make bread/ roti/ pizza or batter for wraps/ pancake/ cheela/ dosa (Check all protein recip es).

Recipe for Cauliflower Pizza

Let’s make every dish tasty and nutritious by ‘hidden’ nutrition of veggies, herbs and nuts.

Check the Recipe made with Iyurved’s secret health ingredient- DAILY NUTRITION spread.

Check more healthy recipes loved by kids.

PRODUCTS

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