Daily protein requirement: how much protein per day, with Nepali foods

Your daily protein requirement depends on whether you train. The official minimum for healthy adults is 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, so 48 g for a 60 kg person. If you lift weights to build or keep muscle, the research range is 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg a day, so 84 to 120 g for the same person.

Most people in Kathmandu who train are below that range, because dal bhat gives less protein than it looks like. Below: the numbers for your weight, a protein table for Nepali foods, and two sample days at 100 g and 130 g.

This is general guidance for healthy adults. If you have kidney disease, diabetes or another medical condition, or are pregnant, ask your doctor before changing your protein intake.

How much protein per day: the two numbers that matter

The RDA: 0.8 g per kg. The RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for adults 19 and over is 0.80 g per kg of body weight a day, which is 56 g for a 70 kg man (IOM values, Health Canada table). It is set to cover the needs of nearly all healthy people. It is a floor, not a target for someone in the gym.

For people who train: 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg. The International Society of Sports Nutrition says 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg a day “is sufficient for most exercising individuals” to build and keep muscle (Jäger et al., 2017).

Where more stopped helping: about 1.6 g per kg. A meta-analysis of 49 trials with 1,863 people found that extra muscle gain levelled off at about 1.62 g per kg a day, with a 95% range up to 2.2 g (Morton et al., 2018). That is why our calorie calculator uses 1.6 g per kg for building muscle and shows the full range next to it.

Protein intake by body weight

Body weight	RDA (0.8 g/kg)	If you train (1.4 to 2.0 g/kg)	At 1.6 g/kg
50 kg	40 g	70 to 100 g	80 g
60 kg	48 g	84 to 120 g	96 g
70 kg	56 g	98 to 140 g	112 g
80 kg	64 g	112 to 160 g	128 g
90 kg	72 g	126 to 180 g	144 g

If you carry a lot of body fat, base the number on a sensible goal weight rather than today’s weight, or the target gets very high.

How much protein is in Nepali food?

Values are from the Nepal Food Composition Table (DFTQC 2012) and the Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017, for boiled egg and chicken). Serving sizes are our assumptions, and DFTQC calls its values a rough guide, within about ±10%.

Food	Serving	Protein	Calories
Buff momo	1 plate, 10 pieces (250 g)	29.2 g	538 kcal
Chicken breast	100 g raw weight	21.8 g	168 kcal
Goat meat (khasi), lean	100 g raw weight	21.4 g	118 kcal
Buff, lean	100 g raw weight	19.4 g	86 kcal
Nutrela (soy chunks)	30 g dry	14.1 g	99 kcal
Dal bhat tarkari	1 plate (250 g rice, 150 g dal, 150 g tarkari)	14.1 g	487 kcal
Paneer	50 g	11.8 g	166 kcal
Buffalo milk	1 glass (250 g)	10.8 g	262 kcal
Bhatmas (soybean)	30 g	10.0 g	123 kcal
Chana tarkari	1 katori (150 g)	8.9 g	190 kcal
Cow milk	1 glass (250 g)	8.0 g	168 kcal
Badam (roasted peanuts)	30 g	7.9 g	171 kcal
Masoor dal, dry	30 g (one person’s share)	7.5 g	103 kcal
Egg, boiled	1 egg (50 g)	6.7 g	74 kcal
Dahi	1 bowl (200 g)	6.2 g	120 kcal
Cooked rice	1 plate (250 g)	6.2 g	322 kcal
Cooked dal	1 katori (150 g)	4.9 g	73 kcal
Roti	1 roti (40 g)	3.2 g	87 kcal

Two things stand out. Cooked dal is mostly water, so a katori gives only about 4.9 g, even though the 30 g of dry masoor that went into it held 7.5 g. And lean buff is one of the leanest proteins in the table: 19.4 g protein for 86 kcal per 100 g.

Spread it across the day

The ISSN suggests about 0.25 g of protein per kg of body weight per meal, or 20 to 40 g (Jäger et al., 2017). For a 70 kg person that is about 18 g a meal across four or five meals. A plain plate of dal bhat falls short; add an egg, dahi or a katori of chana and it gets there.

Sample day: about 100 g protein, vegetarian

This day suits someone around 62 kg at 1.6 g per kg. No meat, no eggs.

Meal	Food	Protein	Calories
Early	Glass of cow milk	8.0 g	168 kcal
Morning meal	Dal bhat tarkari, 200 g dahi, 50 g paneer	32.1 g	773 kcal
Khaja	30 g roasted bhatmas, 50 g chiura, chiya	14.9 g	369 kcal
Evening meal	3 roti, dal, chana tarkari, 30 g Nutrela (dry weight)	37.5 g	623 kcal
Before bed	Glass of buffalo milk	10.8 g	262 kcal
Total		about 103 g	about 2,195 kcal

If you eat no dairy, swap the milk and paneer for more Nutrela, bhatmas, chana and tofu, and count again.

Sample day: about 130 g protein, with eggs and meat

This day suits someone around 81 kg at 1.6 g per kg.

Meal	Food	Protein	Calories
Early	Chiya, 2 eggs, 2 roti	21.4 g	395 kcal
Morning meal	Dal bhat tarkari, 100 g chicken (raw weight)	35.9 g	655 kcal
Khaja	Plate of buff momo	29.2 g	538 kcal
Evening meal	Dal bhat tarkari, 50 g paneer, 200 g dahi, 1 egg	38.8 g	847 kcal
Before bed	Glass of cow milk	8.0 g	168 kcal
Total		about 133 g	about 2,603 kcal

Both days are our sums from the tables above, with meat counted at raw weight and no cooking oil. Your calories will depend on your goal: see the weight gain diet plan if you are trying to gain, or the diet plan for weight loss if you are cutting.

Do you need protein powder?

No. Both days above reach their target with food you can buy in any Kathmandu market. Powder is a convenience for people who cannot fit in another meal. If you buy one, check that it is registered with the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control and that the seal is intact.

Protein works with training, not instead of it

Protein supports muscle growth when you give the muscle a reason to grow. Lift 2 to 4 times a week and add a little weight or a rep each week (strength training guide). If you want a coach to set your plan and check your intake, see building muscle with a trainer. If you already train well and hit your number most days, you do not need a trainer for this. A notebook and the table above are enough.

For the foods that add calories as well as protein, see weight gain foods.