Having adequate protein in the diet is always important, but meeting protein requirements is especially critical during periods of rapid growth — infancy, childhood and adolescence
1. Protein, derived from the Greek word for “holding first place,” is rightly named, as it is the primary tissue-repair and growth substance in the body
2. Protein also is the major structural component of all cells in the body, and as such, is often considered the most important macronutrient for humans
3. Soy protein is a high-quality, complete, plant-based protein that can provide essential amino acids in an easily digestible form
4. Many fortified soy foods also are good sources of important nutrients that children are currently underconsuming, such as calcium, vitamin D and fiber
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Establishing healthy eating habits during childhood is critical to ensuring good eating habits throughout life. Overweight children are more likely than normal-weight children to become overweight or obese adults
6. Additionally, the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the no. 1 cause of death in the United States and the world, begin in childhood
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10. Behaviors that impact the risk of CVD are learned, beginning in early childhood, and include dietary habits
11. A recent study found that substituting soy protein for animal protein in a low-fat diet decreased two key markers for CVD — total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels — in children and teens
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Eating soy is an easy, child-friendly part of a balanced diet. A wide variety of soy-based products are great for breakfast — an important start to a child’s day. Improved academic measures, including memory, test grades and school attendance, are positively associated with eating breakfast
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14. Throughout the day, foods containing soy foods can help keep a child feeling fuller longer than meals that do not contain soy or protein
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16. There are many soy products children can enjoy at mealtimes, including flavored soymilk, soy cheese, soy-based breakfast meats, soy nuts and nut butter, soy yogurt, soy cereal and soy baked goods, such as waffles and bread.
Many children are lactose intolerant or have a dairy food allergy. Because soy is lactose-free, soymilk and soymilk based products are appropriate for children with these conditions. To help feed infants with these dietary issues, Solae pioneered soy infant formula when it introduced soy protein isolate for the infant formula market more than 40 years ago. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends increasing consumption of fortified soy beverages, such as soymilk, a nutritionally equivalent substitute for fluid milk
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View all sources cited
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2 Otten JJ et al. Dietary References Intake: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2006.
3 Duyfl RL. The American Dietetic Association’s Complete Food & Nutrition Guide. New York, NY, 1998.
4 FAO/WHO (1991). Protein Quality Evaluation; FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 51, Rome, Italy.
5 Section B.2, Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, June 2010.
6 American Dietetic Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition Guidance for Healthy Children Ages 2 to 11 years. J Am Diet Assoc 2008, 108:1038-1047.
7 World Health Organization. Cardiovascular Disease. Fact Sheet No. 317, February 2007.
8 American Heart Association. International Cardiovascular Disease Statistics. Statistical Fact Sheet—Populations 2009 Update. 2009.
9 Steinberger J et al. Progress and challenges in metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association. Atherosclerosis, Hypertension, and Obesity in the Young. Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young; Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; and Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism. Circulation 2009; 119:626-647.
10 Kavey RW et al. American Heart Association guidelines for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease beginning in childhood. Circulation 2003, 107: 1562-1566.
11 Halton TL, Hu FB (2004). The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: a critical review. J Am Coll Nutr, 23: 373-85.
12 Weghuber D, Widhalm K. Effect of 3-month treatment of children and adolescents with familial and polygenic hypercholesterolemia with a soya-substituted diet. Br J Nutr 2008, 99: 281-286.
13 Rampersaud GC et al. Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight and academic performance in children and adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc 2005; 105: 743-760.
14 Mahoney CR et al. Effect of breakfast composition on cognitive processes in elementary school children. Physiol Behav. 2005; 85(5): 635-645.
15 Lang V et al. Satiating effect of proteins in healthy subjects: a comparison of egg albumin, casein, gelatin, soy protein, pea protein and wheat gluten. Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 67:1197-1204.
16 Veldhorst MAB et al. Effects of high and normal soy protein breakfasts on satiety and subsequent energy intake, including amino acid and ‘satiety’ hormone responses. Eur J Nutr 2009; 48: 92-100.
17 Executive Summary, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, January 2011.