The average urban Indian eats half the protein they need. Here is how to fix it on a vegetarian, mixed, or non-veg diet without supplements or strange foods.

Most Indian adults consume 0.6g of protein per kg of body weight — about half the 1.2-1.6g recommended for active adults. The result: muscle loss, slow recovery, blood sugar swings. Fixing it doesn't require whey powder. For a 65kg adult targeting 90g/day: paneer (200g = 36g), dal (200g cooked = 18g), curd (200g = 15g), 2 eggs (12g), peanuts (30g = 8g). That's 89g without effort. Non-vegetarians can swap dal for chicken or fish for higher absorption. What to skip: protein bars from Indian brands. Read the label — most are sugar bombs with 8-12g of protein for 250+ calories. A bowl of moong dal does the job at a fifth of the cost.