How much protein do you need a day?
Protein builds and repairs muscle, bone, skin, enzymes and hormones, and it keeps you fuller than carbohydrate or fat. How much you need depends mostly on your body weight and what you are trying to achieve. This protein calculator turns your weight and goal into a daily target in grams, split across your meals, using the ranges recommended by nutrition bodies and sports-science research.
Choose from basic needs (the RDA), active adult, building muscle, losing weight while strength training, or older adult, and add the extra 25 g recommended in later pregnancy and while breastfeeding. A table of everyday foods shows how much of your target each covers, and a searchable protein in food chart lists over 300 USDA foods per 100 g, per portion and per 100 kcal, with vegetarian and non-veg filters.
These are estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice. People with kidney disease in particular should follow their doctor’s protein advice.
How to use the Protein Calculator
- Choose kilograms or pounds and enter your body weight.
- Select the goal that best matches you.
- If you are pregnant (second or third trimester) or breastfeeding, choose that option to add 25 g.
- Pick how many meals you eat to see your per-meal target.
- Use the food table to plan meals that reach your daily total.
- In the protein in food chart, search a food, filter by diet or food group, sort by protein per 100 g, per portion or per 100 kcal, and type a portion in grams to see its protein.
Protein Calculator features
Evidence-based ranges
From the 0.8 g/kg RDA to 1.6–2.4 g/kg for people dieting while they train, each goal uses published recommendations.
Per-meal split
Divides your target across 3–5 meals and shows the roughly 0.4 g/kg per meal that research links to muscle building.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Adds the extra 25 g a day set by the US Dietary Reference Intakes.
Food examples for every diet
Meat, fish, dairy, eggs and vegetarian staples popular in India and elsewhere, with the share of your target each provides.
Protein in food chart
Over 300 foods with USDA protein per 100 g, per household portion and per 100 kcal, sortable and filterable by diet and food group.
Kilograms or pounds
Enter your weight either way; the per-pound equivalent is shown too.
Protein recommendations by goal
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g per kg is the amount that meets the basic needs of nearly all healthy, sedentary adults; the WHO/FAO safe level of 0.83 g/kg is almost identical. It is a minimum, not an optimum. The International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests 1.4–2.0 g/kg for most people who exercise, and a 2018 meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues found gains in muscle from resistance training levelled off at about 1.6 g/kg, with some people benefiting up to 2.2 g/kg.
When you eat less to lose fat, higher intakes of roughly 1.6–2.4 g/kg help hold on to muscle. For adults over 65, expert groups such as PROT-AGE and ESPEN recommend 1.0–1.2 g/kg to slow age-related muscle loss.
Example: a 70 kg person who wants to build muscle needs 1.6 × 70 = 112 g to 2.2 × 70 = 154 g a day — about 28–39 g at each of four meals.
| Goal | Grams per kg | Grams per lb | 70 kg (154 lb) person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic needs (RDA) | 0.8 | 0.36 | 56 g |
| Active adult | 1.2–1.6 | 0.54–0.73 | 84–112 g |
| Building muscle | 1.6–2.2 | 0.73–1.0 | 112–154 g |
| Weight loss with training | 1.6–2.4 | 0.73–1.09 | 112–168 g |
| Older adult (65+) | 1.0–1.2 | 0.45–0.54 | 70–84 g |
| Pregnancy / breastfeeding | RDA + 25 g | — | 81 g |
Spreading protein across the day
Muscle responds best to regular doses rather than one large serving. Schoenfeld and Aragon (2018) suggest about 0.4 g/kg per meal over at least four meals — roughly 25–40 g for most adults. Many people eat little protein at breakfast and most at dinner; moving some to the morning is an easy win.
Tips for reaching your target
- Base each meal on a protein food: eggs or yogurt at breakfast, dal, beans, paneer, chicken or fish at lunch and dinner.
- Vegetarians can reach high targets by combining pulses, soya, dairy and grains through the day.
- If your body fat is high, base the calculation on a realistic goal weight rather than your current weight, so the target isn’t inflated.
- Protein powder is convenient but not essential; food gives you fibre, vitamins and minerals too.
- Fit protein into your overall calories with the macro calculator, and track strength gains with the one-rep max calculator.
Protein Calculator FAQ
How much protein do I need per day?
Healthy adults need at least 0.8 g per kg of body weight. If you exercise regularly, 1.2–1.6 g/kg is a better target, and 1.6–2.2 g/kg if you are trying to build muscle. Use the protein calculator to turn this into grams for your weight.
Which foods have the most protein?
Per 100 g, dry foods lead: soy chunks (about 64 g), cheeses, seeds, peanuts and lentils. Cooked meat and fish give 19–30 g, paneer 25 g and eggs 12 g. Weight is the catch, since dry foods swell when cooked, so compare per portion or per 100 kcal.
Can I eat too much protein?
For healthy people, intakes up to about 2 g/kg appear safe in research, and higher amounts are generally well tolerated. People with kidney disease should not raise their protein without medical advice.
Should I use my current weight or goal weight?
If you are close to a healthy weight, use your current weight. If you are carrying a lot of body fat, using your goal weight gives a more sensible target.
How much protein can the body absorb in one meal?
Your body absorbs nearly all the protein you eat; the question is how much it uses for muscle building at once. Around 0.4 g/kg per meal (25–40 g) is a practical guide, but larger meals are not wasted.
Do vegetarians and vegans get enough protein?
Yes, with planning. Lentils, chickpeas, beans, soya, tofu, paneer, dairy, nuts and seeds can easily cover the RDA and higher targets. Mixing different plant sources across the day provides all the essential amino acids.
How much extra protein do I need when pregnant?
Around 25 g a day extra in the second and third trimesters, and the same while breastfeeding. Your midwife or doctor may adjust this to your circumstances.