How Much Protein Should a Teenager Eat to Gain Muscle: the Newest Guidance

How Much Protein Should a Teenager Eat to Gain Muscle: the Newest Guidance

Protein should be a part of every meal because it is essential to life. Depending on your height, weight, gender, and level of activity, your teenager will need different amounts of protein. In general, adolescent boys require 52 grams of protein daily, while adolescent girls require 46 grams. The requirements will change depending on the teenager’s age, level of activity, and other factors.

Big muscles do not result from protein consumption. Instead, building muscle is a complicated process that depends on consuming enough protein and calories, as well as the hormones your body naturally produces, such as testosterone and human growth hormone, and getting enough exercise.

Before your teen increases protein in an effort to develop a new physique, consider the following information and advice.

Can Protein Help Build Muscle for Teenagers?

It is not true that eating more protein makes muscles bigger. They exercise to gain weight, primarily by lifting weights and engaging in other forms of strength training.

The body repairs and builds that muscle with the help of food-based protein.

Make sure your teen is aware that eating more protein than they require will not result in the accumulation of extra muscle. Extra protein does not equate to more muscle! Protein that is not needed for immediate needs is either stored as fat or used as an energy source.

Teenagers should be mindful of the following three factors if they want to gain muscle through protein consumption.

Protein is Important

Protein is a nutrient that aids in the development of new tissue and muscle. It serves as a crucial foundation for teenagers’ growth in strength and peak performance.

Teenagers may require more protein than less active youth, but the majority get enough through a healthy diet. It’s a myth that athletes need to consume a lot of protein on a daily basis in order to develop big, powerful muscles.

“Teenagers benefit most from simple, healthy eating that provides the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat to support normal growth and maximize energy for their sport,” Watt says. “I typically suggest that about 20% of their total calorie intake should come from protein.”

Although every person has different needs, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is a good benchmark for how much of a given nutrient a healthy person should consume each day. For teenage boys and girls, the recommended daily allowance for protein is 52 grams per day.

How Much Protein Should a Teenager Eat to Gain Muscle: the Newest Guidance

The Best Source of Protein is Real Foods

Protein should always come from real food sources. Lean meats like chicken or beef, fish, eggs, dairy products like milk, yogurt, soy milk, cheese, and cottage cheese, as well as beans, lentils, nuts, and nut butter, are all good sources of high-quality protein. Additionally, a good source of protein is spinach.

You can add a protein shake as a supplement if teenagers aren’t getting enough protein from whole foods. However, not all protein powders are made equally. Verify that the first ingredient listed on the nutrition label is whey or a plant-based protein source. Avoid unnecessary additives and fillers. Ideally, any shake has less than 2 grams of sugar per serving.

Eat Protein at Every Meal

“Make some oatmeal with milk and some nuts for breakfast to get some protein, or blend up some yogurt and milk for a smoothie. Then have a salad and add cheese and chicken to it for lunch,” Watt says. “At dinner, eat some lean meat.”

Teenagers should consume five to six well-balanced meals and snacks daily. Each meal should contain a complex carbohydrate (brown rice, whole-wheat pasta), a lean protein (boneless, skinless chicken breast), a healthy fat (avocado), as well as fruits and vegetables.

Watt says a good rule of thumb is to consume 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight for teenagers, which aids in the recovery and rebuilding of muscle after activity.

How Much Protein Should a Teenager Eat to Gain Muscle?

Each meal should contain protein because it is necessary for life. Your protein requirements are based on your height, weight, gender, level of activity, and whether you are a boy or a girl. In general, teenage boys need about 52 grams of protein per day, while teenage girls need about 46 grams per day. Your needs will differ if you are young or old for your age, or if you are very active.

Your muscles, bones, and the rest of your body all require protein. Exactly how much you need changes with age:

  • A baby requires about 10 grams per day.
  • Children of school-age need 19–34 grams per day.
  • The daily requirement for teen boys is 52 grams.
  • Teenage girls require 46 grams per day.
  • 56 grams daily are required by adult men.
  • Adult women need about 46 grams a day (71 grams, if pregnant or breastfeeding)

The Institute of Medicine recommends that teenagers consume protein in amounts of no more than 35% of daily calories.

How Much Protein Should a Teenager Eat to Gain Muscle: the Newest Guidance

Protein-rich Snack Ideas

Teenagers can stay full and active all day long with the help of protein. Additionally, it prevents the body of a teen from degrading muscles in order to utilize the nutrients required for proper functioning. Here are some healthy snack ideas for before or after practice, or after school:

Mixture of nuts and seeds high in protein. You can use any nut you like, including peanuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, and sunflower seeds. Then add dried cranberries or raisins, your favorite fiber-rich cereal or pretzels.

(Chickpea and garlic) Hummus dip. It can be made at home using a food processor or bought from a store. Consume warm pita chips, pepper, celery, or carrot sticks, or use them as a spread on sandwiches.

Banana sushi. Peanut butter, sun butter, hazelnut spread (Nutella), or any other nut spread should be spread on one whole-wheat tortilla. Add cinnamon, chopped pecans, or dried cranberries. Wrap a tortilla with a cover around a banana. To serve, slice into rounds.

Conclusion

There is a protein in almost all foods. Others possess more than they do. You can get enough protein in your diet whether or not you eat meat. You might want to think about the additional nutrients that foods high in protein can provide in addition to protein.

Consider including protein in every meal if your adolescent is trying to lose weight. It’ll make you feel more satisfied. The development of your teen’s muscles benefits from including protein in all of their meals; this is crucial as they get older and start to lose muscle mass.

FAQs

Should You Eat More Protein as You Age?

As you age, your body requires roughly 50% more protein than a younger adult to better preserve muscle mass and strength to maintain a certain quality of life. Increasing the body’s immune system and speeding up the healing process after an illness are other benefits of getting enough protein.

Is 100 G of Protein Too Much?

Overall, everyone has different dietary requirements, but for the average person, 100 grams of protein daily is ideal. Remember that if you are active, your diet may require more protein.

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