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Teen Vegetarian Advice: Parents Protein ConcernQuestion: What are the protein requirements for a 15 year old growing vegetarian boy?We have a 15 year old son who has been vegetarian (no chicken or fish or meat, some eggs, does not drink milk) for 1 year. What are the protein requirements, both total and nondairy (alternative) in grams/day. He has hit puberty and is still growing. - V. C. 
Savvy Vegetarian AdviceDear V. C., I appreciate your concern that your son is getting enough protein to support his teenage growth. I'm familiar with the challenge of getting teens to eat properly - somehow they manage to survive! According to the widely accepted RDA, he would need 50 - 60 grams of protein daily. However, most nutritionists agree that the average American diet provides at least twice the amount of protein that we need. Also, the RDA for all nutrients has a built in safety factor of 2 X. If your son is getting enough calories daily for his age, his size, and physical activity, and 15 - 20% of those calories are protein, then he should be okay. With vegetarian protein, it's impossible to separate protein from other food, and say this is protein, this is carbs, this is fat, etc. Nutrition is holistic. Most foods contain protein, and there are many possible good sources of protein in a vegetarian diet. Besides adequate calories, vegetarian diet should have a wide variety of grains, fresh vegetables and fruit, along with legumes - including tofu, nuts and seeds, and some dairy and/or egg for an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I've attached the SV report on Vegetarian Nutrition, and I also recommend a book on vegetarian nutrition - 'The New Becoming Vegetarian' by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis. Please also read the SV article onvegetarian protein All the best, Judy Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian More Advice About Vegetarian Diet and ProteinBody Builder, Protein, Soy & Gluten Intolerance Good Vegetarian Protein Foods for Athletic Lifestyle Meat Disgusting, Hates Tofu, Where To Get Protein? New Veg Needs Vegetarian Protein To Eat Instead of Meat Get Enough Protein, Lose Weight, Avoid Diabetes on Vegetarian Diet Veg Protein, Carbs for Active Vegetarian Lifestyle Send a note, recipe, link, resource, etc. to Savvy Vegetarian Savvy Veg Privacy Policy, Health Disclaimer, Publishing Policy |
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