How Much Protein Per Day: By Goal and Weight

Start with grams per kilo instead of a round number

Protein advice is written per kilogram of body weight because a 55 kg person and a 100 kg person do not need the same amount. The first step is to pick the range that fits what you do, then multiply by your weight.

Three reference points cover most readers. The first is the EU safe level for healthy adults: 0.83 g per kg per day, set by EFSA in 2012. The second is the sports nutrition range from the International Society of Sports Nutrition: 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg per day for people who exercise. The third is the range often used for adults over 65, 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg per day, from the PROT-AGE study group.

Which range fits you

If you are a healthy adult who does not train, 0.83 g per kg is the number authorities use as sufficient. Many people eat more without trying, and that is fine.

If you lift weights or do endurance training several times a week, the ISSN range of 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg is the one to work with. A large meta-analysis of resistance training trials (Morton and colleagues, 2018) found that extra protein stopped adding to muscle gain at about 1.6 g per kg a day on average, with some individuals benefiting up to about 2.2 g per kg. So 1.6 g per kg is a practical target for muscle gain, and going far above it is optional.

If you are eating fewer calories than usual, many dietitians aim for the middle or upper part of the sports range so that protein stays a larger share of a smaller intake. That is professional practice and a judgement call rather than a fixed rule from the sources above.

A worked day for a 70 kg person

Take a 70 kg adult who trains three times a week and picks 1.6 g per kg. That is 112 g a day. Dividing by four eating occasions gives about 28 g each, which sits inside the 20 to 40 g window that ISSN describes for a single meal.

Here is one day built from ordinary foods. Values are typical figures from USDA FoodData Central, rounded, and your brands will differ.

• Breakfast: 3 eggs (about 18 g) with 100 g cottage cheese (about 11 g). Total about 29 g.
• Lunch: 100 g cooked chicken breast (about 31 g) with rice and vegetables (about 4 g). Total about 35 g.
• Snack: 170 g plain Greek yogurt. Total about 17 g.
• Dinner: 130 g baked cod (about 30 g) with potatoes and salad. Total about 30 g.
• Day total: about 111 g, which is within a few grams of the 112 g target.

How to spread it over the day

ISSN suggests roughly 0.25 g per kg of body weight, or 20 to 40 g, in each protein feeding, spaced every three to four hours. For a 70 kg person that works out at about 18 g, so a serving of 20 to 30 g is a comfortable target.

You do not need to be strict about timing. The total for the day matters most, and an even spread is mainly a practical trick: it is easier to eat 28 g four times than 80 g at dinner, and it keeps protein from being left to the last meal.

Foods that make the numbers easier

Most people hit a target by choosing one solid protein source per meal. Eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans and milk all work. Plant sources usually come with more fibre and less protein per calorie, so portions are larger.

If you eat no animal products, plan one more serving or a slightly higher total, because plant proteins are on average less digestible. Combining legumes with grains across the day covers the amino acid mix.

• Check the label of packaged foods. Protein per 100 g is printed, so you can scale it to your portion.
• Weigh a typical portion of your staples once. After that, estimating is faster and more accurate.
• Do not count protein powder as a requirement. It is a convenient food, and a fully adequate diet does not need it.

Limits and cautions

The ranges above are for healthy adults. They do not apply if you have kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are under 18, or have a condition that changes protein needs. In those cases a doctor or registered dietitian should set the number.

Protein figures in food tables are averages. Cooking changes weight, brands differ, and any app, including Mealyno, gives estimates. Treat a day that lands within 10 to 15 percent of your target as a hit.

Higher protein is not a goal in itself. Beyond the ranges above, evidence for extra benefit is thin, and the calories have to fit your overall plan.

Tracking it without turning it into homework

In Mealyno you set a protein target when you set your calories, and the protein ring on the daily screen shows how far you are. Log a meal from a photo or a barcode and the grams are added for you, which you can edit when you know the portion.

If you would rather plan ahead, a 7-day plan built for your calories and protein gives each meal its own protein figure, so you are not doing the arithmetic at the stove.