Protein calculator

Your details

Your protein requirement

As your BMI is above 25, the calculation uses the weight at a BMI of 25, as recommended by the DGE: kg.

From the age of 65, the DGE's estimated value is 1.0 g per kg of body weight. Good protein intake helps maintain muscle mass in older age.

For a fully plant-based diet, about 10 % has been added. The protein itself is not inferior. In whole plant foods, however, it is embedded in cell structures and fibre, which makes it somewhat less accessible during digestion. This does not apply to plant protein powder, where the protein is isolated. Combine different sources over the day, such as pulses, soy, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Guide values, rounded to 5 g. They do not replace individual advice.

How to reach your protein target

Plant foods provide more protein than many people think. The values are rounded averages and vary by product.

Example: oats with soy drink and pumpkin seeds in the morning, a lentil dish at lunch and tofu in the evening already add up to around 80 g of protein.

Biological value: what really matters

Biological value describes how well the body can convert dietary protein into its own protein. The more closely the ratio of amino acids in a food matches the needs of the human body, the higher its biological value.

Considered individually, plant foods have a slightly lower biological value on average. Pulses, for example, contain plenty of lysine but relatively little methionine. In grains it is the other way round. This often leads to the belief that a plant-based diet is at a disadvantage when it comes to protein.

On closer inspection, this is not true. Nobody eats just one food all day. When you combine different protein sources, scarce and plentiful amino acids balance each other out, and the biological value of your overall diet rises. The combination does not have to happen in the same meal; it can be spread over the day.

• Lentil dal with brown rice
• Hummus with wholegrain bread
• Chili with beans and spelt
• Oats with soy drink and pumpkin seeds

Focusing rigidly on the biological value of a single food is therefore of little use. It only matters if someone eats very few foods over a long period, which is rare in practice.

In addition, the body has different needs depending on the situation in life. Athletes, for example, sometimes take specific isolated amino acids. On their own, these would have a biological value of zero because all the other amino acids are missing – yet they can still be useful in the right context.

Conclusion: the idea that plant protein is fundamentally inferior is a myth. Variety is what matters. If you combine different protein sources, a plant-based diet provides protein of equal biological value to other diets. The extra 10 % or so in the calculator only reflects that protein in whole plant foods is somewhat less accessible because of cell structures and fibre – this does not apply to protein powder.

How the calculator works

• Everyday life: 0.8 to 1.0 g per kg of body weight. 0.8 g is the DGE reference value for adults.
• Endurance training: 1.2 to 1.4 g per kg of body weight.
• Strength training and muscle building: 1.6 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight.
• Losing weight while keeping muscle: 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight.
• From 65 years: at least 1.0 g per kg of body weight (DGE estimated value).
• Vegan: an extra 10 % or so.
• BMI above 25: calculation with the weight at a BMI of 25, as recommended by the DGE.

Sources