Protein for Kids: 6 Foods to Fortify Your Child’s Diet

by Amy · November 13, 2019

Protein is a very important part of a child’s diet. However, one in seven school-aged children doesn’t get enough protein on a daily basis.

If your child isn’t getting enough protein, it can lead to serious health issues down the road.

Protein provides the body with essential amino acids that contribute to your child’s mental and physical health. If your child isn’t getting enough protein, they may experience slowed growth, fatigue, poor concentration, a weakened immune system, and more.

So, how do you make sure your child is getting adequate amounts of protein?

Check out this protein for kids’ guide to learn about the top protein-rich foods to fortify your child’s diet.

1. Eggs are Eggs-cellent

Eggs are a great source of protein that can easily be added to your child’s diet.

Just one egg has 6 grams of protein.

And, you can do a lot more to eggs than just scramble them or fry them. Here are some different ways to get creative with eggs:

Make Healthy Pancakes: Mash up one banana and whisk in two eggs, and you have yourself a super healthy pancake batter
Egg Salad Sandwich: Mix in hard-boiled eggs with some light mayo and mustard and put it on a piece of whole-grain bread for a delicious egg salad sandwich
Toad in a Hole: Crack an egg into a piece of bread and heat it on the skillet for 5 minutes
Green Eggs and Ham: Take a note from Dr. Seuss and make your very own green eggs and ham! All you need is some green food dye and you’re good to go

You can also add eggs as a side dish, mix them in with rice or other grains, or keep hard-boiled eggs around the home as a healthy, protein-rich snack.

2. Spread It On

If your kids are a fan of peanut butter, then you’re in luck, as peanut butter is another great source of protein.

2 tablespoons of peanut butter offer 8 grams of protein. However, be careful about how much you use, as peanut butter is also high in calories. And, make sure you opt for the all-natural peanut butter over the sugary-stuff.

The great thing about peanut butter is that it makes the perfect substitute for other sugary toppings. Instead of spreading jam on your child’s toast, give them a dollop of peanut butter. The same goes for waffles and pancakes- instead of sugary syrup, opt for peanut butter and a small amount of organic honey.

You can also create the classic “ants on a log’ snack. Just spread peanut butter on celery sticks and sprinkle a few raisins on top.

3. Shape it Up

Kids love fun, colorful shapes and patterns.

With some meat and cheese cubes, you can pack on the protein in a fun way. For example, you can alternate cheese cubes with watermelon cut into the shape of a heart on kebab sticks.

Or, instead of making a traditional cheeseburger, you can make cheeseburger kebabs, with a piece of cheese, a piece of meat, a small piece of bread, and then any vegetable toppings of your choosing.

We also suggest investing in some cookie cutters to turn meat or tuna sandwiches into fun shapes so your kids are more excited about eating them.

Also, if your kids are a fan of beef, be sure to check out this great beef recipe that you can use for creating fun cheeseburgers.

4. Get Cultured

Greek yogurt is another great source of protein for children, and there are a lot of fun things you can do with it.

In fact, just one cup of Greek yogurt contains a whopping twenty grams of protein.

To make eating yogurt fun for your kids, we suggest making yogurt parfaits. These are great for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish.

To make a yogurt parfait, all you need to do is grab a Mason jar and layer Greek yogurt with some freshly chopped fruit and your child’s favorite crunchy cereal (we recommend something healthy, like Grape Nuts).

Also, try to avoid granolas, as these tend to be extremely high in sugar and calories.

Or, you can also make savory yogurt parfaits where the Greek yogurt acts as a substitute for sour cream.

For example, you could make a baked potato parfait that has baby roasted potatoes at the bottom, followed by a sprinkle of cheese and some cut up broccoli, and then topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Or, you could make a taco parfait that starts with ground beef, then veggies, then cheese, then a dollop of Greek yogurt.

5. Know Your Child’s Protein Requirements

While protein is an important part of your child’s diet, you also want to make sure that you’re not overdoing it.

Here’s how much protein children need at each age group (approximately):

1 to 3-year-olds: 13 grams of protein per day
4 to 9-year-olds: 19 grams of protein per day
9 to 13-year-olds: 34 grams of protein per day

To help put this into perspective, 3 ounces of canned tuna has about 16 grams of protein, a cup of milk has about 8 grams of protein, and one slice of American cheese has about 5 grams of protein.

6. Make Protein-Rich Snacks Easily Accessible

When your kids are hungry for a snack, it’s important that you have some protein-filled options available. This will prevent you from feeding your kids chips and cookies, which are really just empty calories.

Here are some protein-rich snacks you should have on hand: