Yes, most healthy adults can. Your protein requirement per day can come entirely from ordinary meals. ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say a varied diet meets it easily, even when the diet is fully plant-based. Supplements help on days when meals fall short, and food remains the main source.
Your Protein Requirement Per Day
ICMR-NIN's Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), the recommended protein intake for healthy adults, is 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight. At 65 kg, that is about 54 g a day. Men and women share the same figure, and it does not rise with physical activity.
Women often weigh less, so their number is usually lower. The guidelines build their sample menus for women around 55 kg, which works out to about 46 g a day. To calculate how much protein is required at your own weight, multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.83.
What Is the Recommended Daily Protein Intake?
The allowance also carries a safety margin. It is set to meet the needs of 97.5% of healthy people, and the average requirement is lower, at 0.66 g per kg. So if your meals reach your daily protein requirement, your needs are almost certainly covered.
A Day of Ordinary Indian Meals Can Cover Your Protein Needs
ICMR-NIN's own plate shows how this works. Its My Plate for the Day, a vegetarian diet of about 2,000 kcal, supplies around 72 g of protein. The table shows where that protein comes from.
| Food Group (Vegetarian Plate) | Raw Amount per Day | Approximate Protein Provided |
|---|---|---|
| Cereals and millets | 250 g | About 25 g |
| Pulses | 85 g | About 20 g |
| Milk or curd | 300 ml | About 10 g |
| Vegetables and leafy greens | 400 g | About 10 g |
| Nuts and seeds | 35 g | About 6 g |
| Fruits | 100 g | About 1 g |
The non-vegetarian version of the plate swaps some of the pulses for 70 g of chicken, meat or eggs, and comes to about 79 g. Both versions provide protein above many adults' daily allowances, and neither includes a protein supplement. For people who eat animal foods, the guidelines suggest 700 to 900 g a week of fish, poultry, lean meat or eggs.
The guidelines' sample menus point the same way. A sedentary woman weighing 55 kg gets about 57 g of protein from her suggested day. A sedentary man weighing 65 kg gets about 72 g. Both menus are built from whole grains, dal, beans, vegetables, nuts, curd and a little milk.
Where Everyday Meals Tend to Fall Short
When meals fall short, the cause is usually food quality or eating habits. ICMR-NIN notes that the quality of protein matters as much as the amount, and that diets made mostly of cereals can fall short on it. A plate of mostly rice or roti with a spoonful of dal is a common example.
Balance Cereals and Pulses
The fix is to keep the two in proportion. ICMR-NIN's guidance works out to about three times as much cereal as pulse, weighed before cooking, with about a quarter litre of milk across the day. This combination helps improve protein quality by providing a better balance of essential amino acids.
Avoid Skipping Meals
Eating habits can create another gap. A skipped breakfast, a lunch of only rice and sabzi, a long travel day or a poor appetite can each pull a day below the allowance. Small changes can help close it.
A 200 ml glass of cow's milk adds about 6.5 g of protein. Cooking 40 g of raw moong dal into a bowl of dal adds approximately 9.5 g. Including these foods in your daily meals can help you reach your protein target without relying on supplements.
When Does a Protein Supplement Make Sense?
A supplement can suit days when meals cannot meet your protein needs, such as a long workday, travel or a spell of low appetite. It is a convenient way to add protein when planning or preparing balanced meals is difficult.
How Horlicks Protein Can Help
One Horlicks Protein sachet adds 24 g of protein and 4 g of prebiotic fibre. It can be mixed into 200 ml of cold water or milk. The ready-to-drink milkshake provides 20 g of ultra-filtered milk protein in each 240 ml bottle, with no added sugar.
Horlicks Protein recommends one serving a day, or as advised by your dietitian. Used this way, it complements a day of meals, while everyday foods continue to provide the rest of your protein.
Conclusion: Can You Meet Your Protein Needs Without Supplements?
You can meet your protein needs without supplements. ICMR-NIN's allowance of 0.83 g per kg works out to about 54 g a day at 65 kg. The guidelines' own plates and sample menus provide approximately 57 to 79 g of protein from food alone.
Keeping cereals and pulses in proportion, adding milk or curd and avoiding skipped meals can help you meet your daily protein requirement. A Horlicks Protein serving is a convenient option on days when meals fall short, as part of a balanced diet.
Sources
1. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024.
Read the ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines
2. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Indian Food Composition Tables, 2017.
Read the Indian Food Composition Tables