Results are estimates for healthy adults unless stated, and are not medical advice. Your doctor or a registered dietitian can give advice for your situation.
Protein helps build and repair muscle, keeps you full and supports healthy ageing. How much you need depends mostly on your body weight and how active you are. This calculator gives you a daily target in grams and shows how to spread it across your meals.
How to use the protein calculator
- Enter your body weight.
- Pick the goal that best describes you.
- Choose how many meals you eat to see your protein per meal.
How much protein do you need?
| Goal | Protein per kg of body weight per day |
|---|---|
| General health, not very active | 0.8–1.0 g |
| Healthy ageing (65+) | 1.0–1.2 g |
| Regular exercise or endurance sport | 1.2–1.6 g |
| Building muscle | 1.6–2.2 g |
| Losing fat while keeping muscle | 1.6–2.4 g |
0.8 g per kg is the Recommended Dietary Allowance: the minimum to cover the needs of almost all healthy adults. Higher amounts come from sports nutrition research.
Example
A 70 kg person who exercises regularly needs about 84–112 g of protein a day. Over three meals that is roughly 28–37 g per meal: for example, eggs and yogurt at breakfast, a chicken or lentil lunch, and fish or tofu at dinner.
Frequently asked questions
Is too much protein harmful?
For healthy people, intakes up to about 2 g per kg are considered safe. People with kidney disease may need to limit protein and should follow their doctor’s advice.
Do I need protein shakes?
No. Shakes are convenient, but meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, tofu and nuts can easily cover your needs.
Does it matter when I eat protein?
Spreading protein evenly across meals (around 20–40 g each) seems to work better for muscle than eating most of it in one meal.
Sources
- National Academies – Dietary Reference Intakes for protein
- International Society of Sports Nutrition – position stand on protein and exercise (2017)
- PROT-AGE Study Group – protein needs of older adults (2013)