100 g of protein a day is a common target for anyone losing weight or training, and on a typical Indian diet it can feel out of reach. Most home-cooked Indian days come in at 40–55 g. Dal, roti and sabzi all contain protein, but none of them contain much of it for their calories.
The good news: getting to 100 g does not require a different cuisine. It requires about five deliberate changes, all of them made with food already in most Indian kitchens.
Why 100 g?
For a 60–70 kg adult who is losing weight or strength training, 1.4–1.6 g of protein per kilogram is a reasonable target, which is 85–110 g. 100 g is a convenient round number in that range. Your own target may be lower or higher: protein calculator.
The five foods that do most of the work
| Food | Serving | Protein | Calories | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soya chunks | 50 g dry | 25–27 g | 165–180 | ~15 g |
| Hung curd / Greek yoghurt | 150 g | ~15 g | 90–150 | ~12 g |
| Paneer (low-fat) | 100 g | ~18 g | 150–190 | ~10 g |
| Eggs | 2 large | 12 g | 140–160 | ~8 g |
| Chicken breast | 100 g cooked | 30–32 g | 155–175 | ~19 g |
Compare that with the staples:
| Food | Serving | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dal | 1 katori | 6–9 g | 120–180 |
| Roti | 1 | ~3 g | 70–110 |
| Rice | 1 katori | 3–4 g | 180–210 |
| Rajma / chole | 1 katori | 7–10 g | 180–280 |
| Curd (regular) | 1 katori | 5–6 g | 90–120 |
Dal is a useful part of the day. It is not a protein source you can build a 100 g day on: you would need thirteen katoris. See high-protein Indian vegetarian foods for the full list.
A 100 g vegetarian day
| Meal | What | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 2 besan chillas with grated paneer (40 g) + ½ katori curd | 26 g | 450–620 |
| Mid-morning | 150 g hung curd with fruit | 16 g | 140–240 |
| Lunch | 2 rotis, 1 katori dal with 25 g soya chunks added, 1 katori sabzi | 29 g | 420–650 |
| Evening | Chai + 1 katori roasted chana | 12 g | 240–300 |
| Dinner | 1 roti, 1 katori paneer bhurji (100 g low-fat paneer), salad | 22 g | 290–400 |
| Total | ~105 g | 1,540–2,210 |
This is a real day of Indian food. There is no protein powder in it, and nothing you would not recognise.
A 100 g eggetarian day
| Meal | What | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 3-egg bhurji + 1 roti | 21 g | 320–420 |
| Mid-morning | 1 glass milk | 6–7 g | 120–135 |
| Lunch | 2 rotis, 1 katori rajma, 1 katori curd | 20 g | 410–600 |
| Evening | Chai + 2 boiled eggs | 14 g | 200–250 |
| Dinner | 1 katori soya chunk curry (40 g dry) + 1 roti + salad | 25 g | 280–440 |
| Total | ~87 g | 1,330–1,845 |
Add 150 g of hung curd anywhere, or a second egg at breakfast, and it passes 100 g.
A 100 g non-vegetarian day
| Meal | What | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 2-egg omelette + 1 toast + ½ katori curd | 18 g | 295–400 |
| Lunch | 1 katori chicken curry, 1 katori rice, 1 katori dal | 34 g | 550–790 |
| Evening | Chai + 1 katori roasted chana | 12 g | 240–300 |
| Dinner | 150 g grilled fish or chicken + 1 roti + sabzi | 42 g | 300–530 |
| Total | ~106 g | 1,385–2,020 |
The five changes that close the gap
If you do not want to follow a plan, these changes take a typical 45 g day to 90–100 g on their own:
- Add 25 g of dry soya chunks to one dish a day. Stir them into dal, sabzi or pulao. +13 g, about 85 calories. Almost undetectable.
- Make breakfast protein-first. Eggs, besan or moong dal chilla, paneer bhurji. Instead of poha or bread: +12–18 g.
- Replace regular curd with hung curd. Strain it overnight in a muslin cloth or buy Greek yoghurt. About double the protein per katori.
- Swap the evening namkeen for roasted chana or boiled eggs. +8–12 g, and fewer calories.
- Put a real protein at dinner. Paneer, soya, eggs, chicken or fish, not just dal. +15–25 g.
What about protein powder?
Whey is convenient: a scoop is about 24 g of protein for 110–130 calories, and it is well studied and safe for healthy people. It is useful if you train hard, have a high target, or struggle to eat enough.
It is not necessary. Every day in this article reaches or nearly reaches 100 g without it. If you use it, treat it as food: log it and count it.
Common problems
“It is too many calories.” Choose the higher-efficiency sources: soya, hung curd, low-fat paneer, egg whites, chicken breast. They add protein with fewer calories than most staples.
“It upsets my stomach.” Increase gradually over two weeks, drink enough water, and split protein across meals rather than loading dinner.
“I get bored.” Rotate the base: chilla one day, eggs the next, hung curd the third. The five foods above can be cooked a dozen ways each.
“Is it safe for my kidneys?” For people with healthy kidneys, intakes in this range have not been shown to cause harm. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor before increasing protein.
Tracking it
Protein is the macro people most consistently overestimate. Almost everyone who starts counting finds they eat less than they thought.
BetterCal counts it without the arithmetic: type or say “two besan chillas with paneer and half a katori of curd,” and it logs the protein, carbs, fat and calories. Your daily protein target is on the same screen, so you can see by 4 pm whether dinner needs to do some work. For a quick one-off check, the protein counter adds up a day in your browser.
Log a meal the way you would write it down. BetterCal turns a plain sentence, spoken or typed, into calories and macros. Free to start.
Download BetterCal on the App Store · Get BetterCal on Google Play
Frequently asked questions
Is 100 g of protein a day too much?
Not for most adults. For a 60–80 kg person, it is 1.25–1.7 g per kg, well within the range recommended for people losing weight or strength training. People with kidney disease should check with a doctor.
Can vegetarians get 100 g of protein a day without supplements?
Yes. Soya chunks, hung curd, paneer, besan and dal together make it achievable, as the vegetarian day above shows. It takes planning, particularly at breakfast and dinner.
Which Indian food has the most protein?
Among vegetarian foods, dry soya chunks: about 50 g of protein per 100 g. Among everyday foods, chicken breast (31 g per 100 g cooked), paneer (18–20 g per 100 g) and eggs (6 g each) are the leading sources.
How much protein is in 1 katori of dal?
About 6–9 g for a 150 ml katori of cooked dal. It is a useful contributor, not a primary source.
How do I know if I am eating enough protein?
Count it for a few typical days. Most people are surprised how low their intake is. The protein counter is a quick way to check a day.
Related: how much protein per meal · healthy Indian breakfasts for weight loss · soya chunks calories and protein
