How much protein do I require in a day?

Protein requirements differ among different groups of people. It depends upon their age, gender, body size, amount of activity they perform and some special conditions (convalescence from disease). Males, heavy people, physically active people, children and those who have just been up after a period of sickness require more proteins.

Every adult needs as many grams of protein in diet as his or her weight (in kgs). This means, a 60kg man will require 60grams protein daily, while a 50 kg woman will require 50grams protein daily. These are rough estimates for average, healthy people. Requirements during recovery period from a disease (convalescence) are 40-50% higher.

Adolescents (13-19 yrs) require 1.5grams of protein for each kg of their body weight. A 16 year boy weighing 57 kgs will require approximately 85 grams of protein per day.

Children (upto 10 years) require 2grams of protein for every kg of their body weight. A 9 year old child weighing 26kgs will require 52 grams of protein daily, it is estimated.