meal replacement for teenage son

Question
Sometimes my son does not want to eat breakfast.  He is 15 and plays tennis, basketball and runs track.  Is it healthy for him to have a protein shake in the morning instead of eating?  He is 5' 11 1/2"  and only weighs 145.  He is not into lifting weights on a regular basis yet.  I would say he is not the greatest eater, but will eat veggies and fruit when I give to him.  I try to give him a multi vitamin when I remember.  Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Answer
Julie,

Many teens have crazy and chaotic diets. They skip meals and overdo others. Sometimes they eat well. Sometimes they eat poorly. The fact that your son is so very athletic is wonderful simply because he will certainly want to eat. However, many people can't handle a heavy breakfast and some can't handle one at all. In any case, that will change often throughout an individual's life.

As a parent, I watch what and when my children eat to make sure that they eat enough food (which is subjective based on the child)as well as a good quality of food. As for the protein shakes, there are many products out there. Most of them are not suitable for a growing teen.  There are so many things going on in the body. While I am not advocating meal supplementation, I would be pleased if my son were making a healthy choice and not skipping a morning meal. Here are some guidelines that I would use to select a protein shake in general:

NO concentrated protein
Whey isolate or whey not soy
Ingredients that are easy to understand (amino acids are listed in all protein shakes worth taking)
Sugar carbs no more than 2-5 grams per serving
Most protein shakes have enzymes such as bromelain

I would not be happy with a prepared protein shake that is sold in a bottle ready to shake and drink. There are usually too many added ingredients that are unnecessary and potentially harmful. (if you can't understand what you read...don't eat it!) If it helps, I have a blender called a bullet that is a quick table top blender made to make one serving. Also, Vitamin Shoppe has blender cups that are great. As for the experts, you could find 10 that agree that these shakes are fine and 10 that are fully against them. The bottom line is to watch his health and well being, his overall eating habits #tough chore at that age), and READ INGREDIENTS when it comes to any type of supplementation related to muscle, nutrition, or weight loss.

Good luck with everything!

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