Protein per Meal Calculator

The per-meal figure, and the myth attached to it

The working recommendation is around 0.4 g per kg of body weight per meal, which at four meals conveniently lands at 1.6 g/kg total — the plateau from the protein meta-analysis. Older adults should use closer to 0.5 g/kg per meal, because the response to a given dose is blunted with age.

What this is not is a ceiling. You have probably been told the body can only use 20–30 g of protein at a time. That came from studies which measured muscle protein synthesis for only three to five hours. A 2023 study extended the window to twelve hours and compared 25 g against 100 g after training: the larger dose produced a greater and much more prolonged response — around 40% higher from hours four to twelve — with no ceiling detected.

So if two large meals suit your life better than five moderate ones, that works. The distribution above is an optimisation, not a requirement.

Where people actually lose protein

• Breakfast. Toast, cereal or fruit alone contributes almost nothing. Adding eggs, Greek yoghurt or a shake often fixes a whole day's shortfall.
• Snacks. Usually protein-free. Swapping one biscuit-type snack for yoghurt adds 15–20 g with no planning.
• Before bed. 30–40 g in the couple of hours before sleep has modest supporting evidence, and overnight is the longest fast in most people's day.

Dinner is usually fine — most people's evening meal already has 30–50 g.