How to use
Enter your sex and age and your recommended daily protein intake appears. Add your weight to have it calculated for your body weight, and tick regular training to also see the range recommended for people who train. Women can choose the first, second or third trimester of pregnancy, or breastfeeding (split into two stages six months after birth), to add the extra amount needed.
EU standard: EFSA Dietary Reference Values (2012)
These are the Dietary Reference Values for protein set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2012. The adult average requirement is 0.66 g per kg of body weight, and the Population Reference Intake (PRI), based on the 97.5th percentile of the requirement distribution, is 0.83 g per kg. It is the same for adults of all ages and applies to both high-quality protein and mixed diets.
| Age | PRI (g/kg) | At reference weight, men / women (g/day) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.14 | 12 / 11 |
| 5 | 0.85 | 16 / 16 |
| 10 | 0.91 | 31 / 31 |
| 15 | men 0.88 / women 0.85 | 52 / 46 |
| 18–59 | 0.83 | 62 / 52 |
| 60 and over | 0.83 | 61 / 55 |
Children have a value for each year of age, and the calculator uses the one for your age. With a weight entered it uses your weight × g/kg; without one, the value at the European reference weight.
In pregnancy 1 g, 9 g and 28 g are added in the first, second and third trimesters, and while breastfeeding 19 g for the first six months after birth and 13 g after that. These additions are defined only for the PRI, so no average requirement is shown during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
If you exercise
If you train regularly, 1.2–2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight per day is recommended. This range is not part of any dietary reference standard — it comes from the 2016 joint position of the American College of Sports Medicine and others.