Protein Calculator
Work out how much protein to eat each day from your body weight and training level, split the target across meals, and see roughly what that looks like on a plate. Metric and imperial units are both supported.
The range comes from your body weight and the 1–1.4 g/kg band for everyday activity, taken from common practice ranges (the 0.8 g/kg minimum is the Institute of Medicine RDA; 1.6 g/kg is the muscle-building breakpoint in the Morton 2018 meta-analysis of 49 trials). Eating more than the top of the range is not harmful for healthy kidneys, it just does not build extra muscle. Food values in the table are typical rounded figures — brands, cuts and cooking vary.
Formula and calculation
Worked example
A 70 kg person who exercises lightly a few times a week: the 1.0–1.4 g/kg band gives a daily range of 70 to 98 g. Spread evenly across three meals that is about 28 g of protein per meal — roughly a large chicken breast or two pots of Greek yogurt at each sitting.
Hitting the number without living on chicken
Protein adds up faster than most people expect. A palm-sized portion of meat, fish or tofu carries 25–30 g, a large egg 6 g, a cup of Greek yogurt about 17 g, and a cup of cooked lentils 18 g. Three meals anchored by one of those portions plus a protein-containing breakfast is enough for most people at the middle of their range. Powder is convenience, not magic: a scoop delivers 20–25 g for the same cost as food, and food brings vitamins, minerals and fibre with it. If you are vegetarian, combining beans, lentils, tofu, dairy or eggs across the day covers the same total — the old advice about carefully pairing proteins at every meal turned out to be unnecessary.
What the results mean
- Protein per day — lower end
- The lower end of your daily protein range, in grams. Hitting this figure covers what the evidence supports for your level — eating to the lower end is a valid choice, not a shortfall.
- Protein per day — upper end
- The upper end of your daily protein range, in grams. Above this, extra protein has not been shown to add muscle or strength for someone training at your level; it is a ceiling, not a target.
- Aim for the middle of the range
- The middle of your range, in grams. The per-meal split and the food table below are built from this figure, so it is the single number to plan around.
- Lower end in grams per kg
- The lower end of your range expressed as grams per kilogram of body weight — the figure the range is calculated from, so you can redo the math if your weight changes.
- Upper end in grams per kg
- The upper end of your range in grams per kilogram of body weight.
- Protein per meal across 3 meals
- Protein per meal if you spread the daily target evenly across three meals. Big single servings are harder to finish and less useful for muscle than the same total spread out.
- Protein per meal across 4 meals
- Protein per meal if you eat four times a day. Four servings makes the per-meal dose easier to reach for most people, especially during a diet.
Frequently asked questions
How much protein do I need to build muscle?
About 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day is the point where muscle gain plateaus in the pooled trial data — roughly 112 g for a 70 kg person. Some people do better toward 2 g/kg, especially when dieting or over 60, but going past your range's top end has not been shown to build more muscle.
Is too much protein bad for my kidneys?
In people with healthy kidneys, higher protein intakes up to about 2 g/kg have not been shown to damage kidney function in the research to date. If you already have kidney disease, protein intake needs to be set by your doctor — that is a different situation, and the ranges here do not apply.
Does the 0.8 g/kg RDA mean I only need 56 g a day?
The RDA is the amount that prevents deficiency in a sedentary adult — about 56 g for a 70 kg person — not an ideal intake for someone training. If you lift weights regularly, the research points to nearly double that for muscle and strength. The 0.8 figure is a floor, not a ceiling.
How much protein can I absorb in one meal?
The body can use far more than the old "30 g per meal" rule — that number came from short studies of muscle protein synthesis, not from absorption. Practical guidance is 0.25 to 0.4 g/kg per meal, about 20–40 g for most adults, spread over three or four meals. Total daily intake matters more than the split.
Do I need protein powder?
No. Powder is a cheap, portable way to add 20–25 g, and it helps if you struggle to eat enough, but dairy, eggs, meat, fish, soy, beans and lentils do the same job. If your diet already hits the range without it, there is nothing extra to gain from a scoop.