Protein for a 85 kg person
The ICMR–NIN requirement first, then the higher targets people actually search for.
71 g / day A 85 kg adult needs 71 g of protein a day under the ICMR–NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowance of 0.83 g per kg. The estimated average requirement — the level that meets half the population's needs — is 56 g.
If you train for strength or size, sports-nutrition guidance puts the useful range at 119–153 g, rising to 170 g when losing fat at the same time. Those are performance targets, not requirements.
Every band at 85 kg
| Situation | g per kg | Grams per day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICMR–NIN daily requirement | 0.83 | 71 | ICMR–NIN 2020 RDA |
| Generally active | 1 – 1.2 | 85 – 102 g | Sports-nutrition guidance |
| Training for strength or muscle | 1.4 – 1.8 | 119 – 153 g | Sports-nutrition guidance |
| Fat loss while keeping muscle | 1.6 – 2 | 136 – 170 g | Sports-nutrition guidance |
Only the first row is a national dietary recommendation. The rest are sports-nutrition figures for people who train — useful targets, but not a requirement, and not endorsed as a population intake.
Source: ICMR–National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. “Nutrient Requirements for Indians — Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements,” 2020.
Source (training bands): Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. “International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017;14:20.
Reaching 71 g from Indian food
| Food | Serving | Protein | Servings for 71 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toor dal (arhar), 1 katori cooked | 150 g cooked | 6 g | 11.8 |
| Rajma, 1 katori cooked | 150 g cooked | 8 g | 8.9 |
| Chana (kabuli/black), 1 katori cooked | 150 g cooked | 9 g | 7.9 |
| Paneer | 100 g | 18 g | 3.9 |
| Curd (dahi), 1 katori | 200 g | 7 g | 10.1 |
| Milk, 1 glass | 200 ml | 6 g | 11.8 |
| Soya chunks, dry | 50 g | 26 g | 2.7 |
| Peanuts | 30 g | 8 g | 8.9 |
| Roti (whole wheat) | 2 medium | 6 g | 11.8 |
| Egg | 1 large | 6 g | 11.8 |
Nobody eats one food all day — the last column is a sense of scale, not a plan. In practice an Indian day reaches its target by stacking dal, curd, milk, roti and one concentrated source such as paneer, soya or eggs. Portion sizes and cooked calories for these foods are on ThaliFacts.
Questions
How much protein does a 85 kg person need?
71 g a day, using the ICMR–NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowance of 0.83 g per kg of body weight. That is the safe intake for a healthy sedentary adult and it already includes a margin above the estimated average requirement of 56 g.
How much protein for a 85 kg person to build muscle?
Sports-nutrition guidance suggests 1.4–2.0 g per kg for people training for strength or size, which is 119–170 g a day at 85 kg. This is a performance target rather than a dietary requirement.
Is 71 g of protein a day hard to eat?
Not particularly, on a normal Indian diet. Milk, curd, dal, roti and one concentrated source such as paneer, soya or eggs gets most people there. The difficulty appears at the training targets, where the total roughly doubles.
ICMR–NIN, Nutrient Requirements for Indians (2020); ISSN position stand on protein and exercise (2017); serving values from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. General information only — not medical advice. These calculators use published population formulas; they cannot account for your individual health. Consult a doctor before major diet or exercise changes. See data & method for every formula and citation used on this site.