25-04-2025
Protein deficiency? How to get 60 gm daily from natural food and not depend on supplements
When a 32-year-old patient with protein deficiency came to meet Bhakti Samant, chief dietician at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, he had thought she would prescribe a protein supplement. But he was surprised when she told him he did not need any supplement at all and gave him a diet chart that had whole food sources of protein spread across meals and snacks. He is now fit and energetic.
'All he needed was to balance his diet with protein in every meal to meet his daily requirement. This is the myth that everybody falls for, that protein from natural foods is not enough to meet your nutritional requirement. The body needs 0.8 gm-1gm of protein per kg of body weight to avoid deficiencies. Unless one is an athlete or recovering from illness, any normal, healthy person can easily get between 60 gm to 65 gm of protein from natural food sources. Regular people do not need supplements, just practical meal plans,' says Samant.
WHY INDIA LAGS BEHIND PROTEIN TARGETS?
All nutritional guidelines suggest that 10-35% of our daily calories should come from protein-rich foods. 'Estimates show that only 10 to 11 per cent of the Indian diet is protein, compared to 12 to 15 per cent in the US. We are stuck at a consumption level of 0.5 gm per kg of body weight. That's because we are largely vegetarians, with plant proteins not quite matching up to animal ones. But the bigger problem is behavioural. Our diets are carbohydrate-heavy. By not having enough protein (a quarter of your plate in every meal), you are creating a protein vacuum which you fill up with more carbohydrates, the root cause of blood sugar, inflammation and other problems,' says Dr Seema Gulati of the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (NDOC) Centre for Nutrition Research, Delhi.
Myths around having protein-rich diets pose another challenge, according to Ritika Samaddar, regional head, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Max Healthcare. 'While animal protein is easier to incorporate, even plant proteins, in the right variety and combinations, can easily meet your daily protein requirement. Some plant-based sources like soy (tofu, soy milk), quinoa and chia seeds offer all nine essential amino acids. Plus they don't have saturated fat,' she says.
WHAT ARE THE MYTHS AROUND DIETARY PROTEIN?
Most of Samaddar's patients feel that a protein-rich diet is only for athletes and bodybuilders. 'Apart from building muscle, repairing tissues and producing hormones, proteins lend satiety, prevent quick breakdown of sugar and keep hunger pangs at bay, managing both weight and calories,' she says.
Many believe high protein diets harm the kidneys. Yet a moderate protein intake with hydration is safe for most people. 'What many don't know is that even patients of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), not on dialysis, need 0.6 gm of protein per kg of body weight per day. Those on dialysis need 1.0-1.2 gm per kg of body weight per day, and that too from whole food sources. Yet such patients don't have more than 0.2 per gm per kg of body weight,' says Samant.
The elderly, too, require 1 to 1.2 gm per kg body weight to avoid sarcopenia, a progressive wasting of muscle and skeletal mass.
HOW EASY IS IT TO GET DAILY PROTEIN QUOTA FROM DIETARY SOURCES
Dr Gulati has a chart ready. 'Let's assume you need between 60 to 65 gm of protein per day. Let's begin with pre-breakfast, where you can have 10 nuts, soaked or raw, all yielding between 3 gm to 26 gm, depending on the portion. You can even split them into two parts. For breakfast you can have moong dal chila, which yields 9 gm of protein per serving, so two would be 18 gm with chutney. Have a tofu salad which can give you 20 gm straight per 100 gram or a cup. Have a glass (200 ml) of buttermilk which amounts to 15 gm of protein,' she says.
For lunch, she recommends multigrain millet rotis (4 to 7 gm from two diskettes) a cup of dal (12 to 20 gm), sauteed vegetables (between 2 to 4 gm per 100 g), which should be half your plate, and a bowl of curd (15 gm). Round it off with a cup of warm milk (3 to 4 gm).
Snacks can be about roasted chickpeas (15 gm), a cup of grilled paneer (46 gm) cubes or sprouts (3 to 6 gm per 100 gm).
For dinner, Dr Gulati recommends besan roti (a 30 gm roti contains around 6.6 gm of protein) or soybean flour roti (4.6 gm per roti), paneer, vegetables and curd (as listed above). For beverages, one can have a sattu drink (7 to 8 gm). 'There are enough high value plant proteins that can more than make up for your quota,' she says.
For those used to animal protein, eggs (6 gm per egg), fish (a large piece or two small pieces contain 20 g protein) and chicken (24 to 32 gm per 100 gm, which is a biggish piece) are good sources. 'These in combination with plant proteins provide a rich bioavailable source. Who needs supplements then?' asks Dr Gulati.
WHAT IS THE BIG MISTAKE THAT WE MAKE?
Samant says most of us load up on protein in one or two meals and think we are done for the day. 'Remember the body can absorb only 20 to 25 gm of protein at a time. So if you have extra protein in a single meal, the surplus will go into storage as fat. That's why you need to evenly distribute protein intake through the day for the best results,' she adds. That way you can keep your normal protein range between 6.0 and 8.3 g/dL.
