My 14yo daughter

Thanks for the input and wish me luck, I am about to graduate LPN school.

Good luck!! Way to go!!

Is 5'9 and 1/2" tall and weighs roughly 120lbs. She is still growing and hasn't started her menses yet. She has made a conscious decision to not eat meat, but did not eliminate fish, dairy or eggs from her diet. For general health and growth, I believe she is getting sufficient protein, though obviously I am not tracking her macros.

However, she made the JV volleyball team and part of her physical training is weight based, under the supervision of two certified trainers. I guess all that prelude leads up to my question: Is there any reason she couldn't use a protein powder to increase her general intake? Obviously she is not looking to bulk, but she does want to build strength and can get frustrated with what she perceives as her general lack thereof.

Thanks

Why 'obviously' is she trying not to bulk? Adding a bit of muscle and fat would do her no harm...

Maybe I am using the incorrect terminology here. She wants to get stronger and add muscle, I meant bulk in the sense of bodybuilding type physique, sorry.

Just so you are aware, bulking is a term in regards to gaining weight and building muscle. It doesn't "just" pertain to bodybuilders.

If she is looking to actually build muscle or even gain weight, she's going to have to eat at a calorie surplus - basically go through a bulk.

I would research more into bulk and cut cycles so you have a better understanding of what you and your daughter are looking to accomplish.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

Bodyrecomposition.com is a really great site with articles and studies if you want to go through them. Another good site is body-improvements.com.

There is also a group on here that has a lot of great info and links to studies in the stickies - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

This needs monitoring as this is exactly how eating disorders begin and having worked in that field for over 12 years have witnessed it far too often. She is already a low weight for her height.

Totally agree this should be physician monitored...I amde this choice on my own when I was young and now I am 46 and have Osteoporosis.

yes, a protein powder should be fine however I STRONGLY recommend one that has plant based protein and no hormones as she is still prepubescent and would not want to upset them I recommend PerfectFit from toneitup.com certified organic all natural plant protein and as she is training and burning more calories I would mix them with fortied milk such as vit d and things such as a banana and some pb2

For what it's worth, my daughter is 17 now and my son is 21 (which is likely irrelevant) I have been adding protein powder to their breakfast smoothies for at least 2 years now. It didn't occur to me that it could be unsafe to do so. There is also no warning on the protein powder against giving it to children. There is also veggie based protein powder in case you didn't know (likely you knew that alreaedy). You're a great mom to be so supportive of your daughter's values and dreams :flowerforyou:

I also made a recipe yesterday called Adam's Special Banana Chocolate Smoothie that you can check out. Extremely high in protein and lots of carbs for energy. It would be a great pre-workout, pre-game drink for her.

Yeah, I was thinking of adding the protein powder to her morning smoothie. She is not a breakfast person but school puts such demands on at her age that I encourage (not force, encourage) her to at least eat yogurt and fruit, etc. She really likes smoothies, so it would be easy

Thanks for the input and wish me luck, I am about to graduate LPN school.

I don't see why this wouldn't be a good thing. She'll be getting extra protein in the morning. Check the added vitamins in the protein powder - the only one I've had that specifically said it was not suitable for children had a lot of added iron. Once she starts menstruating, the iron would probably do her good anyway, especially if she's vegetarian. People who aren't menstruating don't need so much iron, and too much iron in the diet can be toxic... but for menstruating women who are vegetarian the bigger danger is not enough iron. And not all protein powders have added vitamins or minerals anyway. But do check what's added in case there's something added that's not suitable for an adolescent.

Hello,

I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian at age 13. Recently my 14 year old daughter and I both have considered being vegetarian again, I was vegan also for 5 years of my life and my daughter was raised vegan for 5 years and she was a premature baby. There are ways to do a wonderful job with it. My daughter excelled on a vegan diet from birth, she was 2.5 months early, but being vegan did not hold her back, and in some ways, we feel that she is healthier now because of it. She's a gifted student, been reading chapter books since she was 4, she's never had any sort of weight issues, she's very tall like you're daughter and still growing.

The biggest thing to remember is to mix certain proteins. It's helpful to eat brown rice with beans, if she's going to eat eggs, that's great for protein. Even though she is going to eat dairy, still, using Nutritional Yeast to make faux cheese sauces, or sprinkling Nutritional Yeast on stuff gives it a very yummy taste, but is also chock full of B12. Nuts, seeds and legumes are your friend. If she feels the need for protein powder, then by all means do it, but it's not necessary, especially if she's eating fish. Fish will supplement any nutrients she might need from meat. Most of the world eats vegetarian with fish (Most Asian Countries).

Good for you for allowing her to make her own choices, and good for her for taking this step for herself.

There are sooo many books that can help, How it All Vegan is a wonderful one, I realize she wont be vegan, but they have some awesome recipes and there are also books about raising vegetarian/vegan kids the most healthy way possible.

Good Luck!

OP, I don't think I broke 100 pounds when I was 14, and I'm relatively tall. I was 5'5" at her age, 5'7" now. Your daughter is a healthy weight for her age. Yes, she can have protein powder. It's a food, plain and simple.

You have a genetically blessed daughter. Let her become vegetarian if it makes her happy.

I started giving my daughter protein smoothies when she was about 12 during her sport seasons. She hadn't given up meat, but just definitely was not eating enough of it, and protein in general. She loved smoothies though, so I would make a shake of plain whey protein, chocolate almond milk and a banana. I would mix the plain whey into fruit smoothies with milk and oj too.

She takes Clif bars to practice too, she eats half before and the other half after. They sell them under $1 a piece at Target.

My daughter was always in the low percentiles too for her weight, but it's been about 18 months post-first period and she has gotten a much more womanly shape. She just actually moved into adult sizes for jeans about 1 month ago.

This needs monitoring as this is exactly how eating disorders begin and having worked in that field for over 12 years have witnessed it far too often. She is already a low weight for her height.

Who the heck are you to say she is getting started on an eating disorder? She eats a wide variety of foods and has grown rapidly. BMI is calculate somewhat differently for children than for adults and her BMI is 17.7 which puts her in the 26th percentile for her height and weight. I did not say she wanted to lose weight, in fact, I said the exact opposite, in that she wants to gain muscle.

What is wrong with you?

I don't think she necessarily meant that not eating meat led to eating disorders. I think she might be referring to your daughter having been selected for an athletic team where she will be expected to participate in training sessions with coaches, and misinterpreted "weight based" training as having to do with your daughter's scale weight and not the lifting heavy things variety. She says she works in the field, so I imagine she does see lots of young people who are involved in sports that involve making a certain weight who have eating disorders, which is why her mind went to that when she saw "weight based."

This needs monitoring as this is exactly how eating disorders begin and having worked in that field for over 12 years have witnessed it far too often. She is already a low weight for her height.

Who the heck are you to say she is getting started on an eating disorder? She eats a wide variety of foods and has grown rapidly. BMI is calculate somewhat differently for children than for adults and her BMI is 17.7 which puts her in the 26th percentile for her height and weight. I did not say she wanted to lose weight, in fact, I said the exact opposite, in that she wants to gain muscle.

What is wrong with you?

I don't think she necessarily meant that not eating meat led to eating disorders. I think she might be referring to your daughter having been selected for an athletic team where she will be expected to participate in training sessions with coaches, and misinterpreted "weight based" training as having to do with your daughter's scale weight and not the lifting heavy things variety. She says she works in the field, so I imagine she does see lots of young people who are involved in sports that involve making a certain weight who have eating disorders, which is why her mind went to that when she saw "weight based."

Hrm... perhaps. But that is quite the assumption to jump to. Her weight is not at issue, it was just given as background.

I think it was a big assumption to jump to. Sometimes in the forums, some people do jump to that assumption when they are way off the mark. Some people just don't understand the variation in the size of people. But, when people do jump to that wrong conclusion, other people step in to correct it.

When my daughter decided not to eat meat anymore I talked to a nutritionist and she recommended a product called
Spiru-tein protein powder. Alex drank that and liked it a lot. You can get it at any health food store and probably cheaper online too!
One thing your daughter will probably have to be aware of is when she is low on protein, I am a vegetarian and I sometimes don't eat enough and my body actually craves it like crazy! A spoonful of peanut butter is always a quick source of it.

This needs monitoring as this is exactly how eating disorders begin and having worked in that field for over 12 years have witnessed it far too often. She is already a low weight for her height.

Who the heck are you to say she is getting started on an eating disorder? She eats a wide variety of foods and has grown rapidly. BMI is calculate somewhat differently for children than for adults and her BMI is 17.7 which puts her in the 26th percentile for her height and weight. I did not say she wanted to lose weight, in fact, I said the exact opposite, in that she wants to gain muscle.

What is wrong with you?

I don't think she necessarily meant that not eating meat led to eating disorders. I think she might be referring to your daughter having been selected for an athletic team where she will be expected to participate in training sessions with coaches, and misinterpreted "weight based" training as having to do with your daughter's scale weight and not the lifting heavy things variety. She says she works in the field, so I imagine she does see lots of young people who are involved in sports that involve making a certain weight who have eating disorders, which is why her mind went to that when she saw "weight based."

Hrm... perhaps. But that is quite the assumption to jump to. Her weight is not at issue, it was just given as background.

That is what I first thought when I read "weight based".....that they were weighing 14 yr olds to make sure they were within weight range.

Why would a HS volleyball team have a weight limit.

This needs monitoring as this is exactly how eating disorders begin and having worked in that field for over 12 years have witnessed it far too often. She is already a low weight for her height.

Who the heck are you to say she is getting started on an eating disorder? She eats a wide variety of foods and has grown rapidly. BMI is calculate somewhat differently for children than for adults and her BMI is 17.7 which puts her in the 26th percentile for her height and weight. I did not say she wanted to lose weight, in fact, I said the exact opposite, in that she wants to gain muscle.

What is wrong with you?

I don't think she necessarily meant that not eating meat led to eating disorders. I think she might be referring to your daughter having been selected for an athletic team where she will be expected to participate in training sessions with coaches, and misinterpreted "weight based" training as having to do with your daughter's scale weight and not the lifting heavy things variety. She says she works in the field, so I imagine she does see lots of young people who are involved in sports that involve making a certain weight who have eating disorders, which is why her mind went to that when she saw "weight based."

Hrm... perhaps. But that is quite the assumption to jump to. Her weight is not at issue, it was just given as background.

That is what I first thought when I read "weight based".....that they were weighing 14 yr olds to make sure they were within weight range.

Why would a HS volleyball team have a weight limit.

They don't, and if they did I'd be campaigning against it. I meant they were lifting weights, I suppose I should have said 'strength training'. Nobody is being weighed, lol. I only even know her weight because she had to have a physical for tryouts. :ohwell:

I knew that you meant weight lifting.