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First, it was protein muffins<\/a>: flourless chocolate ones made with banana, zucchini, kale, and peanut butter\u00a0that were \u201cpacked with protein<\/a>\u201d to provide \u201clong-lasting energy for our busy little people.\u201d I scrolled past without giving it much thought until a few weeks later, when the same Instagram account served up a recipe for a toddler protein shake<\/a>. It wasn\u2019t the only one<\/a>. Next thing I knew, I was wading through recipes for Rice Krispie Treats made with hemp hearts<\/a> and advice<\/a> to serve \u201cleftover birthday-party candy\u201d alongside a high-protein snack like a hard-boiled egg. Now, my feed is full of carnivore babies<\/a> eating whipped bone marrow. Hannah Bronfman has been serving her 4-year-old pizza with ground-chicken crust<\/a>, and Hannah Neeleman\u2019s kids can\u2019t get enough yogurt mixed with a scoop of Ballerina Farm protein powder<\/a>. Jennifer Garner\u2019s baby-food company, Once Upon a Farm, recently launched refrigerated protein bars for kids<\/a>. Even the New York Times is here to help with high-protein bento box ideas<\/a> for the start of the school year.<\/p>\n\n Given the explosion of cottage-cheese recipes<\/a> and \u201cWhat I Eat in a Day\u201d videos featuring David bars<\/a>, it was only a matter of time until protein-mania came for toddlers, too. In recent years, the rise of kid-food Instagram has made feeding young children seem like an increasingly daunting task<\/a>. First, parents were sneaking vegetables into brownies and macaroni and cheese. Now, they\u2019re worried their kids aren\u2019t eating enough protein. Amy Palanjian, a recipe developer who posts protein muffins and smoothies on the popular account Yummy Toddler Food<\/a>, says the obsession has ramped up in the past year or two. She\u2019s noticed that kid-friendly recipes that promise protein tend to get a lot more engagement. \u201cNow, if I post a bowl of pasta, someone\u2019s gonna be like, Okay, but where\u2019s the protein?\u201d<\/p>\n The anxiety is understandable. Toddlers famously love beige foods, and a lot of them refuse to eat meat or chicken. \u201cThey just don\u2019t like the texture. It\u2019s hard for them to eat,\u201d says Megan McNamee, a registered dietitian who runs the Instagram account Feeding Littles<\/a>.<\/p>\n But even if their chicken breast ends up on the floor, your toddler is almost certainly getting enough protein. McNamee says that, between the ages of 1 and 3, most kids should aim to get at least 13 grams of protein<\/a> a day \u2014\u00a0about two to three servings, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a>. Barring certain medical complications, \u201calmost every toddler I work with is easily meeting those needs,\u201d says McNamee. That\u2019s because many foods that we don\u2019t typically think of as \u201chigh protein\u201d actually have a decent amount of it. A cup of milk, for example, has eight grams of protein \u2014\u00a0meaning many toddlers get all the protein they need from milk alone<\/a>. An egg has seven grams of protein. We tend to forget that wheat also contains protein. Laura Thomas, a registered nutritionist who writes the newsletter Can I Have Another Snack?<\/a>, points out<\/a> that a cup of cooked pasta \u2014\u00a0which usually has about eight grams of protein per serving \u2014 provides more than half of a toddler\u2019s daily protein requirements. \u201cBroadly speaking, if a toddler is growing as expected, that\u2019s a good indication that they\u2019re getting enough protein,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n And despite what you hear from fitness and weight-loss influencers, most adults are getting plenty of protein<\/a>, too. Experts recommend<\/a> that healthy adults should eat at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight \u2014 so a person who weighs 150 pounds should aim to get a minimum of 54 grams of protein a day. According to data from the USDA<\/a>, most Americans get way more than that. While there\u2019s growing debate over whether those recommendations should be higher \u2014\u00a0particularly for people who are strength training or aging \u2014\u00a0some of the recommendations online have gotten out of control. \u201cNow people are saying you need, like, 200 grams of protein a day,\u201d says McNamee. \u201cThat\u2019s insane.\u201d<\/p>\n It is true that protein helps keep us full, and McNamee thinks that no matter your age, it\u2019s worth trying to have some with every meal or snack: \u201cIf your kid is just eating fruit leathers and Goldfish, then yes, they will be hungry all the time.\u201d But adding protein can be as simple as giving kids some crackers with cheese or peanut butter, she says. \u201cI think there\u2019s this idea that if you don\u2019t have meat as the main dish, you\u2019re not getting enough protein,\u201d says Palanjian. \u201cThat\u2019s just not true \u2014\u00a0for adults or for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, evidence suggests that parents might want to focus more on fiber \u2014\u00a0a nutrient most American children actually don\u2019t get enough of<\/a>. But according to Palanjian, that\u2019s a much harder sell on Instagram. She recently put together a collection of high-fiber recipes<\/a>, like chickpea fritters and black-bean soup. \u201cI think I mentioned it on Instagram one time,\u201d she says. \u201cNobody cared.\u201d<\/p>\n Stay in touch.<\/p>\n Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n