Yuzo
Protein advice is everywhere and contradictory. Gym influencers say 2g per kilogram. Government guidelines say 0.75g. Nutrition researchers say somewhere in between. Here is what the evidence actually supports.
The baseline
The UK Reference Nutrient Intake is 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This is the minimum to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults. It is not a target — it is a floor.
For most adults trying to maintain muscle mass, support satiety, and eat a balanced diet, the useful target is:
1.2–1.6g per kilogram of body weight per day
For a 70kg adult, that is 84–112g of protein daily. For a 60kg adult, 72–96g.
If you are active or trying to lose weight:
Bump toward the upper end — 1.6–2.0g per kg. Higher protein during a calorie deficit helps preserve muscle while losing fat. This is well-established in the research.
- Practical amounts per meal:
- 3 eggs: ~18g
- 150g chicken breast: ~45g
- 200g Greek yogurt (full-fat): ~18g
- 100g canned tuna: ~25g
- 150g cooked lentils: ~12g
- 100g tofu (firm): ~8g
- 30g whey protein: ~25g
Spreading it through the day matters
Your body can only synthesise so much muscle protein at once. Eating 120g of protein in one meal and nothing else for the rest of the day is less effective than spreading 120g across three meals of 40g each. Aim for a meaningful protein source at every meal.
Plant protein works — with adjustments
Plant proteins are lower in leucine (the key amino acid for muscle synthesis) than animal proteins. This does not make them inferior, but it means you need slightly more of them and should combine sources throughout the day (lentils + rice, tofu + edamame, bread + hummus).
The simple rule
At every meal, include a protein source roughly the size of your palm: a piece of fish or meat, a cup of legumes, two to three eggs, or a large portion of dairy. That habit, consistently applied, will get most people to adequate intake without tracking anything.
Protein tracking apps are useful for a week or two to calibrate your intuition. After that, most people do not need them.