Protein comprises about 50 percent of your teenager's body weight, according to Healthy Children. While it is important to make sure he gets enough protein from his diet, it is also possible for him to get too much. Following a high-protein diet can lead to health problems for your teen, so be familiar with his recommended intake.
Amount
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, your teenager needs 46 g of protein a day. If she is an active athlete, she may need a little bit more. If she regularly gets more than 46 g a day, she may be following a high-protein diet. The Healthy Children website states that many adolescents get twice as much protein as necessary.
Sources
Sources of protein include red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and soy. One cup of milk has 8 g of protein and one cup of dry beans has 16 g of of protein. Just 3 oz. of red meat contains 21 g of protein. If your teenager is a vegetarian, he can still get the protein he needs by eating a variety of plant foods every day; he is at less risk for consuming too much protein than his meat-eating peers.
Considerations
If your child regularly consumes more than the recommended daily amount of protein, it can lead to dehydration, calcium loss and kidney and liver problems. According to Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., diets with high amounts of protein typically are not harmful for a short amount of time. However, over time, consuming too much protein can increase your teenager's risk of developing heart disease, because many protein sources come from animal foods that are high in saturated fat.
Recommendations
Encourage your teenager to eat low-fat sources of protein to decrease her risk of developing health problems. Dairy products such as skim milk and yogurt have no fat, and choosing lean cuts of meat can reduce the amount of saturated fat. Keep in mind that it is easy for your teenager to get the protein she needs from a healthy, balanced diet, so protein supplements typically are not necessary.
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