Do children need protein supplements?

Parents all know that children's healthy development cannot be separated from protein. Every parent must know the importance of protein, but blindly pursuing high protein will bring a burden to the baby's body. Here, we will tell parents how much protein the baby needs and what issues should be paid attention to when adding protein?

Is it necessary to add protein powder?

With the emergence of "protein powder", most loving parents want to ask a question - does the baby need special protein supplement? Experts say: Everyone knows that protein intake is important, but blindly pursuing high protein will increase the burden on the baby's body. In fact, babies can get protein from their normal diet. A 5-month-old baby can eat more fish puree, meat puree and ensure sufficient formula milk.

Eating well = good nutrition?

The idea that "eating well" means "good nutrition" leads many parents to blindly supplement their babies, causing them to eat excessive amounts of food at a young age in order to obtain high amounts of protein. Logically, babies should be very healthy and lively, but in fact, the physical condition of many babies is not satisfactory. Why is this?

The traditional impression of "eating well" means eating more fish, meat, eggs, milk, river and seafood, etc., because these foods are rich in protein, which can help the baby's muscles, bones and skin develop well. So, why is it that even though babies eat so many highly nutritious foods, they are not necessarily healthy and lively? The main reason lies in the problem of balanced matching.

Child health experts remind parents: You should recognize the misunderstanding that "good eating means good nutrition". In addition to letting your baby eat fish, meat, milk and eggs, rice, whole grains, vegetables and fruits are also very important for your baby's health, because these foods contain a lot of carbohydrates, fiber and so on.

Take carbohydrates for example, they are the body's fuel, provide power for the brain and play an important role in disease prevention. Nutrition experts also believe that 50%-60% of a baby's daily calorie intake should come from carbohydrates.

As for fiber, it is also essential to the human body. Although it does not provide heat energy, it is beneficial for bowel movements and can help babies develop good bowel habits. Therefore, to ensure that your baby has good nutrition, it is not enough to just eat foods high in protein, but it is necessary to have a balanced diet, not be picky about food, and combine meat and vegetables for three meals a day.

Is it right or wrong to pursue high protein?

Adding protein to your baby should depend on the baby's situation. Protein is very important for the formation of various organs and tissues in the body, because the human body's muscles, bones, skin, and even the enzymes and hormones responsible for biochemical reactions and the DNA that determines genetic genes must use protein as raw materials. We can exaggerate a little and say that every cell in the body needs protein.

Protein is actually composed of small units of amino acids. Among the amino acids involved in protein synthesis, about 8-9 types cannot be produced by the human body and must be obtained from food. Therefore, when the baby is underweight, growing slowly, or even has symptoms such as edema of the face, hands, and lower legs, parents should pay attention to the problem of insufficient protein intake.

In addition, even if the baby is well-nourished, active and healthy, parents still worry that the baby is not getting enough protein. If they blindly feed the baby high-protein foods and nutritional supplements, they need to be particularly careful about the baby's body's ability to withstand it.

Because the baby's gastrointestinal tract is very tender and the digestive organs are not fully mature, the digestive capacity is limited. Therefore, if protein is consumed in excess, side effects may occur easily. For example, when the amino acids in the protein are metabolized, the formation of nitrogenous waste will increase, which will increase the burden on the baby's kidney excretion.

Long-term intake of refined protein may also affect the baby's digestive tract processing ability. Long-term absorption of refined protein foods will prevent the baby's digestive function from being trained and exerted. According to the law of "use it or lose it", the digestive function will not get a good opportunity to develop.

If these digestive functions slow down and the kidneys are burdened, it will affect the baby's health. Therefore, parents should pay special attention and never blindly pursue high protein to avoid putting too much burden on the baby's body.

The editor would like to remind parents that, in fact, protein is only a part of the baby's nutritional intake. Other grains such as cereals, vegetables and fruits are also important elements for the healthy development of the baby. What parents need to do is to ensure that the baby's nutritional intake is diversified and has a balanced diet. Only focusing on supplementing one substance, or over-supplementing, will not benefit the baby's body.