How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?

How much protein you need is a more useful question than which protein, and Indian guidance gives a specific answer.

ICMR-NIN sets the requirement for an adult at 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight a day, with an estimated average requirement of 0.66 g/kg. For someone weighing 60 kg that is about 48 g of protein a day; at 75 kg, about 60 g.

There is an important adjustment for India. The same guidance notes that people eating mainly cereal-based diets need more than that figure, because protein from grains is of lower quality than protein from pulses, dairy, eggs, fish or meat — the body cannot use it as efficiently. A diet built on rice and roti with a thin dal is exactly the pattern that falls short.

The national dietary guidelines translate this into something you can shop for: 85 g of pulses a day by uncooked weight, of which roughly 30 g can be replaced by fish, meat or eggs.

For what this looks like on a plate, see ten high-protein Indian meals.