Bad Eating Habits - Protein Sources to Help

Bad Eating Habits - Protein Sources to Help

I have a 12 yr old who will not eat any meat.

He will only eat chicken nuggets. I really worry about the amount of protein he is taking in which is virtually none. He plays basketball and has since he was five. It is getting really competitive at this age and I really want him to be able to put on muscle but I know without protein this will be hard.

He is a big guy 5'4' 120 lbs I know he will naturally grow but I was thinking of supplementing his diet (which consists of pizza, cereal, chicken nuggets, and fruit) with the whey protein. He has no medical problems and is a healthy kid other than poor eating habits.

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Bad Eating Habits - Protein Sources to Help

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Pick some better food choices
by: Anonymous

"Healthy kid" and "poor eating habits" don't really go together :)

He might not be showing signs of being unhealthy now, but a diet consisting of unhealthy foods can be setting him up for health problems in the future.

It sounds as if your child is active and involved in sports which is great. This might be why he doesn't "look" unhealthy because he's still young and active, but adding some more healthy food choices will improve his health on the inside, which is the most important.

Considering his age, taking health supplements like whey protein, or amino acid supplements (protein pills) should probably be discussed with your doctor. I personally don't recommend these types of products to people under the age of 18.

Chicken is an excellent source of protein, so perhaps try and create healthier chicken meals and recipes.

Fruit is good and that's great to see it in his diet. Get more vegetables in there. Aim for 5 servings of fruit and 5 servings of veggies everyday. There are many chicken and veggies dishes and combinations you can try.

Milk and eggs are also good sources of protein. Try and have him eat one egg everyday. Eggs have a high rate of absorption and are great sources of protein.

You can search a lot of different recipes on the Internet and find ways to help get kids to eat healthier.

I don't think supplements are necessary in this situation.

Get more veggies in his diet, and if he only likes chicken, find more enjoyable recipes.

Also, avoid all these foods:

Fast food
Junk food: candy, chips, cakes, cookies
Soda pop: This is a big one, replace Coke with water or sugar free juice

If it comes in a wrapper, you should probably not eat it on a daily basis.

Try your best to get natural sources of food into your son's diet, and avoid high fatty, and high sugar foods.

More good protein sources
by: Admin

Two other non meat protein sources that come to mind are Quinoa and Hemp protein.

These are both super-foods and provide an excellent source of protein.

Quinoa specifically provides great nutrients for children and the protein is digested very easily. It also has other important vitamins and minerals.

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