Children, Adolescents, and Huel

Huel has been designed to meet adult requirements for all nutrients at a 2,000kcal intake. People often enjoy consuming Huel for some of their meals as well as having one or two solid meals per day, including Huel to help ensure they’re getting a good intake of all nutrients. However, what about children and adolescents who may have different nutritional requirements to those of adults?

Huel, like any food, is safe for children above 3 years of age to include as part of a balanced, varied diet. Parents of children under 3 years old should consult their doctor or relevant health care professional before allowing their child to consume Huel. Huel is not suitable for babies or infants below / during weaning age.

Optimal Nutrition in Children and Adolescents

Children and adolescents should be encouraged to consume a balanced diet consisting of a variety of different foods including fibrous starchy foods like rice, potatoes, pasta, cereals; meat, fish or high-protein vegetarian alternatives; fruits and vegetables – at least 5 servings a day; and calcium-rich foods including dairy products or calcium-fortified alternatives. Children and teenagers should eat regularly to fuel growth and mental development as well as providing nutrition for high levels of activity. Good nutrition goes hand-in-hand with physical activity: kids are encouraged to be active and include some regular exercise, whether it be school sports, walking, riding a bike, or simply playing out with friends. A healthy child is one who eats well and gets plenty of exercise.

As long as the child is eating sufficient foods from the above food groups, it’s OK for them to include sweets and treats, provided that they are not consumed too often. It is essential to recognize that socializing is also important for kids, and if their friends are enjoying less-than-healthy foods, the odd junk food meal or fatty and sugary snack will not be harmful and may help prevent a child from feeling ‘left out.’

Getting your child to eat a good, balanced diet can be an arduous challenge in a modern society where sweets, snacks and fast food are advertised everywhere and buying them is both easy and affordable. Any parent will know what it’s like trying to get a young child to eat all their vegetables, and most teenagers seem to be either constantly eating junk or have decided to follow an incomplete diet, leaving them with insufficient nutrition.

Huel can be included as part of a healthy diet for children and adolescents. Flavored Huel blended with water is a sweet and great-tasting, enjoyable drink. If you’re struggling to get your child or teenager to eat healthy food and they insist on eating junk and not enough fruits or vegetables, including Huel once or twice a day will help provide some of the high-quality nutrition that they need. Also, our great Huel recipes can be a fun way for your child to enjoy Huel nutrition.

Energy Requirements

Children’s energy requirements vary widely, from fewer than 1,500kcal per day in young kids, to over 2,800kcal per day in older teenagers. Energy requirements in older adolescents are often higher than those of an average adult. If a child is very active, then these requirements may be greater. Some kids are simply not big eaters, so you need to look at nutritionally-sound ways of obtaining sustenance without encouraging too much junk for the sake of calories. Using 2-3 scoops of Huel as an in-between main meal ‘snack’ is a great way of doing this.

Macronutrient Requirements

Protein requirements for children over 4 years old are the same as for adults, i.e. 50g per day. However, these recommendations cover little more than basic requirements, and typical intakes from a varied Western diet are considerably more. Indeed, active adolescents who partake in regular exercise benefit from a higher intake. 100g of Huel (about 2 scoops) provides around 29g of protein, so it’s a significant contributor to protein intake, especially for fussy eaters or vegetarian children.

The Daily Reference Value (DRV) for total carbohydrates in children over 4 years old is 275g per day, the same as for adults. The bulk of carbohydrate intake should be from fibrous starchy sources like potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals, whole wheat/grain bread and other whole grains, rather than from added sugars. Huel powder has no added sugars and is based on oats: a fibrous source of starch.

The DRV for total fat in children over 4 years is 78g per day. Like adults, children and adolescents are encouraged to consume more of certain types of fats including omega-3 polyunsaturates and monounsaturates. Huel provides 30% of its energy from fat and has an ideal fatty acid profile.

Fiber Intake

Most kids don’t consume enough fiber. Getting children and adolescents to eat more fruits and vegetables or fibrous carbohydrate foods can be a difficult task that leaves many parents frustrated. Not only are these foods rich in fiber, but they also contain many essential vitamins and minerals. Lack of fiber in kids can lead to bowel problems and could be a contributing factor in inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and colitis – both of which occur most commonly in adolescents and young adulthood.

Huel is high in fiber with 100g of Huel providing 9g fiber; this is a significant contribution to the 28g per day recommended for children over 4 years.

Sodium Intake

A lot of junk and fast foods are high in sodium, some of which is ‘hidden sodium’ in not-so-obvious foods. Consequently, like adults, children are encouraged to reduce their salt intake. Suggested upper intakes of sodium are 2,300mg per day for children over 4 years. Four scoops of Huel per day would contribute up to 580mg while providing around 800kcal.

Vitamin & Mineral Intakes

The table below shows the recommended intakes of vitamins and minerals for children over 4 years old.

In many children, food intake isn’t varied and is often high in empty calorie foods, i.e. foods that contain calories, but little in the way of micronutrients. By including Huel, you can be sure that a good contribution of requirements for all vitamins and minerals is being met. Also, as Huel is based on natural ingredients and topped up with a vitamin and mineral blend, by including it as part of a healthy balanced diet in your child, you don’t need to be concerned about excess consumption of any nutrient if intake is at recommended amounts.

Suggested daily requirements for vitamins and minerals compared with how much of each is in one scoop of Huel:

Amounts of Huel in Different Age Groups

Since upper safe limits for vitamins and minerals in children haven’t been evaluated, we suggest children consume Huel up to around the recommended requirement levels for their age. The following will give you a guide as to how much Huel a child or adolescent can include as part of a varied diet while encouraging them to eat good, wholesome foods every day. If your child has health issues, we recommend you consult your doctor or relevant clinical professional before allowing them to consume Huel.

Children Under 4

Huel is not suitable for babies or infants below or during weaning age. Parents of children under 4 years old should consult their doctor or relevant health care professional before allowing their child to consume Huel.

4 to 6-Year-Olds

Children of 4 to 6 years of age can include up to 1.5 scoops (about 75g) Huel per day. This is around one quarter of their daily energy requirements and can be a great between-meal snack to ensure your child is getting a range of vitamins and minerals.

7 to 10-Year-Olds

7- to 10-year-olds can enjoy 2.5 scoops (about 125g) of Huel per day, which would give them a quarter to a third of their daily energy.

11 to 14-Year-Olds

Young adolescents can include around 3 scoops (about 150g) of Huel a day. At this growth spurt age, energy requirements are high, especially in active kids; Huel provides a good contribution of protein, energy and vitamins for this age group.

Over 14-Year-Olds

Older adolescents have, in most cases, nutritional requirements greater than those of adults due to the fact that they’re growing, they’re often physically active and are studying at school or college. This age group can enjoy Huel freely as part of a balanced, varied diet.

References

1. FDA. Nutritional Labeling of Food. 2018; 21(2)