Protein Requirement Calculator

How to calculate your daily protein requirement

Type your body weight, choose kilograms or pounds with the selector next to it, and pick the option under Health condition that fits. The result is one line: a range in grams per day, from a lower to an upper figure. Both ends are your weight in kilograms multiplied by a factor that depends on the condition, then rounded to whole grams.

In pounds the same factors are about 0.36 to 0.45 g per pound for the healthy range and 0.68 to 0.91 g per pound for the 1.5 to 2.0 range. The calculator converts pounds to kilograms for you (1 lb = 0.4536 kg).

Worked example. A healthy adult weighing 160 lb is 72.6 kg. The range is 72.6 × 0.8 = 58 g up to 72.6 × 1.0 = 73 g per day. If the same person is recovering from a broken bone, the 1.5 to 2.0 factors give 109 g to 145 g.

Daily protein requirement guidelines

The recommended dietary allowance for healthy adults is 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight a day, set high enough to cover the needs of almost everyone in the population. It is a floor for staying in nitrogen balance, not a target for building muscle or recovering from illness. The upper end of the "normal" range here (1.0 g/kg) allows a little headroom.

Needs rise when the body is repairing tissue or breaking it down faster:

• Intensive training. Lifting and endurance training raise needs. Sports nutrition bodies often recommend 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg, so the training line here (up to 1.5 g/kg) is on the conservative side; people cutting Calories while training hard often aim higher.
• Fever, fracture, infection and protein depletion. Inflammation and healing increase protein turnover. Some clinical references quote roughly 1.5 to 2.0 g/kg while recovering.
• Extensive burns. Wounds lose protein through the skin and the body is in a strongly catabolic state. Nutrition guidelines for major burns put adult protein at about 1.5 to 2.0 g/kg a day. The range used here reaches 3.0 g/kg at its upper end, which is more than those guidelines, so it belongs under clinical direction only.

Treat the illness-related lines as general reference ranges only. Protein targets for hospital patients, people with kidney or liver disease and anyone with a serious injury are set individually by a clinician or dietitian. This page is not medical advice; see the disclaimer.

Is there a maximum limit for protein?

The US National Academies did not set a tolerable upper intake level for protein, but they did define an acceptable range of 10% to 35% of Calories. On 2,000 Calories a day, 35% is 175 g. Healthy adults with normal kidneys have eaten 2 g/kg and more in trials without evident harm, yet the evidence for years of very high intake is limited, so there is little reason to go far above what you need.

The table shows why the top of the burns range lies above the usual 35% ceiling: it is meant for a short period and for a body that needs much more than normal. To plan the same protein as a share of your Calories, use the protein calculator or the macro calculator.

People with chronic kidney disease are often told to limit protein, and high intakes can be a problem for them, so anyone with kidney disease should confirm their target with a doctor first.

Protein in different foods

Use a food label or a nutrition database for exact values. As a rough guide, here is the protein in 100 g of some common foods:

A 72 kg adult aiming for 73 g could reach it with two eggs for breakfast (about 13 g), a cup of cooked lentils at lunch (18 g), a 100 g chicken breast at dinner (31 g) and a glass of milk and a handful of almonds (about 14 g), which adds up to roughly 75 g.