Protein calculator for an Indian vegetarian diet
Most protein calculators hand you a number and then a food list built around chicken breast and whey. This one gives you the number and then shows you how to reach it from what is already in a Gujarati kitchen, which is the part that actually decides whether you hit it.
Nothing you type is sent anywhere. The calculation runs in your browser.
Where the protein actually is, in a Gujarati kitchen
Grams per 100 g of the food as it is bought. The note is the figure that matters more, because nobody eats a hundred grams of dry dal.
| Food | Protein per 100 g | In a normal serving |
|---|---|---|
| Toor dal, dry | 22 g | About 7 g in a normal katori of cooked dal |
| Chana, dry | 20 g | Also the base of besan |
| Rajma, dry | 24 g | Roughly 8 g per cooked katori |
| Moong, dry | 24 g | Sprouted moong keeps most of it |
| Paneer | 18 g | A 50 g cube gives about 9 g |
| Curd, full fat | 3.5 g | A large bowl gives about 7 g |
| Milk, buffalo | 4 g | A 250 ml glass gives about 10 g |
| Soya chunks, dry | 52 g | The densest vegetarian source in an Indian kitchen |
| Egg, whole | 13 g | About 6 g per egg |
| Peanuts | 25 g | Calorie dense, so useful when gaining |
| Wheat flour | 12 g | About 3 g per rotli, and it adds up |
| Rice, cooked | 2.5 g | Small per serving, still counts |
Figures are rounded and vary with variety, brand and how something is cooked. Use them to plan a day rather than to audit one.
What ICMR recommends, and the footnote under it
India has its own official figure. ICMR-NIN's Nutrient Requirements for Indians (2020) sets the protein RDA for a healthy adult at 0.83 g per kg per day, with an average requirement of 0.66. That was a reduction from the 1 g/kg the same body recommended in 2010, and it is the number you will see quoted almost everywhere.
The reduction came with a condition, and the condition is the part that gets dropped. The 2020 figure assumes an improved diet composition — a cereal-to-legume-to-milk ratio of 3:1:2.5, where the 2010 recommendation had assumed 11:1:3. In other words, 0.83 is what you need if a meaningful share of your protein comes from dal and dairy rather than from rotli and rice.
And the document says so directly. The footnote under its own table reads that for people consuming a cereal-based diet with low quality protein, the requirement is 1 g per kg per day.
A typical Gujarati plate is closer to the 11:1:3 shape than the 3:1:2.5 one. That is why the calculator above uses 1 g/kg for somebody who is not training, rather than 0.83 — not because it disagrees with ICMR, but because it is applying ICMR's own footnote to the diet most people reading this page actually eat.
The 2020 revision also switched protein quality scoring from PDCAAS to DIAAS, which measures true ileal digestibility. That change matters in the same direction: it is less forgiving about plant proteins, and it is the technical reason a gram of dal does not do the work of a gram of milk.
How to actually reach the number
A normal Gujarati day is generous with carbohydrate and oil and thin on protein, and the gap is usually thirty or forty grams. That is smaller than it sounds and it closes without anything imported.
Dal at both meals rather than one. Curd with lunch. A glass of milk. A bowl of sprouted moong or chana in the evening in place of farsan. Paneer twice a week. Eggs if you eat them. Soya chunks are the densest vegetarian source in an Indian kitchen and the one most people overlook entirely.
Do that honestly for a month and most people are eating thirty to forty grams a day more than they were, with no new products bought. If a gap is still there after that, a scoop of whey is a reasonable convenience and nothing more. There is a fuller version of this on protein for Indian vegetarians, and the fat-loss version on losing fat on a Gujarati diet.
The research this page rests on
The protein numbers are among the better-evidenced things in fitness, so this calculator states its sources and the ceiling it will not recommend going above.
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International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Jäger R and colleagues, 2017 · Position stand
A daily intake between 1.4 and 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is sufficient for most exercising people to build and maintain muscle. The same document recommends spreading intake across the day in doses of roughly 0.25 grams per kilogram, or 20 to 40 grams, rather than concentrating it in one meal.
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Effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength
British Journal of Sports Medicine, Morton RW and colleagues, 2018 · Systematic review and meta-analysis, 49 trials, 1,863 participants
Beyond a total intake of about 1.62 grams per kilogram per day, additional protein produced no further gain in fat-free mass. This is the number the calculator treats as the ceiling worth aiming at, and it is why it will not recommend a higher figure however hard you are training.
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Sports Medicine, Hevia-Larraín V and colleagues, 2021 · Controlled 12-week supervised training trial, 38 men
Habitual vegans and omnivores training for twelve weeks with protein matched at 1.6 grams per kilogram gained the same leg lean mass, muscle thickness and strength, with no difference between the groups on any measure. Matching the total was the condition that made it work.
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Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements
Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institute of Nutrition, 2020 · National expert committee report, ICMR-NIN
Sets the adult protein EAR at 0.66 g/kg/day and the RDA at 0.83 g/kg/day, down from 1 g/kg in the 2010 edition. The reduction assumes an improved cereal-legume-milk ratio of 3:1:2.5 against the 11:1:3 assumed in 2010, and the footnote under the table states that for people consuming a cereal-based diet with low quality protein the requirement is 1 g/kg/day. The revision also adopts DIAAS, based on true ileal digestibility, in place of PDCAAS.
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Protein quality and amino acid requirements in relation to needs in India
Indian Journal of Medical Research, Shivakumar N, Minocha S and Kurpad AV, 2018 · Review of Indian dietary protein quality
In cereal-dominant Indian diets, lysine is the first limiting amino acid. That is the research reason why dal, dairy and soya carry more weight on a Gujarati plate than the raw gram counts alone suggest, and why rotli and rice cannot make up the difference on their own.
Protein: common questions
- How much protein do I need per day in India?
- If you are training, roughly 1.6 grams for every kilogram you weigh. A pooled analysis of 49 trials found that above about 1.62 grams per kilogram per day, extra protein produced no further gain in fat-free mass, so that is the sensible ceiling rather than a starting point. Somebody not training needs considerably less, and somebody in a fat-loss phase benefits from staying at the higher end to hold on to muscle.
- Can a vegetarian get enough protein in India?
- Yes, and it will not happen by accident. A twelve-week supervised trial found vegans and omnivores gained identical lean mass and strength when protein was matched at 1.6 grams per kilogram. The work is in hitting the total, which a normal Gujarati day usually does not, and in leaning on dal, rajma, chana, paneer, curd, milk and soya, because lysine is the limiting amino acid in a cereal-heavy diet.
- Do I need protein powder?
- No. A supplement is a convenient way to close a gap on a busy day and it builds nothing that food does not. This gym sells no supplements of any kind, which removes the usual reason a trainer might tell you otherwise. Get the plate right for a month first, then look at whether a gap is still there.
- Should I eat all my protein after the workout?
- Spreading it works better than concentrating it. The ISSN position stand recommends doses of roughly 0.25 grams per kilogram, or 20 to 40 grams, distributed across the day. Four meals of thirty grams is a better arrangement than one of a hundred and twenty, and it is also easier on the digestion.
- Is too much protein bad for the kidneys?
- In people with healthy kidneys, higher protein intakes in the range this calculator suggests have not been shown to cause kidney damage. If you already have kidney disease, that is a different situation entirely and your doctor sets your protein intake, not a calculator on a gym website.
- Does the calculation change if I am trying to lose fat?
- Aim at the upper end. When you are eating less overall, protein is what decides whether the weight you lose is fat or muscle, so the target stays high even as the calories come down. There is more on how that works on the fat loss pages, and if you want it built around your own kitchen, call +91 98790 69960.
This calculator is general information and is not dietetic or medical advice. If you have kidney disease, diabetes, or any condition where protein intake is managed, your doctor sets your target rather than this page.
Want this built around your own kitchen?
Bring a day of your eating written down honestly, including the tea. Call +91 98790 69960.