How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day?

Protein is the nutrient most people ask about and the one many people under-eat. How much you need depends on your size, activity and goal, and the figures you see online range from modest to extreme. This guide gives you the ranges that research supports, shows you how to calculate your own number and explains how to reach it without eating chicken breast at every meal.

The baseline: 0.8 g per kg

The commonly cited recommended dietary allowance for healthy adults is 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. It is set to prevent deficiency in most people, not to optimise training, body composition or ageing. For a 70 kg adult it works out to 56 g a day.

If you lift or train regularly: 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg

A widely cited meta-analysis of resistance training studies, published in 2018, found that muscle gains plateaued at around 1.6 g per kg per day on average, with the upper range of uncertainty around 2.2 g per kg. Many coaches therefore recommend 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg for people who strength train and want to build or keep muscle.

Using that range, a 70 kg person would aim for roughly 112 to 154 g a day.

If you are losing fat: aim toward the higher end

When you eat fewer calories, protein helps protect lean mass and keeps you fuller. People in a calorie deficit who also lift commonly aim for 1.8 to 2.4 g per kg. If you have a lot of body fat to lose, many people use a goal body weight or lean body mass in the calculation so the target is not inflated. A simple rule of thumb is to base it on a weight you would be happy to be. Read our calorie deficit guide and sustainable weight loss guide for how to pair it with calories.

If you are older, or not training

Older adults may benefit from higher intakes than the minimum, often around 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg, to help preserve muscle, and more if they do resistance exercise. People who do not exercise generally do well with 0.8 to 1.0 g per kg.

Quick calculator

The formula is simply your weight in kg multiplied by the grams per kg you chose. For 90 kg at 1.6 g per kg, 90 x 1.6 = 144 g.

Is more protein better?

Up to a point. Beyond roughly 2.2 g per kg there is little evidence of added muscle benefit for most people. Very high intakes cost money and crowd out other foods. People with kidney disease should not raise their protein intake without medical advice, and anyone with a medical condition should check with a doctor.

How to spread it across the day

Most people do well with three or four meals containing about 25 to 40 g each. Research suggests per-meal amounts above this are not wasted, but an even spread is easy to plan and keeps you full. Do not stress about a precise post-workout window; the total for the day matters most.

Protein sources and what they provide

These are estimates and vary by brand and preparation. If you eat a vegetarian Indian diet, our protein-rich Indian meal plan has sample days.

Tips to hit your number

1. Build each meal around a protein, then add the rest.
2. Keep easy protein snacks on hand: yogurt, boiled eggs, roasted chana, milk, protein bars you actually like.
3. Add a scoop of protein powder if you are consistently 20 to 30 g short. It is a convenience, not a requirement.
4. Track for a couple of weeks to learn what 30 g of protein looks like on your plate.

Tracking protein without the effort

Seeing your protein against a daily target is the easiest way to close the gap. In Zafit AI the home screen shows protein, carbs and fat against your targets as you log meals, and the meal scanner records the macros for each food from a photo or barcode. Read about the macro tracker or how to track macros with a photo. When you want to try it, Zafit AI is free to download on iPhone.

This is general nutrition information, not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant or have another medical condition, ask a doctor or registered dietitian for personal advice.

Frequently asked questions