This is the most common question I receive. The answer is not "it depends," even though everyone starts by saying that. There is a clear and practical formula. I'll explain how to calculate it for your case in less than five minutes.
The basic formula.
Daily protein intake is calculated in grams per kg of body weight, based on your activity level. Here are the validated ranges:
| Activity Level | Grams per kg of body weight |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (office work, normal walking) | 0.8 to 1.0 g/kg |
| Moderate activity (cardio 2-3 times/week, long walks) | 1.0 to 1.4 g/kg |
| Regular training (strength or cardio 3-5 times/week) | 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg |
| Intense training (serious strength, competitive sports) | 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg |
| Injury or surgical recovery | 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg |
| Over 65 years old (muscle mass maintenance) | 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg |
These figures come from the World Health Organization, the Spanish Ministry of Health, and current scientific consensus on sports nutrition.
Practical examples.
Person 1: 80 kg man, office job, gym 4 times a week.
80 × 1.4 = 112 g of protein per day.
Person 2: 60 kg woman, 30-minute daily walks, yoga 2 times a week.
60 × 1.1 = 66 g of protein per day.
Person 3: 70 kg man, amateur football 2 times/week, strength training 3 times/week.
70 × 1.7 = 119 g of protein per day.
Person 4: 70 kg woman, 68 years old, daily walks and occasional cycling.
70 × 1.3 = 91 g of protein per day.
Where you get these grams from.
This is where most people get confused. Whether your goal is 70g or 130g, the practical question is: which foods help me get there? Here are approximate grams of protein per typical serving:
- 1 egg (60g): 6g
- 100g cooked chicken: 30g
- 100g cooked salmon: 22g
- 1 whole yogurt (125g): 5g
- 1 natural Greek yogurt (125g): 10g
- 100g drained canned tuna: 25g
- 100g tofu: 12g
- 100g cooked lentils: 9g
- 30g cured cheese: 9g
- 1 serving of Whey Protein (30g): 24g
For a person with a goal of 90g/day, a typical menu might be:
- Breakfast: 1 Greek yogurt + 1 serving of whey + fruit = 34g
- Lunch: 120g chicken + salad + rice = 38g
- Dinner: 100g salmon + vegetables = 22g
- Total: 94g
Without whey, you'd have to add more chicken or salmon (for example, 200g per meal) or more yogurts. It's possible, but it's harder to digest, more expensive per gram of protein, and in practice, many people don't achieve it.
Common mistakes I see.
Mistake 1: thinking that "eating well" is enough. A typical balanced European diet provides 0.8 to 1.1 g/kg/day. For sedentary people, this is fine. If you train, you'll fall short.
Mistake 2: putting all protein into a single meal. The body does not utilize 80g of protein in a single intake. Protein synthesis is optimized with 25 to 40g per meal, spread across 3-5 intakes per day.
Mistake 3: counting only meat and fish. Dairy, eggs, legumes, and nuts provide significant amounts. If you only count meat, you underestimate actual protein intake.
Mistake 4: thinking that "more is better." Above 2.2 g/kg/day, there is no documented benefit for either hypertrophy or performance. Excess is metabolized as energy or excreted. It does no harm in healthy individuals, but provides no additional benefit.
How to calculate it in 10 seconds.
- Note your weight in kg.
- Multiply by 0.8 (sedentary), 1.3 (moderately active), or 1.6 (regular training).
- This figure is your daily grams.
- Divide among 3-5 intakes.
You also have an interactive calculator on our Quota Vita homepage. It gives you the range and suggests the amount of specific foods.
Practical conclusion.
Most of the European population consumes less protein than they should. If you train, it's almost certain you're falling short. If you don't train, you're probably just getting by.
Whey protein is not essential. If you have access to meat, fish, eggs, and dairy and you like them, you can reach your gram goals without powders. But for many (busy people, people who don't eat meat at every meal, elderly people who don't eat much anymore), a couple of scoops a day is the simplest way to bridge the gap.
Gerard, founder.