3 harmful effects of too much protein in young children

In a child's daily diet, too little protein makes them prone to malnutrition, but giving your baby more protein than they need is not good either, and may even carry risks that harm your baby's health
So let's find out with Momby: How much protein does a child need each day, and what are the risks of too much protein?
Content advised and reviewed by Dr Le Pham Anh Vy, Specialist Level I - Head of Nutrition - American International Hospital (AIH)

The role of protein in the body
Protein is 1 of the 4 important nutrient groups for the body. The digestive system breaks protein down into amino acids, which are absorbed into the blood. Protein is divided into 2 types: plant protein (found in beans and pulses such as soya beans, chickpeas, lentils...) and animal protein (found in meats such as pork, chicken, beef... seafood such as prawns, crab, fish... and in eggs, milk and dairy products).
3 harmful effects of too much protein for weaning babies
Kidney damage
Eating more protein than needed can also increase nitrogen metabolism in the blood and the workload on the liver and kidneys, and may affect bone growth and height by increasing calcium loss through the kidneys and urine
Overweight and obesity
Too much protein means too many calories for the body. In children who are not very active, the extra energy is stored as fat, leading to obesity
Poor appetite
Protein provides a lot of energy for your child's body to grow and carry out daily activities. Giving your child too much protein means their body always has a surplus, which reduces their appetite. If parents don't properly understand their child's nutritional needs and, seeing the child eat little and fearing they are hungry, force them to eat, this can lead to psychological food refusal. In addition, giving too much protein over a long period can lead to constipation, digestive disorders or other illnesses, which can cause poor appetite due to illness.
So how much protein does a child need per day?
The protein content per 100 g of food is as follows: lean pork, beef and chicken contain 20–21 g of protein; fish and prawns (meat only) 16–18 g. As for eggs, 1 hen's egg contains about as much protein as 30 g of lean meat.

According to the Ministry of Health's recommended protein intake for young children:
Babies aged 6–12 months need 18–20 g of protein a day. 100 ml of breast milk contains 1–1.2 g of protein, and the recommended milk intake for babies aged 6–12 months is 800 ml of breast milk, equal to 8 g of protein. So your baby needs 10–12 g of protein from meat/fish, equal to about 40–50 g of cooked meat/fish a day
Children aged 1–2 years need 19–20 g of protein a day. The recommended milk intake is 500–600 ml of breast milk a day, equal to 5–6 g of protein. So children aged 1–2 years only need 60 g of cooked meat/fish a day to get enough protein.
To ensure your baby's health and development, balance the food groups in your child's diet.

References:

• Nutrition Science, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine

• Community Nutrition, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine

• Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vietnamese People, Ministry of Health, 2016