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Expert Q&A
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| By Harriet S. Worobey, M.A. Early Childhood Educator Director, the Nutritional Sciences Preschool | ||
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Is it OK for preschool-age children to drink high protein drinks for breakfast?
While it is true that the need for protein in earlyinfancy is relatively high due to rapid growth of muscles and the skeleton,the percentage that is necessary for growth drops markedly by the endof the first year. The recommended amount of protein for the 4- to6-year-old is about 1.1 grams/kilogram of body weight. For a 22 kilogram (45 pound) child then, 22 grams of protein would be recommended. This amountis easily met by the child drinking just two cups of milk (16 ounceswill provide 16 grams of protein) and one ounce ofmeat (7 grams of protein) per day.
Besides providing substantial protein, milk will alsohelp to meet your child's calcium, riboflavin and other dietary needs. Anyadditional vegetable or grain products will bring yourchild's protein total even higher. Consuming excessiveamounts of protein via supplements can cause proteinedema or liver hypertrophy because of the body's needto deaminase the protein to excrete nitrogen. Preschoolers in the United States, as is true for mostNorth Americans, do not suffer from protein deficiency, and the use ofprotein supplements is of questionable value forathletes, let alone healthy children and adults."
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