How Much Protein a Teenager Should Eat to Gain Muscle

Puberty is already tough on the body. Teenagers need extra nutrients to make up for all the new growth, but teenage athletes need even more. Active teens that want to boost muscle-growth should aim to eat more protein than an inactive teen to ensure proper repair and growth of their tissues. So instead of going off a one-size-fits-all RDA, we’ve detailed below how much protein a teenager should eat to gain muscle…

To gain muscle a teenager should eat over 2g of protein per kg of body weight per day and protein should make up around 30% of their total daily calories. Protein should come mostly from natural, good-quality animal sources to ensure they get enough essential nutrients that are vital for their health.

Table of Contents

Why Do Teenagers Need Protein?
- Protein and Puberty
- Protein and Muscle Growth
How Much Protein Should a Teenager Eat to Gain Muscle?
High Protein Foods for Teenagers
How to Create Balanced Meals with Protein
Tips on Increasing Protein Intake for Teens
Why Protein Isn’t the Only Answer to Building Muscle
Summary

Why Do Teenagers Need Protein?

Having a healthy diet is important, especially for teenagers who are rapidly growing and developing. Protein plays an essential role in sustaining good health as it helps build and repair body tissues, strengthens the immune system, aids proper cognitive function, and helps to maintain muscle mass. For those looking to gain muscle or stay active, more protein may be necessary than what is typically recommended through government guidelines – so how much protein should a teenager eat?

Fathers with teenage sons may be wondering this same thing – understanding the answers can help them make sure their child’s dietary needs are being met while also encouraging healthy habits that will last well into adulthood. Here we explore why protein is essential for teenagers and provide guidance on how much they need to achieve their goals.

Protein and Puberty

Nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting proper pubertal development. It’s vital that parents increase their child’s intake of energy, proteins and micronutrients. This will allow them to cope with the rapid growth and development, and changes in body composition. Any extra physical activity on top will warrant an even greater increase.

Puberty involves various biological, physical and psychological changes. However, one crucial factor that influences the onset and progression of pubertal development is diet. Proper nourishment plays a vital role in ensuring puberty occurs at the right time and pace.

During adolescence, the body undergoes a growth spurt that requires an increase in essential nutrients- both macro and micronutrients. To support the rapid growth and bone development that occurs at this crucial time, a diet rich in calories, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and folate is essential.

Whereas adult males are advised to eat around 2500 calories per day for maintenance, the demands placed on a teenage boy’s body can require up to 3200 per day. And thats just to deal with the physical stresses of puberty. It doesn’t take into account teenage athletes that want to increase muscle growth(1). The average teen should aim between 1.1 and 1.8g of protein per kg per day(2).

Protein and Muscle Growth

Protein is an essential component of our bodies and plays a crucial role in muscle growth. Muscles are composed of protein, and to build them, you need to consume enough protein in your diet. Without an adequate amount of protein in your diet, your body will not be able to build and maintain healthy muscles. Protein helps to form new tissue and strengthens existing muscles. It also assists with the repair of damaged tissues after exercise. Additionally, protein aids in the synthesis of hormones, enzymes, and other vital molecules. Therefore, protein is essential for muscle growth as it helps the body build and maintain muscle mass.

Protein-rich foods also provide our bodies with essential amino acids- the building blocks of proteins that we can only get through diet. Without adequate levels of essential amino acids, our bodies are unable to synthesise new proteins, rendering them unable to create new muscle cells or repair existing ones after exercise.

Another reason protein is important for muscle growth because it can help to reduce inflammation in the muscles(3). Exercise creates a lot of microtears in the muscle fibers, which causes inflammation. Protein helps to reduce this inflammation and supports recovery from exercise by providing an essential source of nutrients that can help to heal the damaged tissue.

How Much Protein Should a Teenager Eat to Gain Muscle?

As we’ve already discussed, the dietary needs of a teenager are already great due to the demands of puberty. But an active teenager that is trying to gain muscle needs to ramp this up even more. Increasing muscle mass requires hard physical work that needs nutrients to sustain. A teenager that is working hard in the gym but not adequately fuelling themselves won’t only limit the the amount of muscle they build but could also hamper their proper pubertal development.

This is why male teenage athletes looking to gain muscle should aim to consume over 3500 calories per day and could need up to 5000 (4).

Protein intake must also increase above their base needs. Most experts agree that a protein intake of over 2g per kg of body weight per day is necessary for muscle growth(5). Considering that teenagers already have a higher sedentary demand than adults, it’s advisable that 2g/kg/day is the minimum they should be eating.

High Protein Foods for Teenagers

For optimal health teenagers should eat protein-rich foods from good-quality animal products. Eating more protein from animal sources during puberty can increase fat-free mass during young adulthood (6). It’s important to centre a teens diet around animal products (including the associated fats) to not only increase protein intake but also to benefit from the host of essential nutrients that they provide.

Good examples of high protein foods are:

Grass-fed beef (the cheaper cuts and mince contain more nutrients)
Grass-fed lamb
Wild-caught salmon
Shellfish
Eggs
Pasture-raised pork
Game (venison, pheasant, wild boar etc)
Whole milk
Greek yoghurt (full-fat)

A teenager following a restrictive diet can delay puberty or fail to sufficiently fuel it, leading to negative physical and mental effects. Where possible, a child following one of these diets should be advised to eat the full range of healthy human foods- like the ones listed above. However in some cases this isn’t the case and a child may enter puberty while following a vegetarian (v) or vegan (vg) diet.

Below is a list of high protein foods that don’t contain meat:

Lentils (vg)
Beans (vg)
Oats (vg)
Cheese (v)
Protein powders (v/vg)

How to Create Balanced Meals with Protein

While protein is important for muscle gain, it shouldn’t be solely relied on for good health. That’s why, in the list above, we advise that teenagers get their protein from animal sources. By eating beef or eggs, teenagers get a big puberty-boosting hit of protein while also benefitting from the healthful effects of fat-soluble vitamins and other key nutrients.

It can be tempting for teenagers that want to increase muscle gain to only focus on protein at meal times which can lead to depressing meals of egg whites, chicken breasts and protein shakes. Not only are these bland and demotivating, but they are much more void of the nutrients they need to build muscle and maintain health than something like lamb stew or pork chops. The most prized foods throughout all of human history have been the fatty cuts of meat that are full of vitamins and minerals. So it’s wise for teenagers to choose these foods over low-fat products, high-protein chocolate bars and supplements.

Tips on Increasing Protein Intake for Teens

There are several low-impact lifestyle changes that a teenager can make to increase their protein intake.

One of the first is to get rid of the western idea of ‘breakfast foods’. Just because it’s breakfast time doesn’t mean that the only foods available are processed cereals, toast and ‘breakfast’ bars. These foods are all highly processed, packed with sugar (and other toxins) and low in nutrients. The worst start to your day! Instead, they could eat buttery scrambled eggs, beef mince or even leftovers from the night before. It’s one of the simplest ways to see massive gains in every part of life. Click here for some other breakfast ideas.

High protein snacks like cheese, Greek yoghurt or nuts in between mealtimes will make it easier for a teenage athlete to keep up with their nutritional needs rather than eating everything within 3 meals. Taking extra food to school will help them keep up their protein intake and keep alert during lessons. These snacks will also make up for any nutrient-poor school meals they might be expected to thrive off.

Once all the above boxes have been ticked and teenagers are getting enough good-quality protein from the right sources then they may want to try supplementing their diet with protein powders. Though they aren’t necessary for muscle gain, they can provide convenience and help a particularly active teen meet their nutritional requirements easier. Click here for more information on teenagers and protein powders.

Why Protein Isn’t the Only Answer to Building Muscle

Protein alone won’t build muscle. It takes time, commitment and hard work to build lean muscle. As well as eating a high nutrient, high protein diet and maintaining a calorie surplus, teenagers should engage in regular strength training. Demanding strength workouts 3-4 times per week that last around 60 minutes each will facilitate effective muscle growth. Training more often than this will decrease the rate of muscle growth overtime due to a lack of recovery.

Proper recovery is essential for muscle growth as the muscles can only grow after they have been repaired. Overtraining and constantly tearing the same muscle fibres won’t give them chance to repair. This means that a teenager who is serious about muscle growth should prioritise their training, nutrition and sleep. Effective training will provide the stimulus that the muscles need to adapt while the nutrition and sleep will allow for good recovery.

To help guide teenagers along the right (and safest) road towards their fitness goals we’ve put together training programmes for teens at different stages in their fitness journey and with different goals in mind. They are all available for free in our blog section.

Teenagers who are just starting out and want to build a strong base level of fitness and learn overall coordination of their body should try The ultimate workout for 13 year olds.
Stay tuned, there are more to come! Subscribe to our newsletter list to keep up to date.

Summary

To conclude, it’s essential that all teenagers understand their nutritional requirements during puberty. They should be advised to eat enough high-nutrient food to remain healthy and promote effective development. Teenagers that want to build muscle should be even more aware of their needs and eat accordingly.

Teenagers should get their protein from good-quality animal foods. Their meals should be based around fatty grass-fed meats to benefit from an array of essential nutrients.

A high protein diet without correct training wont produce the desired results. Match a nutrient dense and calorically-adequate diet to an effective strength programme and proper recovery for optimum results.

Raise Your Legacy

References