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 or second half of pregnancy, or breastfeeding, to add the extra amount needed.
US standard: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)
These are the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) set for the United States and Canada by the National Academies (formerly the Institute of Medicine). The protein RDA is defined per kg of body weight, and the grams per day in the tables are that value multiplied by a reference body weight. So the calculator uses your weight × g/kg when you enter a weight, and the reference-weight value when you don’t.
| Age | Average requirement (g/kg) | RDA (g/kg) | At reference weight (g/day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 0.87 | 1.05 | 13 |
| 4–8 | 0.76 | 0.95 | 19 |
| 9–13 | 0.76 | 0.95 | 34 |
| 14–18 | men 0.73 / women 0.71 | 0.85 | men 52 / women 46 |
| 19 and over | 0.66 | 0.80 | men 56 / women 46 |
Older adults use the same values as other adults. In pregnancy the RDA rises to 1.1 g per kg (71 g at the reference weight) only in the second half; in the first half it is the same as for women who are not pregnant. While breastfeeding it is 1.3 g per kg (71 g).
The RDA and the acceptable range
The RDA is the minimum that covers the needs of nearly everyone. Separately, the DRI sets an acceptable range (AMDR) of 10–35% of total daily energy from protein for adults. On 2,000 kcal a day, that is 50–175 g of protein.
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.