Teen Vegetarian Advice: Parents Protein Concern

Question: Protein requirements for a 15 year old growing vegetarian boy

We have a 15 year old son who has been vegetarian (no chicken or fish or meat, some eggs, does not drink milk) for 1 year.

What are the protein requirements, both total and nondairy (alternative) in grams/day. He has hit puberty and is still growing. - V. C.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Dear V. C.,

I appreciate your concern that your son is getting enough protein to support his teenage growth. I'm familiar with the challenge of getting teens to eat properly - somehow they manage to survive!

According to the widely accepted RDA, he would need about 60 grams of protein daily. However, most nutritionists agree that the average American diet provides much more protein than we need. Read how much calories and protein do we need?

If your son is getting enough calories daily for his age, his size, and physical activity, and 15 - 20% of those calories are protein, then he should be okay.

With vegetarian protein, it's impossible to separate protein from other foods, and say this is protein, this is carbs, this is fat, etc. Vegetarian nutrition is holistic.

Most foods contain protein, and there are many possible good sources of protein in a vegetarian diet. Besides adequate calories, vegetarian diet should have a wide variety of grains, fresh vegetables and fruit, along with legumes - including tofu, nuts and seeds, and some dairy and/or egg for an ovo-lacto vegetarian.

I've attached the SV report on Vegetarian Nutrition, and I also recommend a book on vegetarian nutrition - 'The New Becoming Vegetarian' by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis. Please also read the SV article on how to get enough protein in a vegetarian diet.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

More Advice About Vegetarian Diet and Protein