Protein intake calculator.

How the range is worked out

1. General health, 0.8 g/kg: the Recommended Dietary Allowance for healthy adults (Institute of Medicine, 2005; also used by Health Canada). It is a minimum to meet needs, not a ceiling.
2. Age 65 and over, 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg: PROT-AGE study group recommendation (Bauer et al., 2013).
3. Regular exercise, 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg: ISSN position stand (Jäger et al., 2017).
4. Building muscle, 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg: a meta-analysis of 49 trials found extra protein stopped adding muscle gain at about 1.6 g/kg, with the upper limit of the confidence interval at 2.2 g/kg (Morton et al., 2018).
5. Per meal: the daily range divided by your meals. A reference of about 0.4 g/kg per meal across at least four meals comes from Schoenfeld and Aragon (2018).
6. Calories: 4 kcal per gram. The acceptable range for protein is 10 to 35% of calories (IOM, 2005).

Worked example. 75 kg building muscle: 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg is 120 to 165 g a day. Over 4 meals that is 30 to 41 g each; the 0.4 g/kg reference is 30 g.

Sources (opened 2026-10-04): Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids (2005); Bauer J et al., PROT-AGE, J Am Med Dir Assoc 2013;14(8):542-559; Jäger R et al., ISSN position stand, J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017;14:20; Morton RW et al., Br J Sports Med 2018;52(6):376-384; Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2018;15:10.

FAQ

How much protein do I need per day?

The RDA for a healthy adult is 0.8 g per kg of body weight, so about 60 g for a 75 kg person. People who train regularly are often advised more: 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg by the ISSN position stand.

How much protein per meal?

A common reference is about 0.4 g per kg per meal over at least four meals, around 30 g for a 75 kg person. Your total for the day matters more than exact timing.

Is more protein better for building muscle?

Gains level off. A 2018 meta-analysis found no extra benefit above about 1.6 g/kg a day on average, with some people possibly benefiting up to 2.2 g/kg.

Should older adults eat more protein?

The PROT-AGE group recommends 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg a day for healthy older adults, higher than the 0.8 g/kg RDA.

Is high protein safe?

For most healthy people the ranges here are within ordinary intakes, but people with kidney disease or other conditions need advice from their own clinician before changing protein.