Episode 22: Your Toddler Needs More Carbs Than Protein: What Parents Need to Know

Is your toddler refusing meat and reaching for carbs and fruit instead?

In this episode, Dr. Liz helps parents breathe easier about toddler protein needs. She explains why young kids usually need far less protein than many parents think, and why carbohydrates play such an important role in growth, brain development, and energy. You’ll learn how toddlers can meet their protein needs through simple foods like milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, beans, nut butters, grains, and seeds. Dr. Liz also shares what to do when kids refuse meat, why protein shakes are rarely needed, and how to keep offering new foods without pressure. This episode is a caring reminder that variety, practice, and a calm table matter more than chasing big protein numbers.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why toddlers need less protein than many parents think
• How much protein kids aged 1 to 3 usually need
• Why carbs are important for growth, energy, and brain development
• How milk and dairy can help meet protein, calcium, and vitamin D needs
• What to do when your toddler refuses meat
• Why repeated exposure still matters, even when food gets spit out
• How plant-based protein pairings can support growth
• Why protein shakes are rarely needed for toddlers
• How snacks, hunger, and meal structure affect picky eating
• Simple ways to add protein with beans, seeds, nut butters, and grains

Episode highlights:
(0:00) The common toddler protein worry
(1:33) What this episode will cover
(2:01) Why toddlers often start refusing meat
(3:16) Why adult protein goals do not apply to young kids
(5:32) How much protein toddlers really need
(7:32) Milk, dairy, and complete protein
(9:03) Why offering meat still counts, even if they do not eat it
(10:32) What to consider if your child does not drink milk
(12:00) Plant-based protein pairings like beans and rice
(14:25) Snacks, hunger, and toddler behavior
(16:07) Why kids need more carbs than protein
(17:06) Why protein supplements are rarely needed
(18:28) How to reduce pressure at the dinner table
(20:30) Easy protein ideas with beans and seeds
(23:06) The bigger goal: variety, practice, and less stress

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

One of the number one questions I get from parents of toddlers is how do I get my kids to eat more protein? And I want to give you some encouragement here. At the end of the day, the kid doesn't actually need nearly as much as you think they do. I'm going to flip it around and actually tell you, they need 10 times the amount of carbs they do protein. And when you're thinking about growth and development, they need those carbs for brain development. What's the purpose of our growth? Lay down tissue. How do we get there? Glucose. So stick with me to the end, and I want you to understand all that we need from a protein standpoint, where to get it, how to get it, and how to navigate it if you're struggling. Welcome back to the Nutrition for the Earliers podcast with me, your host, Dr. Liz Daniel. I'm a nutrition first kinopediatrician, and this podcast is for the parent who's second-guessing their grocery cart, worrying if their kid is going to end up with the same food struggles that they once had. I love getting into the weeds of what kids actually need and then putting it into context of where they're at in growth and development so you can let go of the shame and guilt and focus on what actually moves the needle together. Let's get into it. Welcome back to the Nutrition for the Earliers Podcast with me, your host, Dr. Liz Daniels. I am so excited to have you here today because one of the conversations I want to share with you is one that I have probably every single week with several different families. And the funny part is that it's one that I know we've probably talked about before. And I've even talked about it before on the podcast. And that's okay. But it's one that I come back to again and again because I know it's important to you. And it's protein. I want to talk to you today about how much kids need in the beginning, when that starts to change, what kinds of protein we want to try to get, what really matters for kids, and what to do when your kid doesn't want to eat meat. Okay, here's how this goes. Normally I'll get either a phone call or message from a parent, or it'll be in a well check and the parent brings it up and they're like, I don't know what to do. My toddler did great. We were doing pretty well in the beginning, and then all of a sudden, now they just won't eat meat. I mean, we've been doing this since they were little. I know I did what you told me. I've exposed it to them many, many times. And we've tried it in ground beef with tacos, we've tried it in meatballs, we've tried it in chicken nuggets and steak or even shredded meat, and I just can't get them to eat it. They'll put it in their mouth and then they'll push it right back out. And I'm really worried because all they want to do is eat carbs and fruit. And I just can't get them to eat more protein. My staff knows me really well. And I love my nurses and my team because they know these conversations well enough to be able to help parents along the way. And so the usual response is well, actually, your toddler really doesn't eat that much protein. You're probably going to be just fine. But then it tends to lead to even more worry about, well, okay, like should I be doing a protein shake? Or what about, you know, I've seen the ones for kids that are at Costco. I've seen the ones that, you know, I can do. Can they have some of my protein shake? What would be an okay way to do this and still be able to support them? And I want to spend a little time talking about this. You know, and I also get this from the angle of a kid who's maybe struggling on their growth curve. And sometimes I'll have another clinician ask me about strategies for helping support weight gain in a little one. And I think on both sense, both sides of these, you know, parents will assume a lot of the time that that's what's going to help their kids grow. Because in the adult world, we are very focused on protein. And you know what? There's good reason for this. For a very long time, we have told people they need 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight of protein for maintenance. And that really is on old and frankly outdated data. So I love and embrace the protein conversation, especially for adults. And personally, I aim for that in myself. And I even feel like this is helpful for some of my athletes and for some of my young adults. I think that's really an appropriate shift. So you won't hear me say that protein is bad for kids, or that they shouldn't ever have extra protein, or that we're overdoing it. I think that in the adult world, it needed attention and we do need a shift in how we approach this. But in growing kids, I don't have the same perspective. And you know what? If our data shifts down the road, then maybe I will too. But I want you to know that for a growing kiddo, their protein needs have always been higher per kilogram than in the adult world. What I mean is that you and I, as an adult, if we're like reading the same studies, we're aiming for about a gram per pound. That's an easy number to think about. Or if you follow kilograms, um, you know, close like 1.6 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight and protein. But that's a shift from where it used to be. It's actually double what it used to be recommended. In a growing kid or a kid who's recovering from significant illness or things, we've always had a higher metric in the world of nutrition. It's always been like 1.1 to 1.3, depending on what their needs are. The key here, though, is that kids don't weigh that much. So it's actually really easy to achieve those protein needs with very little food. Let me reference some numbers. Often for a one-year-old, we're looking at their weight being around 20 pounds. And hopefully they're not much more than 30-ish, around two, 30, 35 at the most. You know, like that's kind of the range. There's a wide range on a growth curve between the fifth and the 95th percentile. So that's a that's a broader range. And as they get older, that actual numerical value shifts a lot. But really, we're talking about in the weight range of about 20 to 35 pounds, you are looking at a kiddo who at 1.1 grams per kilogram of body weight is still only going to come out to somewhere between 12 to 15 grams of protein from the ages of one to three. And this is not a very big number. Let me say that in another way. A three-year-old really doesn't need much more protein than a one-year-old, but they're appreciably larger. And so we look at them and think they need a lot more. And I tend to get these questions a lot more in the older toddler range. So before preschool, where parents are seeing my kid is really busy, and they also have this feeling that like we need protein with our carbohydrate, and we want to make sure that from a behavior standpoint, our kids aren't just bottoming out with just glucose, right? And so I think that this part of that conversation of parents being eager to make sure their kids are getting enough protein is twofold. One of which is we know that in our world we're protein-centric and we watch our kids not eating meat and we feel like, oh my gosh, they are not getting enough, because we know we have to work really hard for it. And then we also will have families who worry about their protein not being balanced with their carb in such a way that it impacts their behavior. And those are really two different things and two different conversations. So, my encouragement to you is that if you have a toddler in that one to three range, just trust me when I say they don't need that much protein. Your goal is really somewhere around 12 to 15-ish grams. And then as you get to the four-year-old, sometimes it only goes up to about 19 grams. And the easiest way to do this is actually with milk. Milk, cow's milk is actually one gram of protein per ounce of milk. And so if your kid is getting the recommended two cups of milk for their vitamin D and calcium needs as well, they're gonna meet all of their protein needs, just with that alone. And the reason I care about this, and the reason I do suggest milk in a kid's diet in this age, is because not only are we able to achieve our vitamin D and our calcium needs that way, plus our protein, but it's not just any kind of protein. It's actually a complete protein. What I mean there is that it's got all of the essential amino acids for growth. And essential means things that you have to get in your diet that your body can't make. A lot of things in our body is kind of like a Lego brick. Say you get the Lego sets that are like a three and one. Well, you can make a dinosaur, or you can build it all together with different blocks and the same kit and get suddenly a plane or a helicopter. And in a similar way, amino acids are kind of like that in our bodies. We break them down, reorganize them, and rebuild the ones we need for the tissue development that we need. And essential amino acids mean that your body can't make them. So there are ones that we have to get in our diet. And the essential amino acids are actually well provided in animal sources. So, especially in milk and dairy. So I love to suggest dairy for kids because it's a really easy way to accomplish all of these essential things that we need for growth. So let's go back to that toddler. Our toddler's, you know, doing really well with eating all their carbs, eating their fruit, eating their veggies. They really struggle with the meat. And I'm hearing two amazing things in that conversation. Number one, I'm hearing that the parent is continuing to offer it even when they're not eating it. Home run, mama. That is it. I want you to keep offering it because even though our kid puts it in their mouth and then doesn't want to go back to it, it's still valuable. The other thing is that that kid is trying it. They're putting it in their mouth, even though it looks relatively new, or they've had it before and haven't eaten a lot of it. Those are both amazing things that say, keep doing this. Really, because a lot of the things that make kids like or dislike something just comes with practice. And sometimes it's because of something else that's on the plate that they like more. Sometimes they're not hungry enough for that, or maybe it is like a little bit more work for them from an oral motor skill, and they're still working on getting teeth and they're still working on, is it really worth it for me? Those mashed potatoes went down a whole lot easier. Like it, you know, there's other considerations there. And so that continued introduction is really valuable, even when they're not getting a lot of it. The other thing to bear in mind is that if they're doing dairy, and especially in that two cups of milk, we don't need it to be consumed. The practice itself checks the box in my mind. Now, then the other layer to that is well, what if the kid's not doing milk? And then sometimes the parents call back because they say, wait a minute, I checked and we're like not doing any milk at all. Or we're doing a plant-based milk, which doesn't have as the same kind of macronutrient or micronutrient profile. And I do think there's a whole nother conversation about that. But if a kid can do milk, then I'm gonna suggest it. If your kid can't, I just want to encourage you. I have a whole other podcast about what to do when your kid doesn't like milk. And you are welcome to go take a listen to it. It'll be linked in the show notes. But the key here is that if you're getting enough of that, again, check the box and actually move on and just keep trying. And bear in mind that when it comes to protein, there's a lot of ways to achieve that goal. So it doesn't have to just be in milk. Yogurt is a great source, and cheese is also a really good source. It's just trying to understand if you're not doing dairy, that you're also thinking about that vitamin D and calcium, because that tends to be the best and easiest way for little ones to get those very important micronutrients in their diet. So, okay, now we're able to say we feel better knowing that there's milk in there. The other kind of layer to this is um both the complementary proteins and then the conversation about behavior, because I feel like this is a layered thing. And this is one of the reasons I love these conversations so much, and I love nutrition so much, is because it's not just food. There's like more to it, right? And so if you're in that boat and your toddler doesn't want to eat meat or your plant-based family, think about complementary proteins. So, going back to those amino acid profiles, I love to share with families that complementary proteins are an awesome thing. And this is pretty natural. Like a lot of our foods are already designed this way. And um, meaning in animal sources, you're going to receive all of the essential amino acids for growth and for development. So that's going to be achieved in fish. It's going to be achieved in chicken, poultry, red meat, you know, all of those are there, along with the dairy sources, eggs as well. But if you don't have that, and say you're doing a plant-based diet, you want to think about pairing your sources so that they overlap and so that you can receive all the amino acids. It doesn't have to just be achieved in a single meal. Let me give you an example. Beans and rice are a really good example of this: peanut butter and bread, or tofu and veggies. They have complementary amino acid profiles where they may contain a handful of essential amino acids in the tofu, but they're lacking a few that the vegetables actually have in abundance. And when paired together, they make a complete amino acid profile. Same with beans and rice or tortillas and beans. Really, really valuable amino acids that go together and when they're consumed in tandem, they can support really well. So I like to think about these because sometimes kids eat more of these than they do those other sources. Peanut butter and jelly is a really good example of this. And actually, like, you know, kids do really well with that. Like beans or legumes have a wonderful amino acid profile when paired with grains. And that together can be a really helpful source for other micronutrients that they need as well, especially things like iron and phosphorus or magnesium. Like they come in those things as well. There's value there. And that's not just a second rate option. It's a really good option. So those things really can add up nicely. And I like to share this with families as a way of like giving them a sigh of relief because a lot of the times when we look really closely at their diet, they're already doing this and they just didn't know that they were doing it. And so know that if you are, take a big sigh of relief that you're checking the box even when you're not trying to. Now I want to shift to the behavior piece because this is also a little bit layered and nuanced. Sometimes our kids aren't interested in eating the things that are maybe a little foreign or different because they might not really be hungry. And it's a double-edged sword. I hear parents a lot of times think, okay, I need to make sure that they're getting plenty of snacks so that their behavior doesn't drop or so that we don't have a big meltdown. But newsflash, you're gonna have meltdowns. And all the snacks in the world are number one, not gonna prevent that. And number two, might actually give you more problems than you're aiming for. You don't need a lot of them. In fact, it's really important for kids to have the opportunity to actually feel hunger in order to try new foods and explore new foods. And so giving them that chance and some structure around their mealtime is actually a gift for them as well as you. I've talked about this before, but I just want to remind you that it's hard to do this in practice, but there's a big payoff here. If we can stick to a predictable schedule, even when our kids are not, we build the reps in their tank for getting comfortable with that repetition and knowing that we're gonna show up for them and offer them food again. So having three solid meals, a couple of two to three snacks in the day is all you need. And when you offer those snacks, yes, you can offer protein in there, but it doesn't have to be in the same ratio that as adults we do. So a lot of adults are trying to aim for almost a one-to-one in their macronutrient profile, which is a lot, but like a lot of protein and a little bit lower carb. In kids in general, I just love to share with families that it's actually a 10 to one carb to protein ratio. Kids need 10 times the amount of carbs they do protein. And that is often a huge surprise to people. But the reality is we need carbohydrates for energy for brain, for glucose. We need those carbohydrates actually to lay down tissue, to lay down fat, to be a substrate for all of our other energy purposes and for metabolism in every part of our body. So they really need those carbs. They really need the fruit. And it's okay to offer that to them with a greater proportion of carbs than protein. So when you're offering a snack to your kiddo, it doesn't have to be a meat, stick, and veggies. It doesn't have to be a protein shake. It can be something that they actually want to eat. Just do a quick check and see if there's even a few grams of protein in there in total. And that's probably going to check the box because again, when it's portioned out throughout the whole day, it's going to add up and you are likely going to be over their protein needs in total. Very rarely do I end up needing to suggest a protein supplement. And to that degree, when I have a little one who's struggling to put on growth, and maybe they're struggling in their in their weight in total, but they're like just trending really low and they're lean on the growth curve, they just don't sense that they're hungry. Parents often will reflexively give protein, or even sometimes healthcare providers will suggest more protein because we think that will bulk them up. And it doesn't work that way. So kids actually, like I kind of referenced a second ago, they actually bulk or they create more tissue in that energy surplus with carbs and fat. Protein actually slows down gastric emptying, makes them feel fuller for longer, and often gets in the way of being able to put down more tissue and actually feel hunger in a way that we need to continue that growth and that energy surplus that kids are kids are driven to do. So slowing down, saying, what's the big picture here? If I have a 20-month-old who's doing a really good job drinking milk, not too much, but just right. And they're trying new foods over and over, that's a win. So we keep offering them foods that they're really good at eating and trying new foods that are new to them, keep exploring different textures and working on that and enjoying those foods that we need in front of them. So at a dinner table, this can also be a really complicated area where sometimes parents feel like they need to pressure or push their kid to eat two more bites, three more bites. And I want to caution you to actually just take a step back and try for one night to not say anything and just observe. And you can be really simple about this. Like you could take a picture of the plate before and after and then think back at it later, not in front of the kid, but when they're not paying attention and you can actually take a look back and look at what they ate. Now, granted, majority of it is probably going to end up in their in their high chair or on the floor, or maybe the dog will get it. But, you know, there's there's real value in just observing and understanding what they're actually doing than what you think they might be doing. And a lot of the times when I talk about this with parents, they take a step back and are really impressed because kids are amazing at what they do. Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way and out of our own head and know that they are driven and they're amazing creatures that do so many wonderful things without us even knowing. Our job isn't to make it perfect, our job is to offer them the experience over and over with the safety to see what happens if it doesn't work out and the safety to try new things. And when a kid feels safe at the table with you and when they feel safe exploring these foods, they eventually do. It sometimes takes a lot longer than you might expect. A lot of kids will come out of that picky stage closer to school age or even like seven. So you might be in this camp for a while, but I want you to know that it's worth it to hang tight and observe what they're doing. And then it's always okay to talk with your healthcare provider if you feel like there really are significant gaps in there that need addressing. But most of the time, the answer is no. We really don't need that protein shake for our toddler. There are times and there are seasons, but sometimes our kids do better with just those little simple shifts. And it may not take a whole reinventing the wheel. It may not take a whole new strategy for you. And you know what? I want to leave you with just a couple other little fun tidbits. So some practical takeaways that if you haven't tried these, it may be worth a shot. Okay, so beans and seeds are often overlooked. And we all know about peanut butter, we all know about the nut butters in general, but beans can be pulsed and pureeed in a really great way. And soups in smoothies, they can be in our brownies and in our baked goods. So beans can go into a lot of different things. And I love to offer this for my kids. Like I just had a family the other day, we were talking through some options and they were like, well, we really like fruits. So we said, well, what about a black bean with some cocoa hummus? And you make that a dip, and it looks like brownie hummus, right? That's a fun way to consider. And she goes, Oh my gosh, I never thought about that. And it can be a simple little thing like that, and it can go a long way. Beans can also go really well in baked goods. And sometimes we don't think about that, but they can go in our quick breads and our brownies. You can add them to things that are already going down really well that your kid is enjoying. And on the other side of that are our seeds. Now, seeds, you you want to be thoughtful about the texture that you're looking for and what you're trying to achieve there. But hemp seeds are one of my absolute favorite seeds for little ones because they have a lot of omega 3 fatty acids, a lot of iron, magnesium, and vitamin E. So there's some really great nutrients packed in a little bitty punch. And that goes a long way too. I often make protein balls in my household with things like peanut butter or honey. I'm sure you've seen lots of protein balls before, but flax. Seed, hemp seed and chia seed are also really great additions that can be added to a lot of different things. And I think people think about flaxseed and chia seed right now in the world of constipation and fiber, but from a protein standpoint, they're actually really great too. You can puree chia so it doesn't have the same seedy texture. And you can you can blend it in with other things. There's a lot of ways to go about adding this to recipes that are already being, you know, eaten in your household. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, but there can be a lot of value in these foods, knowing that your kids probably aren't going to eat a huge volume of them. And that's all right. I even have a recipe where I have peas added to my guacamole, which sounds crazy, but it's actually delicious. And there's a lot of ways to do that with just simple little additions. Now, some people I know will have them pureeed and then they'll put them frozen into ice cube trays so they can just thaw them and mix them and blend them in smaller portions with their food as they go on. You might give it a try if you have little ones that you're adding things, that you're adding it to their food for them. But I really just want you to know that at the end of the day, you're not looking to achieve a really large number. There's actually a lot more value in variety of what we're offering and in practice with it. So keep up the good work. Know that you're already doing probably way more than you gave yourself credit for, and so is your little one. So that's our wrap, guys. Thank you so much for listening all the way to the end. I just want you to know that I appreciate you more than you know. This podcast has been truly a joy of mine, and it's something that I am excited to see grow. If you are having a new baby or you know somebody who is, I want to tell you about a course that I built. It's called Feeding Zero to Four Months. And it's basically me in your back pocket for the first four months of feeding your baby. And I go through all of these nuances about how to know if your baby is getting enough, when to call the doctor, what's worrisome, what you can let go of, even scripts for that aunt Karen in your life who's well-meaning, but maybe stressing you out a bit. There's a ton of resources in it, and it's available on Teachable. The link is in the show notes if you want to learn more. And thank you again just for listening for being a part of this community. I look forward to hearing from you because at the end of the day, I want you to be confident and empowered. Thanks again so much for listening. We'll see you back next week. Bye, guys.