{"id":22600,"date":"2024-02-26T09:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T14:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/?p=22600"},"modified":"2024-02-14T10:45:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T15:45:58","slug":"protein-for-vegan-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/2024\/02\/26\/protein-for-vegan-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Protein for Vegan Children"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vegan protein sources from freepik.com<\/p><\/div>\n

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD<\/p>\n

A couple of recent comprehensive summaries of research on vegetarian, including vegan, children have reported that protein intakes of vegetarian\/vegan children are lower, on average, than those of nonvegetarian children. This is not concerning since, generally speaking, the same reviews found that vegetarian\/vegan children have protein intakes that meet or exceed recommendations (1,2).<\/p>\n

How much protein do children need?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The table below shows the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for protein for children (3). Vegan children, as indicated in the table, may have slightly higher needs, since the digestibility and composition of plant proteins differ from animal proteins. Some dietitians have suggested that 2- to 6-year old vegan children get 20-30% more protein than the RDA and that older children (more than 6 years old) get 15-20% more protein (4). This adds up to a few grams more of protein per day \u2013 nothing difficult to achieve. The reference weight shown in the table is an average weight for a child of the specified age. It is multiplied by the protein recommendation (grams\/lb) to get the protein recommendation in grams per day. You can use the protein recommendation in grams per pound multiplied by a specific child\u2019s weight in pounds to calculate the recommendation for a child who weighs more or less than the reference weight.<\/p>\n

Protein Recommendations for Children<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Age (years)<\/strong><\/td>\nReference weight (lbs)<\/strong><\/td>\nProtein RDA (grams\/lb)<\/strong><\/td>\nProtein RDA (grams\/day)<\/strong><\/td>\nProtein Recommendation for Vegans (grams\/lb)<\/strong><\/td>\nProtein Recommendation for Vegans (grams\/day)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2-3<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n0.48<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n0.58-0.62<\/td>\n16-17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4-6<\/td>\n44<\/td>\n0.43<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n0.52-0.56<\/td>\n23-25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6-8<\/td>\n44<\/td>\n0.43<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n0.49-0.52<\/td>\n22-23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>What do vegan children need to eat to meet protein recommendations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

These rules of thumb can be helpful in determining which foods and how much of those foods a child needs to eat to meet protein recommendations:<\/p>\n