Protein Needs of Young Athletes
It is one of the three macronutrients and contains 4kcal of energy per gram, making up around 10-15% of the bodies daily energy intake [3]. Most protein in the body is found in the muscles, but it’s also contained in all cells and tissues like the skin, organs and blood.
What are amino acids?
This does not, however, mean that plant sources cannot provide the body with all of the essential amino acids. Consuming a variety of different plant sources will ensure athletes are consuming all of the essential amino acids.
How much protein does a young adult need?
Although there are no set recommendations for nutritional requirements of youth athletes, its estimated that they will need slightly more protein in their diet than less active children of the same age.
Non-athletic children aged between 13-18 years will need between 0.85g - 1g of protein per kg of body weight, compared to 1.2g -1.4g of protein per kg of body weight for youth athletes [4,5].
This allows the body to rebuild, repair and grow in response to the sport they do, as well as ensuring they meet their bodies demand for natural growth and development.
Body Weight |
Daily Protein Requirement |
|
Non- Athlete |
Athlete |
|
45 kg |
38 - 45g |
54 - 63g |
50 kg |
42 - 50g |
60 - 70g |
55 kg |
47 - 55g |
66 -77g |
60 kg |
51 - 60g |
72 - 84g |
65 kg |
55 - 65g |
78 - 91g |
75 kg |
64 - 75g |
90 - 105g |
When is the best time to consume protein?
Whilst it's common for both athletes and those in the general population to backload their protein and consume most of it with their evening meal, recommendations suggest that protein intake should be spread evenly across all meals and snacks [5].
What are the best sources of protein?

Image Credit: National Cancer Institute
Protein is found in a huge variety of foods with the best and most complete sources often coming from animal products such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy.
However, there are various different plant foods which are high in protein, and when eaten in combination, can provide the body with all of the essential amino acids. Below we look at the protein content of some common foods sources based on average serving sizes [6].
Food |
Protein Content |
Chicken (one breast ~125g) |
30g |
Steak (sirloin fillet ~225g) |
49g |
Salmon (one fillet ~94g) |
24g |
Milk (one glass ~300ml) |
10.8g |
Eggs (one medium) |
6.4g |
Quorn (one fillet) |
6.7g |
Baked Beans (1/2 tin) |
9.4g |
Tofu (one serving ~70g) |
8.8g |
Quinoa (80g portion) |
3.5g |
Soya Milk (one glass ~300ml) |
10.2g |
Peanut butter (1tbsp ~15g) |
3.8g |
Myth Busting
While protein is essential to both muscle growth and repair, the process of building muscle is much more complex than simply eating more protein. In fact, excess protein is simply excreted from the body in the urine or will be stored as fat [5].
Take a look at our other articles for more information on the other essential macronutrients: covering fat and carbohydrates.
- Cotugna, N., Vickery, C. and McBee, S. (2005). Sports Nutrition for Young Athletes. The Journal of School Nursing, 21(6), pp.323-328.
- Lanham-New, S. (2011). Sport and exercise nutrition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
- British Nutrition Foundation. (2018). Protein. [online] Available at: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/nutrients-food-and-ingredients/protein.html?limitstart=0 [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
- Boisseau, N., Vermorel, M., Rance, M., Duché, P. and Patureau-Mirand, P. (2007). Protein requirements in male adolescent soccer players. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 100(1), pp.27-33.
- Bean, A. (2013). Anita Bean's Sports Nutrition for Young Athletes. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Roe, M., Pinchen, H., Church, S. and Finglas, P. (2015). McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods Seventh Summary Edition and updated Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset. Nutrition Bulletin, 40(1), pp.36-39.
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