Does your teenager take protein shakes?

[PJ67]

My 15 yr old has some weights in his room which he has been using but he is now saying he wants protein shakes to help him build muscles. At first I acted as though he was asking to take heroin and said definitely not, but having seen that you can buy them in tesco I'm not sure whether it would be too big a problem or not. Some seem to have creatine and caffeine in them which I wouldn't imagine is too good for teenagers but I'm just not sure if to let him try them or not.

My son uses them. But not to replace a meal , but in addition too.
They are disgusting. I dont know how he drinks them. I like them because he excersises a lot and can't seem to eat enough calories. The plastic cups also stink after a while no matter how much you scrub them.

DS1 went through a phase. Disgusting stuff - just read the list of ingredients very unnatural. I am really dubious about them and thankfully he went off them.

Sounds fab! He's looking to improve his physique, exercise regularly and consider his food. I would certainly grab the bull by the horns, use it as a great opportunity to get some healthy food into him and if he wants to drink protein (goodness knows, I do it because I train and it hurts less the following day rather than because it tastes good!) then its going to do no harm whatsoever.

Best of luck to him, I only wish I could get my 14 year old to take the same interest in an activity that promotes good health and discipline.

Ds1 went through a phase of using them, too. Lasted about 6 months.

I'm under pressure to start making protein bars for DS. Terribly expensive ingredients! When I went to Holland and B to get the whey powder, they said they don't sell it to under 18s. That must mean something...

My brother is taking protein shakes and bars for muscle building. He believes these can provide high quality protein in a convenient way. Your teen can take it too if he's an active athlete. But if non-active, foods he eat are enough for his protein needs. Make sure he doesn't take too many amount as it can lead to protein toxicity.

The reason that they don't sell to under 18s is that they are usually taken when weight lifting, and due to how children grow, it is not recommended that they weight lift until they are over 18

I drink one after the gym. I don't understand what the problem might be?

Oh except for the smelly side effects.....

DS pesters about these. Constantly. I spoke to the local sports nutrition shop and they do not recommend them for under 18's- I was impressed that they would not even sell me any. ( something about when you are still growing and the wrong amino acids )
Teens won't like this - but the best way to bulk up is to eat more food ( if you are skinny ) eat healthy food , meat, eggs, nuts, dairy products are good sources of protein.
In any case a protein shake is like a glass of milk and an egg white or two - not a huge amount of protein.
I do a lot of exercise and have used them after weight training & they are good at keeping hunger satisfied. However a tuna or egg sandwich is a better portion of protein as it also contains lots of vitamins and micro nutrients.
Also be aware a lot of protein supplements are full of nasties - sugar, artificial sweeteners etc.

DS has a protein shake before he goes to bed. He's 18 (just) and has been having them for about 4 or 5 months. He has done exercise/weights every night for about 3 or 4 years. He also plays rugby once or twice a week and does rugby training plus some sort of intensive fitness training for rugby a couple of times a week. The fitness instructor at his club told him that while he was exercising like this he needed to up his protein intake. I can't remember how much he told him he needed but ds was finding it difficult to get anywhere near that amount in his diet - hence the shakes.

He is a fantastic shape and eats very healthily. I hope the shakes aren't doing him any harm.

I think everything in moderation is fine especially if they're active, pretty near the age of 18, and only drinking then occasionally.

My teenage DS takes protein shakes and like the others on here is weightlifting regularly and plays rugby. I wasn't too happy about it after reading how unsuitable it was for under 18s. It was also costing him a lot of money. He did bulk up quickly and I reckon developed 'Adonis syndrome' where what he looked like was more important than how fit he was.

We went on holiday for a week and he did not take the shakes that week. The reduction in his bulk was noticeable. From what I gather the shakes increase the fluid in the muscles and you have keep taking to keep the size to maintain the fluid (though there was still increase with the weight training).

Another concern was that he talks of those at the gym on steroids and what he has been offered - though he is adamant that he wouldn't go down that route
He is now over 18 and paying for it himself. Btw he is also very interested in nutrition and eats lots of meat and fruit and veg.

Yes ds1, almost 16 drinks them. He has 3 football training sessions a week lasting 2 hours each and matches Saturday and Sunday. He also goes to the gym a couple of times a week and has weights in his room that he uses every night.
He does know about nutrition, what his body needs and when. He says that the protein shakes help to repair the muscles quickly, I have noticed that when he started training more intensively that he used to get muscle cramps which does not happen now- whether that's the protein shake or just warming down properly now I don't know
He recovers better after training now though, when he first started he was very achy and a bit uncomfortable/tired the next day.

Better off with a pint of milk. My dp lectures/researchs exercise physiology and never takes protein shakes, fish oils and milk all the way!

In this thread I'm seeing a lot of teen boys wanting to look a certain way & doing weights in their rooms unsupervised on a daily basis. My DS included.
This is not necessarily a healthy thing. I would far rather DS took part in some sport ( he does literally none) - rowing / swimming can build you up - & a bit of conditioning to support this.
Doing weights daily is probably not a great idea - even professional adult athletes probably do a couple of sessions a week, allowing for recovery in between. I do a session weekly with a trainer and it takes me a day to recover!
But hey they won't be told!

Claybury You are right they won't be told. I am sure there are far better ways to improve health and fitness but they want muscles before their bodies are ready. It is difficult when you are 18 and 6'2" and weigh 10 stone as DS1 does.
I did manage to stop both DSs doing weight training before they were 16 and even then they never went overboard.
This year we signed them up at the gym where they at least do a mix of activities and only a couple of times a week. For DS2 though it's almost the only exercise he does. There is not a sport you could name (including rowing) that he hasn't tried in the past but none that he sticks at.

Claybury, I agree. Luckily (or maybe not, given the time it takes up!) DS trains/plays footy 6 days a week and goes to the school gym some lunchtimes, so he is supervised, but he won't be told by DH or I to take some rest days and risks injury from all this exercise.

He is a muscular build and was showing me his arm muscles and 6-pack last night - flippin heck! I dread to think how big and strong he will be at 18+ given the size of him now at 13 and a half

I think it is much more tricky for those who are a less muscular built as teens - they all want to look hench, but for some that won't come until they are mid-twenties. Those protein shakes can't be good - it's not real food, is it?

Don't buy them from Holland and Barrett. Very expensive. I think my son uses something like "my pro" much cheaper. He does buy his own so that's an incentive to go cheaper.

My son (17 yrs) has just started boxing/training 3 times a week and was told by someone at the gym to get a protein shake for after exercise. He is taking a shake that says its for muscle maintenance and growth.

I have refused to pay for the shakes and don't really approve - in the great scheme of things though it could be worse. He does also seem to have been given advice about his diet and is generally eating more healthily - no crisps or junk food and when he came shopping yesterday he was looking at the food labels of his usual "treats".

This is quite a good article.

www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/10506034/Are-protein-shakes-good-for-you.html

My DS plays football and cycles. He is 20 and has always been wiry. He has bulked up a bit lately and drinks a couple of raw eggs beaten up in milk after exercise. I have tried to discourage him from using protein shakes; I dislike fake, processed food.