Dr. Chheda – Your toddler needs about half a gram of protein per kilogram of weight every day. So let’s break this down.

A typical one-year-old is about 10 kilos, so they need 5 grams of protein a day. That’s all they really need. A glass of milk has about 8 grams of protein in it. An egg has 9 grams of protein in it. So if they’re drinking a glass of milk, they’re already getting more protein than they need for that particular day. So you don’t have to fill your child up with extra protein. Your child is getting plenty of protein with everything that they eat during the day.

Now a typical four-year-old is about 20 kilos, so half of that is 10 grams protein per day. Again, an egg has 9 grams of protein in it. They eat an egg a day, they’re gonna get plenty of protein with that egg and everything else combined in it.

They do not need extra protein. You don’t need to push extra protein on them. You don’t have to give them extra meat or extra beans. A cup of beans has 40 grams of protein. A couple of bites of beans is all they really need every day.

You know what happens to that extra protein if it’s not utilized? It turns into fat. Okay, they don’t need that extra protein. They are not building muscle. After the age of 5 is when they build muscle. Before 5, they’re getting all their height. If you see a typical 3-year-old, they are tall and skinny because they are building height. They need lots of fruits and vegetables.

So please focus on the fruits and vegetables for your toddlers. They will get plenty of protein just from that.