How to use it
EFSA sets protein per kg of body weight, with a different value for every year of age up to 17. That makes “Age” and “Weight (optional)” the two inputs that drive the result here.
- Sex: choosing “Female” brings up the “Pregnancy / breastfeeding” menu. Pick “Not applicable”, “Pregnant, 1st trimester (to week 13)”, “Pregnant, 2nd trimester (weeks 14–27)”, “Pregnant, 3rd trimester (week 28+)”, “Breastfeeding” or “Breastfeeding (6+ months after birth)”. For the first 6 months after birth, choose “Breastfeeding”.
- Age: a whole number from 1 to 120.
- Weight (optional): 5 to 300 kg. With a weight, “Recommended intake” is your weight × the g/kg for your age, and “Average requirement” is shown too. Without one, you get the value for the reference body weight EFSA used.
- “I do strength or endurance training regularly”: adds the “If you train” range if you are 18 or older and have entered a weight.
A line under “Recommended intake” names the age group that was applied, for example “Standard: EFSA Dietary Reference Values (2012) (female, 18–59 years)”.
Protein in the EFSA Dietary Reference Values (2012)
These values come from a scientific opinion the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published in 2012. “Average requirement” on screen is EFSA’s AR (Average Requirement), and “Recommended intake” is its PRI (Population Reference Intake). For adults the average requirement is 0.66 g per kg of body weight, and the recommended intake, set at the 97.5th percentile of the distribution of requirements, is 0.83 g per kg. That value is the same for all adults whatever their age, and it holds for high-quality protein and for mixed diets alike.
Where a cell has a single value, it is the same for both sexes. The reference body weights are medians for Europeans.
| Age | Average requirement (g/kg) | Recommended intake (g/kg) | Recommended intake at the reference weight (g/day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.95 | 1.14 | male 12 / female 11 |
| 2 | 0.79 | 0.97 | 12 |
| 3 | 0.73 | 0.90 | 13 |
| 4 | 0.69 | 0.86 | male 15 / female 14 |
| 5 | 0.69 | 0.85 | 16 |
| 6 | 0.72 | 0.89 | 19 |
| 7 | 0.74 | 0.91 | 22 |
| 8 | 0.75 | 0.92 | 25 |
| 9 | 0.75 | 0.92 | 28 |
| 10 | 0.75 | 0.91 | 31 |
| 11 | male 0.75 / female 0.73 | male 0.91 / female 0.90 | 34 |
| 12 | male 0.74 / female 0.72 | male 0.90 / female 0.89 | male 37 / female 38 |
| 13 | male 0.73 / female 0.71 | male 0.90 / female 0.88 | 42 |
| 14 | male 0.72 / female 0.70 | male 0.89 / female 0.87 | male 47 / female 45 |
| 15 | male 0.72 / female 0.69 | male 0.88 / female 0.85 | male 52 / female 46 |
| 16 | male 0.71 / female 0.68 | male 0.87 / female 0.84 | male 56 / female 47 |
| 17 | male 0.70 / female 0.67 | male 0.86 / female 0.83 | male 58 / female 48 |
| 18–59 | 0.66 | 0.83 | male 62 / female 52 |
| 60 and over | 0.66 | 0.83 | male 61 / female 55 |
Additions for pregnancy and breastfeeding
These amounts are added to the recommended intake for a woman who is not pregnant. The summary table of the opinion (Table 12) lists additions for the recommended intake only.
| Stage | Added to the recommended intake |
|---|---|
| 1st trimester | 1 g |
| 2nd trimester | 9 g |
| 3rd trimester | 28 g |
| Breastfeeding (first 6 months after birth) | 19 g |
| Breastfeeding (6+ months after birth) | 13 g |
A 30-year-old woman who enters 60 kg gets a recommended intake of 50 g, which is 60 kg × 0.83 g = 49.8 g, rounded. Changing the stage from there gives 51 g in the 1st trimester, 59 g in the 2nd, 78 g in the 3rd, 69 g with “Breastfeeding” and 63 g with “Breastfeeding (6+ months after birth)”. “Good to know” then includes the addition as well: in the 3rd trimester it reads “Recommended intake = your weight × 0.83 g + 28 g (addition for pregnancy or breastfeeding)”. With the weight left blank, the additions go on top of the reference-weight value of 52 g: 80 g in the 3rd trimester and 71 g with “Breastfeeding”.
Reading the result
Take a 30-year-old man. The result depends on the weight.
- No weight: a recommended intake of 62 g. This is the reference-weight value for men aged 18–59, and “Good to know” says it is the value for the reference body weight.
- 70 kg: a recommended intake of 58 g (70 kg × 0.83 g = 58.1 g) and an average requirement of 46 g (70 kg × 0.66 g = 46.2 g). “Good to know” shows “Recommended intake = your weight × 0.83 g”.
- 70 kg, training box ticked: the same values plus “If you train” at 84–140 g. That is 70 kg × 1.2 g and 70 kg × 2.0 g. It is not an EFSA value. It comes from the 2016 joint position of the American College of Sports Medicine and two other organizations, and it is not shown once you choose a pregnancy or breastfeeding stage.
Under 18, the single-year values are used. A 10-year-old boy at 32 kg gets 32 kg × 0.91 g = 29 g, and a 17-year-old boy at 60 kg gets 60 kg × 0.86 g = 52 g. At the same 60 kg, turning 18 means multiplying by 0.83 g, which gives 50 g.
What this calculator leaves out
- You cannot enter an age under 1.
- It does not account for conditions that can call for limiting protein, such as kidney or liver disease. “Good to know” on the result also tells you to talk to your doctor.