Kids, and food with added protein

[Anonymous]

Added protein is fine. "Processing" is not poison. Cooking is processing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a teenage boy athlete, and a younger daughter, also athletic, who has decided to be a vegetarian, so I'm asking these questions both perspectives. We are having disagreement about this between the co-parents.

How do we feel about ingredients that have been specifically modified to increase protein? Protein powder, high protein tortillas, chickpea pasta, kodiak waffles, impossible "meats", etc . . . One parent thinks that adding protein is always a benefit. The other thinks that it's another form of processing and so not ideal.

Also, do you monitor how much protein in is meals, or how much your kid is eating, or figure that given a variety of healthy choices, your kid will get what their body tells them they need?

Finally, for the vegetarian kid, do you worry if your kid is relying a lot on dairy to meet their protein needs? Is variety important?

Parents are on different "sides" on all these issues, and I think it would be better if we parented consistently.

Foods marketed with that are usually low quality harmful proteins like soy or rice.

Some protein powders are good though, if they are not soy based, and don't have fake sweeteners like sucralose, stevia, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thought: if you're going to eat a store-bought tortilla, that is already a processed food. So getting the one with protein added is not really negatively changing the equation. Similarly, protein-enriched pasta is usually pasta with chickpea flour added - its just as processed as the non-enriched stuff, but could benefit your athletic kids.

Second thought: I've been getting serious about increasing protein in my own diet, and find that adding mashed lentils/chickpeas as a thickening agent to sauces and curries rarely impacts the taste. That would be a less processed way of incorporating more protein in the foods you might already be eating. Similarly, I sub greek yogurt as the base for any creamy sauce (just don't cook with it, it'll separate in some weird way that sour cream doesn't).

OP here,

I don’t get this logic. I am a busy working mom of multiple kids. I also believe that denying kids things can lead to them craving things, so my kids definitely eat processed food both away from home, where I don’t police at all, and at home where I sometimes choose processed food for convenience.

But that doesn’t mean that I can’t or shouldn’t make choices that move us in the unprocessed direction when that works for our family.

So, for example, one thing that is a hit with my vegetarian kid is quesadilla with refried beans. The first time we made them, I used canned refried beans, pre shredded cheese, store bought tortillas, and store bought salsa. When it turned out they were an easy thing for her to make that she loved, I thought how can we make this less processed, I looked at all the ingredients and decided to do some things. I learned how to make and freeze my own refried beans, I switched to whole wheat tortillas, I read all the labels on the store bought salsa and found one that seemed healthier, and I started serving them with a side of veggies which lead to her automatically going the same. Now if she makes dinner, for the family we are still eating a hybrid of processed (shredded cheese, store bought tortillas, store bought salsa) and home made things, but it’s still healthier than it was. The fact that the tortillas are still processed doesn’t negate the rest of the changes.

This week, I went to the grocery store, and they were out of the brand of whole wheat tortillas I usually buy, which has an ingredient list that starts with water and whole wheat flour, and includes other things I generally recognize, so I grabbed another brand of whole wheat tortillas. When I got home I realized that they were low carb, and the first ingredient were water and modified wheat starch. We were already home so we used them, no one objected.

DH and I had two different reactions. One of us said “ooh these have more protein! Protein is good for our kids! We should serve these every time!” The other said “I would rather serve my kids whole wheat flour, an ingredient I recognize. The meal already had beans and cheese. That’s plenty of protein.”

I don’t know who is right or wrong, which is why I am posting.

…ok? Its still a tortilla which is a processed food. Not sure what you want from us!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whole less processed franken foods over more protein always. The obsession with protein is ridiculous. A balanced diet, without obsessing over protein, is what we should all be eating.

The balance has been out of wack for decades due to the food pyramid. Too many carbs, not enough fat and protein.

People have figured out the protein part, but still haven't caught on to the fat part being good.

[Anonymous]

My son is an athlete and loves the chobani protein yogurt drinks (the blue bottle).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Added protein is fine. "Processing" is not poison. Cooking is processing.

Are you this pedantic in real life? Everyone understood OP is talking highly processed packaged food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whole less processed franken foods over more protein always. The obsession with protein is ridiculous. A balanced diet, without obsessing over protein, is what we should all be eating.

The balance has been out of wack for decades due to the food pyramid. Too many carbs, not enough fat and protein.

People have figured out the protein part, but still haven't caught on to the fat part being good.

People do not need to be consuming so much protein. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/are-you-getting-too-much-protein

[Anonymous]

Kids do not need protein added food. Yes, it is extremely processed. Kids also need a good balance of carbs and fats. It is not necessarily beneficial to overeat protein. Most of the longest lived cultures eat lower protein, so take that for what it’s worth.

There are plenty of ways to add protein to a meal without the crap.