A safe amount of protein for a healthy adult sits close to the official daily allowance, and within a sensible share of the day's calories. Both figures come from the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN). 1 To answer "how much protein should I eat a day?" for yourself, you need your weight, a few food labels and one simple sum.
The Amount Most Adults Need
The Recommended Dietary Allowance from ICMR-NIN is 0.83 g of protein daily per kg of body weight. Someone who weighs 62 kg needs about 51 g. The allowance is set above the average need, so reaching it covers nearly every healthy adult. 1
Put another way, how much protein one should take in a day depends mostly on body weight. Your activity level and gender leave the figure unchanged, according to the guidelines. What changes with activity is your calorie need, so a more active person eats more food overall and often gets more protein from it.
Many Indian adults are already near or above their figure. ICMR-NIN notes that adult diets often supply 60 to 70 g of protein a day, and that the bigger concern is getting all the essential amino acids. 1
What a Safe Upper Range Looks Like
The other half of the question, how much protein should be taken in a day at most, has a less exact answer. ICMR-NIN describes an ideal protein share of 10 to 15% of the day's energy. 1 Its own balanced plate for a 2,000 kcal day sits at about 15%. US guidance allows a wider band for adults, from 10 to 35% of calories. 2
Protein gives about 4 kcal per gram, so these shares can be turned into grams. 3 The table shows how a day's protein compares with a 2,000 kcal diet.
| Protein in a Day | Calories from Protein | Share of a 2,000 kcal Day |
|---|---|---|
| 50 g | 200 kcal | 10% |
| 75 g | 300 kcal | 15% |
| 100 g | 400 kcal | 20% |
| 125 g | 500 kcal | 25% |
| 175 g | 700 kcal | 35% |
For most adults on a normal diet, the first two rows cover the realistic range. ICMR-NIN's balanced plate is built around the second one.
How to Check Your Own Intake
For your own diet, the clearest answer to "how much protein should a person take in a day?" comes from a three-day record. Write down everything you eat for three ordinary days, with rough amounts. Packaged foods list protein per serving, so check how many servings you actually had. For home-cooked food, look up the raw ingredients in the Indian Food Composition Tables, which give protein for every 100 g. 3
Then add up each day. Take a day with 80 g of protein. Those 80 g give about 320 kcal, and on a 2,000 kcal day that is 16% of energy. That sits just above ICMR-NIN's ideal band and well inside the wider US range.
If your three days average 55 to 75 g on around 2,000 kcal, you are inside the 10 to 15% band. Much lower than that suggests a gap in your meals, and much higher suggests protein is taking too large a share of your calories.
Signs a High-Protein Plan Is Out of Balance
A high-protein diet can change slowly, without anyone noticing. Common signs are shakes or bars replacing whole meals, plates with little besides protein, and grains, fruit and vegetables slowly disappearing. ICMR-NIN's plate keeps all of them, and the guidelines note that protein is used well only when the diet also supplies enough energy from carbohydrate and fat. 1
When to Ask a Doctor or Dietitian
With protein powder side effects, the same two things matter as with protein from food: the total you take, and your own health. Some people need a personal target. ICMR-NIN warns that kidney damage, or worsening kidney function, can occur with high protein intake in people who already have kidney disease. 1 If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor to set your protein level.
The same applies if you have any long-term condition or take regular medication. A dietitian can turn the general figures above into a plan that suits your health.
Counting a Horlicks Protein Serving in the Total
Each Horlicks Protein sachet contains 24 g of protein in 36 g of powder, mixed with 200 ml of cold water or milk. For a drink that needs no mixing, there is a 240 ml milkshake with 20 g of ultra-filtered milk protein. Since the brand recommends a single serving daily, count it once and let meals supply the rest.
A 75 kg adult, for example, has an allowance of about 62 g. One sachet covers a little under two-fifths of that, and meals cover the remaining three-fifths or so.
To sum up, the answer to "how much protein should we take in a day?" starts at ICMR-NIN's 0.83 g per kg for a healthy adult. A safe amount usually stays within 10 to 15% of the day's calories. A three-day food record, labels and the Indian Food Composition Tables tell you where you stand. People with kidney disease or other long-term conditions should get a personal target from their doctor. A single Horlicks Protein serving fits within these limits when it is counted alongside meals.
Sources
1. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024.
https://nin.res.in/dietaryguidelines/pdfjs/locale/DGI_2024.pdf
2. US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans-2020-2025.pdf
3. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Indian Food Composition Tables, 2017.
https://www.nin.res.in/ebooks/IFCT2017.pdf