Free tool
Protein counter
A protein target is easy to set and surprisingly hard to check. Add what you ate today and this counts the grams of protein, the calories that came with them, and how far you are from your target.
Updated
How to use it
Pick a food, set how many servings you had (2 for two eggs, 0.5 for half a katori) and add a row for each thing you ate. The total updates as you go.
Protein figures are typical values for the serving shown. Calories are a range, because the same katori of dal is a different food in a different kitchen.
Do not know your target yet? Work it out with the protein calculator →
Protein per calorie
Not all protein costs the same.
The protein per 100 kcal figure in the result is the one worth watching when you are trying to lose weight. It tells you how much protein you are getting for the calories you are spending.
Above 10 g per 100 kcal is excellent: chicken breast, white fish, egg whites, soya chunks, whey and hung curd all sit there. Paneer, eggs and dal land around 5–8 g. Rotis, rice and most snacks are 2–4 g, which is why a day built around them struggles to reach a protein target without going over on calories.
| Food | Protein per 100 kcal | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Soya chunks, dry | ~15 g | The most efficient vegetarian source |
| Chicken breast | ~19 g | Hard to beat |
| Whey protein | ~20 g | Efficient, but a supplement not a meal |
| Greek yoghurt / hung curd | ~12 g | Excellent everyday option |
| Egg, whole | ~8 g | Good, with useful fat |
| Paneer | ~6.5 g | Good protein, a lot of fat |
| Dal | ~5 g | Useful, not a primary source |
| Roti | ~3 g | A carb that happens to contain protein |
A worked example: a typical vegetarian day
Poha for breakfast, three rotis with dal and sabzi for lunch, chai and biscuits in the afternoon, two rotis with paneer sabzi and a katori of curd for dinner. It feels like a balanced day, and it comes to roughly 45–55 g of protein.
For a 65 kg person trying to lose weight, a sensible target is 100–130 g. That gap is typical, and it is the main reason vegetarian diets feel hungrier during a deficit. Closing it rarely takes a supplement. It usually takes three swaps:
- Add 25 g of soya chunks to the dal or sabzi: about 13 g of protein for 85 kcal.
- Swap the katori of curd for 150 g of hung curd or Greek yoghurt: about 10 g more for similar calories.
- Make breakfast besan chilla or eggs instead of poha: 10–15 g more for the same calories.
Those three changes take the day to around 80–90 g without eating noticeably more. How to eat 100 g of protein a day on Indian food →
Frequently asked questions
How do I count grams of protein in food?
For packaged food, read the label and multiply by how many servings you ate. For home-cooked food, use typical values per serving (the ones in this counter) and count consistently. You do not need to be precise to the gram; being within 10–15 g of the true figure is plenty to know whether you are hitting a target.
How much protein is in 2 eggs?
About 12 g from two large eggs, with 140–160 kcal. Roughly 55% of the protein is in the white and the rest in the yolk, so eating whole eggs rather than just whites is worth it unless calories are very tight.
How much protein is in 100 g of paneer?
About 18–20 g for full-fat paneer, alongside 260–300 kcal. Low-fat paneer has a similar amount of protein with roughly 100 fewer calories. See paneer calories.
Is dal a good source of protein?
It contributes, but less than its reputation suggests. A katori of cooked dal is 6–9 g of protein for 120–180 kcal, because most of the bowl is water. It is a useful part of the day, not the whole answer. See high-protein Indian vegetarian foods.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. The counting happens in your browser, there is no sign-up, and nothing is sent anywhere or stored. Close the page and it is gone.
Next step
Count protein by describing the meal.
A dropdown is fine for a day. For every day, say “two rotis, dal, paneer sabzi and curd” and BetterCal counts the protein, carbs, fat and calories. Free to start on iPhone and Android.
