Top 10 Sources of Protein for Child Growth

Protein is the nutrient your child needs for wear and tear of the body, to build strong muscles and bones, fight infections, and overall growth and development of the body.¹

 Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Top 10 Sources of Protein for Child Growth
• Conclusion
• Source

Among many protein food sources, here are the top 10 sources of protein that you must include in your child’s diet:

10 Sources of Protein for Your Child²:

1. Milk

If you are looking for an easy-peasy protein food source, slurp! slurp! Milk it is! It’s an excellent source of high-quality protein for child growth and development. Warm milk as the morning or bedtime beverage is enjoyed by many children, mix in some nuts powder to increase its nutritional value.

2. Egg

An egg is another eggcellent (excellent) source of protein and gets done without a hassle. Another best thing is its culinary versatility and you don’t have to fuss about adding variety to your child’s plate. It can be enjoyed as boiled, scrambled, omelette, poached, muffins, stuffed in wraps/sandwiches, curries and the list goes on! This makes eggs one of the best sources of protein for child growth.

Also, note: do not discard the yolk, in addition to protein it has many other nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin A essential for your child. 

3. Cottage cheese (Paneer)

Being a milk product, your child can also have paneer as a protein food source. Cooking paneer requires no sweat. You can add them to roti wrap/sandwiches, saute or grill paneer cubes, make paneer vegetable skewers, scrambled paneer (paneer bhurjee) or add them to vegetables or vegetable curries as a protein food source for child’s growth.

4. Curd/Yogurt

Curd and yogurt are among the best sources of protein and are also great for your child’s tummy. They have good bacteria (probiotics) and improve the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. So next time your child has a tummy ache, you don’t have to miss out on proteins. You can give yogurt with fruits, curd rice (dahi chawal), dahi kadhi with rice (kadhi chawal), buttermilk, rice idli/dosa with curd, etc. Adding a small bowl of curd/yogurt to our regular meal – roti, dal, vegetable, adds to the protein value while also enhancing the protein quality.

5. Tofu

Tofu is the paneer made from soymilk (which is made from soybean), hence also called as soy paneer. Just like paneer, it can be added as a protein food source in wraps/sandwiches, vegetable skewers, vegetables, or vegetable curries, etc. You can also coat tofu cubes with a mixture of curd and some spices and saute or grill them for a healthy snack.

6. Lentils (Dals)

Lentils are among the best sources of protein, especially for vegetarians in India. All lentils have a similar amount of protein, you choose whichever your child likes to eat. Combining lentils with cereals such as roti/rice/millet improves the protein quality. Some parts of protein (amino acids) that are missing in cereals are complemented by lentils and vice-versa, that improves the quality of protein. What’s more interesting is that Indian cuisine has a long list of such foods. To name a few – dal rice, dal dhokli, rice dal khichadi, millet dal khichadi, idli (has rice and urad dal) with sambar (has dal), sattu paratha, etc.

7. Pulses like Rajma, Chickpeas

Rajma Chawal is loved by most kids and it’s our favorite too! Not only because it’s delicious but also a protein-packed meal. Pulses like lentils are also among protein food sources for your child’s growth and its combination with cereals such as rice improves the protein quality.³ Pulsed-based curries chana/chole/ussal with rice or roti, chana pulao or healthy bites such as rajma chickpea tikkis, and moong tikkis are some of the many ways you can include them in your child’s diet.

8. Cheese

You must be delighted to see cheese on the list, most children love it! Yes, it’s a good source of protein for child growth. But, remember its protein comes with quite an amount of fat and salt, and in excess is not good for your child. So, do not make it a routine, occasional use in moderation will keep your child healthy and happy.

9. Lean Meats – Chicken, Fish

For non-veg lovers, these are a treat! Chicken and fish as curry, cutlets, in pasta/noodles/pulao are some ways of including them as protein food sources for your child. Avoid giving non-veg as deep-fried preparations and processed meats like ham, sausages, etc. Processed meat may have preservatives and other additives that may not be good for your child.

10. Soy chunks and granules

Soy chunks or granules are among the best sources of protein for vegetarians. Soy wrap, soya kkeema, soy tikkis, (made by using minced chunks or soy granules), soy pulao are some ways to include them in your child’s diet.

Conclusion

With these 10 sources of protein and ways to incorporate them into meals, you just have to get the ball rolling. However, you may come across some situations where including these may be a challenge due to reasons such as food likes/dislikes of your child, your child may not able to eat enough, or your child being sick where the protein needs are high. We’ve got your here, nutritional drinks like Complan can be a convenient and healthy option. It has 34 vital nutrients including protein, calcium, etc. essential for your child. Mixing Complan with milk is a piece of cake- tasty yet nourishing!

Source:

¹ Faizan U, Rouster AS. Nutrition and Hydration Requirements In Children and Adults. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562207/. Accessed on 8^th March 2025.

² T. Longvah, R. Ananthan, K. Bhaskarachary and K. Venkaiah, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017.

³ Bouchard, J., Malalgoda, M., Storsley, J., Malunga, L., Netticadan, T., & Thandapilly, S. J. (2022). Health Benefits of Cereal Grain- and Pulse-Derived Proteins. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 27(12), 3746. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27123746.Accessed on 8^th March 2025.