Protein Plate Builder: Build a High-Protein Meal

Build a high-protein meal in seconds. Tap everyday foods, from eggs, chicken, salmon, Greek yogurt and tofu to lentils, beans, arepas and paneer, and watch your protein, calories, carbs and fat add up against a per-meal protein goal.

Men over 35: aim for roughly 0.4 g of protein per kg of body weight per meal. Work out your daily target.

Sets your goal to 0.4 g per kg of body weight.
Protein in this meal0 g / 30 g

Tap a food below to start building your meal.

0calories (kcal)
0 gcarbs
0 gfat

    Tap foods to add them

    0 / 30 g

    0 kcal

    All values are approximate, per the portion shown, from USDA FoodData Central (paneer and roasted chana from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017). Brands, recipes and cooking oil change the numbers. Cooking oil is not included, so add about 40 kcal per teaspoon you use.

    How this protein plate builder works

    Each food has a standard portion with its protein, calories, carbs and fat. Tap a food to add one portion, and use the + and − buttons to change how many. The totals and the progress bar update as you go. Filter by how you eat (everything, vegetarian or vegan) and by food type to find options quickly.

    Why a per-meal goal? Research on older adults found that men in their 70s needed about 0.4 g of protein per kg of body weight in a meal to maximally stimulate muscle building, compared with about 0.24 g/kg in men in their 20s. A 2018 review suggests spreading about 0.4 g/kg per meal across at least four meals to build muscle. For an 80 kg man that is about 32 g a meal, which is why the default goal is 30 g. You do not need to hit it perfectly every time; your total for the day matters most.

    Tips for an easy 30 g of protein

    • Everything: a small chicken breast, a salmon or cod fillet, or a can of tuna does most of the work on its own.
    • Vegetarian: a small tub of Greek yogurt plus 2 eggs, or 1 cup of cottage cheese with 2 slices of whole-wheat toast.
    • Vegan: 1 cup of cooked edamame plus ½ cup of firm tofu, or 85 g tempeh plus a cup of black beans.
    • Latin American: an arepa with 2 eggs and a slice of queso fresco, plus ½ cup of frijoles.
    • Indian: 100 g paneer plus 1 cup of dal, or 30 g soya chunks plus a cup of chana.

    Learn more in our guides to how much protein you need after 35, the best muscle-building foods and plant-based eating for men.

    Sources

    1. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): nutrient values for most foods
    2. Longvah et al. (2017), Indian Food Composition Tables, National Institute of Nutrition: paneer and Bengal gram
    3. Moore et al. (2015), Journals of Gerontology: protein per meal needed by older vs younger men
    4. Schoenfeld and Aragon (2018), JISSN: how much protein the body can use in a single meal
    5. Morton et al. (2018), British Journal of Sports Medicine: protein intake and muscle gains, meta-analysis

    This tool gives general education, not medical advice. Food values are approximate. If you have kidney disease, diabetes or another health condition, or you have been told to limit protein, check with your doctor before changing your diet.

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