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Most protein numbers online are written for 80 kg Western gym-goers. This one starts from the ICMR-NIN 2020 figure for Indians and adjusts it for your age, activity, goal and pregnancy, then shows how to get there with dal, paneer, curd and the rest of an Indian kitchen. No email, answer on this page.
A healthy Indian adult needs 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, the ICMR-NIN 2020 RDA[1]. That is about 46 g for a 55 kg woman and 54 g for a 65 kg man. It is a floor set to prevent deficiency, not a target for everyone.
Several things raise it. From 40, muscle becomes harder to keep, and 1.0–1.2 g/kg is the range experts give for older adults[2]. If you train, 1.4–2.0 g/kg covers most people[3]. If you are losing fat, more protein helps protect muscle[6]. Pregnancy and breastfeeding add a fixed number of grams on top[1]. Kidney disease is the exception where the number must come from your doctor[7].
Grams per kg of body weight per day. The third column shows what that means for a 60 kg adult.
| Who | g/kg a day | At 60 kg | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy adult (the RDA) | 0.83 | 50 g | [1] |
| Adult eating a mostly cereal-based diet | 1.0 | 60 g | [1] |
| Adults 40–64, to hold on to muscle | 1.0–1.2 | 60–72 g | [2] |
| Healthy adults 65+ | 1.0–1.2 | 60–72 g | [2] |
| Adults 65+ who are ill or recovering | 1.2–1.5 | 72–90 g | [2] |
| Exercising most days | 1.2–1.4 | 72–84 g | [5][2] |
| Training for strength or sport | 1.4–2.0 | 84–120 g | [3] |
| Building muscle, with training | 1.6–2.0 | 96–120 g | [3][4] |
| Losing fat, no training | 1.2–1.6 | 72–96 g | [6] |
| Losing fat while training | 1.8–2.0 | 108–120 g | [3] |
| Pregnancy, 1st trimester | no addition | [1] | |
| Pregnancy, 2nd trimester | +9.5 g a day | [1] | |
| Pregnancy, 3rd trimester | +22 g a day | [1] | |
| Breastfeeding, 0–6 months | +16.9 g a day | [1] | |
| Breastfeeding, 6–12 months | +13.2 g a day | [1] | |
| Chronic kidney disease | set by your nephrologist | [7] |
It starts from your age: 0.83–1.0 g/kg under 40, and 1.0–1.2 g/kg from 40. Then it checks your activity and goal, and uses whichever range is higher. A 30-year-old who trains to build muscle lands on 1.6–2.0 g/kg; a 67-year-old who mostly sits stays at 1.0–1.2 g/kg.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding additions are added in grams, using ICMR-NIN 2020's figures. If you are pregnant and pick "lose fat", it calculates for maintaining instead. Tick kidney disease and it shows no number at all, because the right target in CKD can be lower or higher than usual[7].
The per-meal figures split the day evenly. That matters more than it sounds: muscle responds to protein in each meal, and most Indian diets put very little at breakfast and a lot at dinner. Older adults do well with about 25–30 g at each main meal[2].
Approximate values from our nutrition dataset, which is built from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables. They vary by brand, recipe and how thick the dal is.
| Food | Protein | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-wheat roti | 2.5–3 g | per serving |
| Katori cooked dal (about 150 g) | 7–9 g | per serving |
| Katori curd (dahi) | 5–6 g | per serving |
| Glass toned milk (250 ml) | about 8 g | ~3.1–3.2 g per 100 g |
| 100 g paneer | 18–20 g | ~18–20 g per 100 g |
| Handful roasted chana (30 g) | 5.5–6 g | ~18–20 g per 100 g |
| 30 g dry soya chunks | about 15.5 g | ~52 g per 100 g |
| Handful peanuts (30 g) | 7.5–8 g | ~25–26 g per 100 g |
| Two whole eggs | about 12 g | per serving |
A typical day of 4 rotis, 2 katoris of dal, a katori of curd and a glass of milk comes to about 40 g. Most adults need more than that, which is why paneer, soya chunks, chana, peanuts or eggs make the difference.
You can reach every target on this page with food. If a meal often falls short, one 54 g serving of KABO gives 23–25 g plant protein, with 26 vitamins and minerals. It is dairy-free, has no artificial sweeteners and is FSSAI-licensed. If you have kidney disease, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your doctor before adding any protein shake.
The ICMR-NIN 2020 RDA for healthy adults is 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight a day: about 46 g for a 55 kg woman and 54 g for a 65 kg man. That figure is set to prevent deficiency in almost everyone. From age 40, and for anyone who trains, is losing fat, pregnant or breastfeeding, the useful range is higher, between 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg depending on the situation.
It is enough when the protein is good quality. ICMR-NIN 2020 notes that people eating a mainly cereal-based diet with lower-quality protein need about 1 g/kg a day, and recommends a cereal-to-legume-to-milk ratio of roughly 3:1:2.5. In practice: dal or chana at two meals, and curd, milk or paneer daily, rather than a plate that is mostly rice or roti.
If you lift weights or train for a sport, 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg a day covers most people (ISSN 2017). A 2018 meta-analysis found gains in muscle from extra protein levelled off at around 1.6 g/kg on average, so 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg is a sensible range while you are building. Protein only helps alongside training: without it, extra protein does not add muscle.
ICMR-NIN 2020 adds nothing in the first trimester, 9.5 g a day in the second trimester and 22 g a day in the third. While breastfeeding it adds 16.9 g a day for the first six months and 13.2 g a day from six to twelve months. These go on top of your usual requirement, worked out on your pre-pregnancy weight. Your obstetrician or dietitian may adjust them.
In people with healthy kidneys, intakes in the ranges on this page have not been shown to cause kidney damage. Chronic kidney disease is different: protein targets depend on the stage and on whether you are on dialysis, and can be lower or higher than usual (KDOQI 2020). If you have kidney disease, follow your nephrologist or renal dietitian, which is why this calculator shows no number when you tick that box.
For most people, current weight works. If you carry a lot of extra weight, g/kg on your actual weight overstates what you need; many dietitians use the weight you are aiming for, or the top of your healthy-weight range, instead. Enter that weight in the calculator.
This calculator gives planning estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice. Needs change with illness, surgery, medication, pregnancy and kidney or liver conditions; if any of those apply, use your doctor's or dietitian's figure instead. Food values are approximate.
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