[Closed] Pea protein for a active 14y.5 ?

Vege for a year now though I insist they have a can on tuna once a week.

Are they are vegetarian due to belief or preference? If the former it sounds dodgy as hell but I don't want to seem to be questioning your parenting.

Key here is to get a full amino acid profile, doable purely veggy but involves the right diet.

Adding pea protein after lifting is only of benefit if they are deficient on protein in their diet. Limited evidence that protein does anything for recovery otherwise.

I played high level rugby, and whilst not a vegetarian, i was playing for pro rugby league team whilst a student and money was tight and girlfriend was vege. I would have two slices of toast, a tin of beans and two poached eggs on top, thats 35g of protein or thereabouts for about £1 then.

Pea protein is good though, used in a lot of vege supplements, have a look at Huel Black edition, not just a protein shake, but nutritionally complete meal, with 40g of protein, or the Myprotein vegan clear protein powders are good, taste more like fruit juice then the powdery pastes of old.

https://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/clear-vegan-protein/12360400.html

https://uk.huel.com/products/huel-black-edition

Perhaps they just need to eat a bit more total food on lifting/training days. Would probs benefit from some extra carbs to recover too following training, not just protein - particularly if they’re crashing post -lifting. A big bottle of chocolate milk is a good post exercise drink (and veggie but not vegan - not sure if this matters). Lots of fast acting carbs to replenish blood sugars and muscle glycogen, and protein to repair and rebuild.

If they’re training 5 days per week including S&C work (so taking it seriously) its worth keeping a food diary for a few weeks and working out their typical macro nutrient intake to make sure that they’re getting enough of everything.

Veggie diet is totally fine but it can be tricky to get sufficient protein for strength/power performance and recovery. One can of tuna a week is not going to achieve much if rest of the weekly/daily diet is lacking. Consistency is key.

I’ve never used pea protein but used whey and casein for years and whilst it’s not replacement for real food it’s a useful supplement to have when required.

Do they have access to a qualified S&C coach or suchlike who can advise?

I insist they have a can on tuna once a week.

Why? Are they lacking protein? Treating them to a second can of tuna seems like an obvious answer.

I insist they have a can on tuna once a week.

Well, stop it. What difference do you think a single can of tuna once a week is going to make, other than to make him resentful of you?

There are many, many, many sources of vegetarian protein these days.

Thanks all.

I thought your only supposed to eat 1 tin of tuna due to the Mercury levels in some fish?

Anyway, something like huel is worth a look.. It's not just a protein shake, it's designed as a balanced meal with lots of micro nutrients etc. Too.

I suspect that any decent lifting session would (should) leave anyone dead for the rest of the day. Protein won't help with that, that's either a lack of sugars/energy or just the usual post-workout muscle soreness.

Although I'd question working quite that hard at 14.

And I'd question the tuna thing, that's just weird.

Meal replacement shakes are an option, I use them when I'm busy and the alternatives are fast food. but as posted above, beans on toast has double the protein of typical protein shakes. Add in a couple of other decent meals with some veggie protein in them and hitting the recommended 50g is almost impossible to miss, and 100g is easily achievable.

Do be aware of "antinutrients" though. Some pulses in particular, have the effect of blocking the absorption of micronutrients. Easily countered by taking a multivit between meals rather than with them.

He's 14.5n years old. Just let him shovel as much down his neck as he can. I did alot of swimming through my teens as well as all the other stuff teens get upto (rugby, cycling, Karate) and ate like a horse. Never thought too hard about what I ate and never put a gram of weight on, swimming 7 times a week plus land training I was always hungry and shovelling my face. All good and proper food, as well as some crap, but I wan't looking at how many grams of this or that nutrient I was consuming...I was easily consuming enough of everything, because I was eating everything. It was just about calories. At this age, as long as you'r'e not eating processed crap, you can't afford to be too fussy at that age. You're growing, developing and with the demands from training and activity on top of that its hard to just consume sufficient calories. If he's wiped out for the rest of the day after a training session then he needs more calories. Not sure a 14 year old should be 'wiped out' for a day no matter how hard a training session is. I'd have an 1.5 hr session in the pool a couple of times a week before school, then PE during school as well as shenanigans in the playgoers then back in the pool in the evening or land training some days. At that age you are a walking power station and energy is never an issue. Sounds like he's lacking in calories rather than protein.

I guess if you're properly talented and been identified as a future olympian or something and there is more riding on progression then maybe take things a bit more scientifically and thoughtfully, but then if that were the case you'd have a proper trainer and dietician involved.

I'm always a bit sceptical about processed food. Eggs are more or less the most protein rich thing you can eat so unless vegan what about omelette for tea after weights followed by sponge cake which is 25% eggs so more protein still. Nicer to eat than a magic shake too! Also as above active teenagers out eat most horses and the usual rule of plenty of fruit and veg in the mix and should be OK.

Loads of simple carbs and sugar in cake so that's probably a really bad idea.

Nothing wrong with simple carbs and sugar after exercise if your priority is recovering and growing stronger.

Also nothing wrong with simple carbs and sugar if consumed as part of a balanced diet.

But we’ve had this argument on here plenty recently so let’s not 😆

At that age I agree with the “just eat lots of real food” principle. My suggestion re the food diary was purely because of the veggie diet which “could” perhaps result in not eating enough of some essential stuff.

We don't have any restriction on food in the house. Plenty of fruit and fresh vege around. Not lacking in calories that's for sure.

I'll suggest eggs and beans on toast, chocolate milk etc. Shouldn't be that hard to sell.

Agreed with the lifting coach to be uber consertive with weight on the bar. What you can't control is the amount of effort they choose to put in to the lift.