Nutrition Spotlight: Protein

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

What’s for dinner? What does a body good? Got milk? Where’s the beef? (Yeah, I know that’s an old one!) Slogans, logos and catchy jingles come at us from every direction these days. And protein, carbohydrates, fats … those terms that modern Americans are so often counting, lamenting and just tossing around can easily confuse kids.

Take protein for example: do your kids—do you?!—have a good grasp, even a basic understanding, of what protein is and what it does for your body? Come to think of it, do your kids have a good base of understanding which foods are the best and most healthful choices for their growing bodies? Surrounded by so many advertising agendas and flashy logos and cartoonish creations adorning food in boxes, bottles and bags, I often hear conflicting recommendations on how much of this, that and the other thing is best to eat. I can’t help but think that the aborigines and Native Americans were way ahead of us: whole foods gathered from a natural environment … less confusion … less was more.

This starts the first in a series of kids’ nutrition updates that I’ll be offering over the next several months. Today’s spotlight shines on protein. Just the other day my 8-year-old daughter asked me if her plate had protein on it. So I’ve got some protein education to see to in this household too.

The good news first: Protein deficiency is just about never a health issue in our country. And many of us actually eat more protein than our bodies need. Protein is vital for the growth and repair of strong bodies—and in the case of a protein deficiency, one’s resistance to disease also drops.

So what foods can be thought of as protein-rich? Think meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products, beans and lentils.

How much to serve? If you eat one small serving with lunch and dinner you’ll be in good shape. As far as a dietary protein guideline, shoot for 15 to 20 percent of total food intake. Or you could think of it as including meat or chicken 3 to 4 times per week—and if you’re a fish or seafood lover—salmon, tuna or other oily fish (high in those beneficial omega-3 fatty acids—but that’s another column). Breakfast traditionally has us munching on foods like eggs, sausage or cheese—so there’s added protein too.

Got vegetarians at your house? Think beans, lentils, tofu or tempeh for protein. Kids who choose to eat vegetarian can meet their dietary requirements easily as long as they are aware of incorporating a suitable plant source of iron and vitamin B12. Why B12? Animal foods are excellent sources of this vital nutrient, but strict vegans who consume no cheese or eggs may need to fortify their diet with B12 or eat B12-fortified foods to head off any health issues. B12 is only found in foods of animal origin: meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy.

Meat is rich in iron, protein and B vitamins. Animal proteins and dairy products are rich in amino acids. Vegetarian-wise, soy is the only plant-based food that can boast the same. Yet by combining non-animal foods like legumes (beans) and grains, or including some dairy, vegetarians can easily meet their body’s needs for all the amino acids.

Whether you choose to use meat or go vegetarian, here’s a recipe that will help meet kids’ lunch or dinner protein requirements—and it’s perfect for them to try their hand at also.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 2 cups pasta (shells or elbows)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, oregano and basil (each)
• 1 can (15.5 ounce size) butter beans (may use black or pinto beans also), drained
• 1 can (28 ounce size) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese