Enough Protein and fats?

veggiebound

I created this post under a different title but got no responses in the main forum. I'm hoping to get some advice.

My nearly 15 year old is very athletic. He takes part in sports for between 1 and 5 hours every day and I'm trying to make sure he has enough protein and fats as he is already lean enough. I'm considering allowing him to have a protein shake on more active days. What do you think?

He is a pescatarian - so doesn't eat meat but does eat fish. His protein comes from Quorn products, cheese and beans; and fats from cheese, occasional avocado (not a plentiful supply in the UK) and nuts; he doesn't like butter/margarine or added oils, so the shake may help to top up his energy?

Meli311ssa

Too much protein is bad for your kidneys. I would ask a physician how much protein they recommend. That said, I eat a Pescatarian diet and I start my mornings with a 25g Protein shake. The rest of my protein comes from fish, shellfish, eggs, beans, vegetables, etc. A protein shake can be healthy if it does not have any artificial sweeteners and isn't going overboard on recommended grams of protein. I hope this answer has been helpful.

Bean5

I would definitely speak with a doctor/nutritionist for a growing teen. I have a cousin who was similar, and the nutritionist wanted him to get the majority of his protein through food and not supplements like a shake. That being said, I'm with the other poster and love a shake post-workout; it works great to help supplement my daily protein goals as well. I think as long as it's additional to a healthy diet, it will probably be fine.