Whey is a protein found in cow’s milk products, and even breast milk. So, it’s often safe for young children to eat whey protein if it’s in age-appropriate foods. However, certain whey-containing foods and drinks are only safe for older children, teens and adults, and whey protein supplements should be used with caution. Protein powders have attractive benefits. Protein is made up of essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle.

Protein Shakes in Your Teen’s Diet

For teens looking for ways to bulk up and improve sports performance, drinking protein shakes alone won’t help. Most teens get enough protein to support athletic endeavors through diet alone. Ensuring that teens eat plenty of protein from nutritious foods such as lean meat, fish, beans, eggs, nuts and seeds is a better way to help them remain healthy enough to play sports. If your teen is still interested in drinking protein shakes, speak to a pediatrician to determine how to include them so he’s not consuming more protein than he needs.

For teens who already eat healthfully, the excess calories from protein shakes might contribute to weight gain.

Age and protein requirement

0.8 g of protein/kg of body weight per day is adequate for all adults. Infants under 6 months of age can drink whey protein only if it’s in breast milk or age-appropriate infant formulas. About 60 to 80 percent of the protein in breast milk is whey. Older infants may eat whey in whole-milk yogurt if the pediatrician gives the permission. If your age is 14-18 so you should take approximately 52gm protein per day.  Current studies suggest that most people over age 65 should take in about 1 g to 1.2 g of protein/kg of body weight per day to both gain and maintain muscle mass and function. There are no separate recommendations for people between ages 50 and 65, but it stands to reason that getting enough protein during that time would make good nutrition sense.

Is there any age to take supplements?

There is no ideal age as such from a physiological standpoint. It all depends on your protein needs, and how much of it you are already getting from natural food. Usually you take protein supplements when starting to do strength training, for increasing muscular composition, which needs more protein than normal to build.

Supplements are not a compulsory or must-have things in your life. Supplements are given only when your body is not capable of synthesizing required nutrients or metabolizing complex diet due to certain medical conditions.

One should take protein supplements only when you start lifting heavy to build muscles more than your current state, and your normal food is not meeting the needs.

Remember one thing that if your child is underweight then he or she can take mass gainer. But protein is required only when they start doing workout and heavy exercises or involve in sports activities.

Do not depend on the protein supplements only

While protein shakes can contain essential nutrients such as calcium, iron and folate, which teens require for healthy growth, they aren’t as nutritious as eating whole foods. For example, fruits and vegetables supply phytochemicals that nutritional supplements don’t. Phytochemicals are a crucial part of the diet because they help protect teenagers from diseases later in life, such as heart disease and cancer.