How much protein do you need per day?
Protein is the material for muscle, tendons and recovery. The target depends on the goal: athletes and dieters need noticeably more than the textbook 0.8 g/kg.
That’s 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight. For scale: 100 g chicken breast ≈ 31 g protein, 200 g cottage cheese ≈ 33 g, an egg ≈ 6 g, 100 g dry lentils ≈ 24 g. Spread it over 3–4 meals for steadier uptake.
Sources: Morton et al., BJSM 2018 (meta-analysis: ~1.6 g/kg for muscle growth, benefit up to ~2.2); Helms 2014 (1.8–2.4 g/kg in a deficit to keep muscle); PROT-AGE 2013 (1.2–1.5 g/kg at 60+ against sarcopenia). With kidney disease, the target is set by a doctor.
How to use the result
How it works
We multiply your weight by the protein figure for your goal: maintenance, muscle gain and weight loss call for noticeably different amounts.
How to read the result
Spread protein across your meals rather than saving it all for dinner. The upper end of the range is not a compulsory target.
Limitations
With kidney disease and some other conditions, protein intake should be agreed with a clinician.
Related calculators
Take the short health-factor map and see how this connects to your own lifestyle.