How this calculator works
- Step 1Body weight65 kgICMR’s reference adult man.
- Step 2Per kg0.83 gICMR-NIN 2020 safe intake for healthy adults.
- Step 3Daily need54.0 gWeight × 0.83 g.
The Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) sets protein needs per kilogram of body weight. In 2020 it lowered the adult figure from 1 g to 0.83 g per kg, based on newer protein quality methods.
Pregnancy in the second and third trimesters and breastfeeding add a fixed amount a day. A mostly cereal-based diet, with lower-quality protein, needs 1 g per kg.
Worked example: ICMR’s reference adults
- Recommended
weight × 0.83 g- Average need
weight × 0.66 g
- wBody weight 65 kg
- Average requirement (EAR)65 × 0.6642.9 g
- Recommended (RDA)65 × 0.8354.0 g
ICMR prints 54.0 g and 42.9 g for its 65 kg reference man, and 45.7 g and 36.3 g for its 55 kg reference woman. The calculator reproduces both.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
ICMR adds 9.5 g a day in the second trimester and 22 g in the third. Breastfeeding adds 16.9 g in the first six months and 13.2 g from six to twelve months.
Mixed or cereal-based diet
- Mixed diet54.0 gCereals with pulses, milk and other protein foods.
- Mostly cereal-based65.0 gICMR’s figure of 1 g per kg for low-quality protein.
ICMR suggests a cereal, legume and milk ratio of about 3 : 1 : 2.5 for good protein quality.
Read the result
The headline is the recommended daily protein; the average requirement below it is lower, because the recommendation covers almost everyone.
The recommended amount (RDA) is the safe intake that meets the needs of nearly all healthy adults. The average requirement (EAR) meets the needs of half of them.
Assumptions and limits
- Healthy adultsAged 18 or over, without kidney or other medical conditions.
- Your weightUses the weight you enter; ask a professional if you are very overweight.
- Not for childrenICMR gives separate figures by age for children.
- Not for athletesTraining needs are outside ICMR’s healthy-adult figures.
This is general information based on ICMR-NIN guidance, not medical or diet advice. Speak to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing what you eat.
Related nutrition tools
Protein is one part of a diet. Energy needs and the full macro split have their own tools.
To estimate daily energy, use the BMR and TDEE calculator. The macro calculator splits that energy into protein, carbs and fat, and the pregnancy weight gain calculator covers pregnancy.
Common mistakes
Mistake: Using the old figure of 1 g per kg for a mixed diet.
Instead: Use 0.83 g per kg, the ICMR-NIN 2020 figure.
Mistake: Adding the pregnancy amount in the first trimester.
Instead: ICMR adds protein from the second trimester.
Mistake: Treating the result as a limit.
Instead: It is a recommended daily intake for healthy adults.
Checking the method
Every golden case is checked against ICMR-NIN’s printed Table 2a.
An independent script reproduces ICMR’s printed reference figures to one decimal and scales the published table to other weights.
Read how we test our calculators, or browse more health calculators.