Protein snacks for kids

I am forever on a search for high protein, low junk snacks for our 8 and 5 year old kids.   They are very active kids involved in baseball, football, running clubs, dance and other school events and, I think it is important to mention that they are both vegetarians. Neither of them will eat beef, fish, chicken or pork. One will eat eggs and the other will eat tofu, and otherwise that leaves us with nuts, seeds, yogurt, beans, milk and to some extent whole grains and dark green leafy vegetables to seek out for their protein sources. 


Protein is important to build and repair tissues in the body. Most every process in a body needs protein for adequate health. 

On average kids need protein based on their weight in kilograms. To determine a general goal for protein needs for kids take their weight in pounds, divide by 2.2 to reach their kilograms. For a healthy child without any health concerns you can take their weight in kilograms and multiply by 0.8-1.0 to determine their need for grams of protein. For example: Jackson is 87 pounds and therefore his protein needs would be: 87/2.2= 39.5kg x 0.8 = 32 -40 grams of protein per day. 

Determining the amount of protein in a food item can be found by reading a food label. Make note of
how many servings the label is referring too and then scroll down to grams of protein. 

Here is a list of after school and lunch time snacks that I find healthy and protein rich:

1. Quick and easy granola and snack bars are one of my easiest forms of protein rich snacks. The kids favorite bars are KIND snack bars which have protein contents that range from 3-8 grams of protein per bar. Low in sugar and rich in whole grains. I love these snacks so much I asked them to donate to our run club which has 100+ kids. The kids loved the snacks and learned a little bit about healthy eating! 
2. A whole grain protein rich waffle which can be served any time of the day. Containing as much as 16 grams of protein these falafel waffles were recently published in Food &Nutrition Magazine. 
3. Ants on a Raft or the classic ants on a log incorporate protein rich nut butters with apples or celery topped with raisins. 
4. Smoothies are amazing because you can jam pack in a ton of nutrients that are easily swallowed or sipped up. Some great protein additions include: low fat Greek yogurt ( a little more protein than regular yogurt), low fat soy or cow milk (Almond milk is very low in protein), nut butters and even tofu.



No matter how old your kids are, protein is an important part of their diet. Keep in mind the protein sources and a mental note of their daily protein intake. For questions concerning protein email me: Brandi@ABCDEatRight.com . 

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Testing and tasting...in the kitchen again with the kids cooking up pancakes and waffles!

The kids were motivated to try something new this morning and wanted to explore new breakfast ideas. I had a recipe that I wanted to try but they were not too keen on coconut so I let Jackson do his own thing with pancakes and Olivia and I worked on a new coconut banana waffle. 

The mess ensued but there was a lot of laughter and little minds working hard at measuring and planning what would go into the recipes. 

Jackson likes cinnamon and vanilla and although I felt it was too much, I let him add as much as he wanted and even try tasting vanilla. Vanilla smells much better than it tastes on its own and he quickly learned that :) 

The end product was awesome and the kids ate them up. 

Jackson named his: Pancakes (but must be said with a British accent) and Olivia's coconut banana waffles are gluten free and boosted with protein using a PB2 product. 

Click here to check out the recipe. 

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Delicious dairy and perfect protein

Did you know that after the age of 2 years old, children no longer need whole milk dairy products? They still receive the protein, calcium and vitamin D that whole fat milk provides, just with fewer calories and fat, when choosing skim milk and low fat milk. Children should consume 2-3 servings of dairy a day. A serving includes: 1 cup milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1 ½ ounces cheese. 

Protein is one of the most important food groups to include in the diet. Without protein a person will not feel full and miss out on many of the essential amino acids that can only be found in protein containing foods. Protein can be found in beef, chicken, fish, pork, eggs, beans, seeds, soy, dairy, nut and to a lesser degree green leafy vegetables and whole grain products. Roughly a 1/4 of kids meals should consist of a protein containing food. Protein should be chosen from lean meats, low-fat or skim dairy products and should be baked or broiled as much as possible. Frying foods adds unnecessary calories and fats to foods. For healthy and fun ways to include protein in your families diet check out the My Plate Recipes Pinterest board for great recipes!

Even though National Nutrition Month is almost over, dairy and protein 

should be included in a healthy diet throughout the year. 

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Brandi@ABCDEatRight.com