protein sources (and common myths)

BY TARUN VENKATESAN IN COLLABORATION WITH RAAHIL MEHTA ON 2ND SEP 2025

If you’re Indian, I’m almost certain you’ve heard your fair share of common protein myths – either from family members or stuff you’ve seen frequently circulated on WhatsApp groups.

It’s easy to spread these rumours and feel like you know everything about protein, but taking responsibility to truly understand your daily needs – how much you need, how it fits into your lifestyle, and why it matters – is a completely different story.

Why I Finally Started Taking Protein Seriously

I grew up in a vegetarian household. Dal, sabzi, rice — that was the norm. I didn’t even eat any meats until the age of 13 (chicken nuggets, story for another day). Now I eat chicken and fish too, though still never at home.

But for the longest time, I thought that was enough. My logic was simple: if I eat three meals a day with some dal, roti, and some of them have chicken or eggs, surely I’m covered, right?

Wrong.

The reality is, unless you’re consistently hitting at least 1.5 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight, you’re not really building muscle – you’re just maintaining. And according to Harvard Health, to just simply remain healthy, you need to be getting 0.8 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight. That explained why, despite being active, playing sports, and even lifting here and there, I never saw real progress in my own fitness journey.

Once you actually track your protein intake, you realize how far off you are from the recommended intake. Most Indian diets accidently end up at just 20–30g/day, because traditionally they are carb-heavy and severely protein deficient.

The Wake-Up Call

In Feb 2024, I had kidney stones. That experience made me paranoid about my diet, especially with regards to protein. I kept hearing that “too much protein is bad for your kidneys,” and it stuck with me. I stayed off whey protein, milk, chicken, and other high protein sources for over 6 months because of this.

But when I started digging into the research on protein and its role in our diet, I realized something important: high protein isn’t dangerous for healthy people. The real danger is too little protein, especially as we age.

I’ve seen it in my grandparents — reduced leg strength, muscle weakness, and mobility challenges — and I can’t help but think that part of it comes down to a lifetime of not getting enough protein. That hit me hard. I don’t want the same thing for myself or for others, just because of a lack of awareness of protein and its vital role in our system. Protein isn’t just for athletes or gym-goers. It’s essential for everyone – whether you’re training as a professional athlete, working a corporate job, or enjoying life as a retired grandparent.

Clearing Up Common Myths

“The RDA is all the protein you need”

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (0.8 g/kg) is the bare minimum to prevent deficiency — it’s “survival mode,” not “thriving mode.” For strength, muscle, and long-term health, most active people need closer to 1.2–2 g/kg. If you are not meeting the RDA, you could possibly be protein deficient and unhealthy.

“Dal gives you all the protein you need”

A complete protein is one that contains all nine essential amino acids which the body needs to function but doesn’t produce on its own. A lot of Indian protein staples (like dal or rajma) are incomplete proteins, i.e. they do not contain all nine. As such, you need combinations (dal + rice, adai + curd) or dairy/animal sources to make them complete.

“Supplements are chemical shortcuts”

Supplements often carry a taboo, but whey is simply milk protein in powdered form. Just like cheese or yogurt, whey comes from milk, yet we don’t label those as “supplements.” The only difference is that whey is packaged for convenience, making it easier to meet daily protein needs.

“High-protein diets harm your bones”

Protein is a vital structural component of bone health and higher-than-RDA intake can actually protect against bone loss and fractures in older adults.

“Your body can only absorb 30 g of protein per meal”

Your body can handle much more, as recent studies show that even 100g in a sitting can produce a greater and longer muscle-building response than just 25g.

“Only animal foods provide protein”

While animal proteins are complete proteins, plant-based diets work too, especially if you eat a variety of foods and select the right options. However, vegetarians and vegans may need 20–40% more plant-based protein to match amino-acid quality.

“Older adults don’t need much protein”

As we age, our bodies become less efficient at using protein—a phenomenon called anabolic resistance. That’s why older adults actually need 1.0–1.3 g/kg/day, especially if they’re active or doing resistance exercise

“High-protein diets harm your kidneys”

If you are healthy, there is no evidence supporting this claim. High-protein diets only become a major issue if you go in excess of sometimes even 5x your RDA or you have pre-existing kidney conditions.

“You must immediately eat protein after a workout”

Not really – what matters most is your total daily intake and how you spread it across meals. You don’t need to stress about rushing for a high-protein post-workout meal — just focus on hitting your protein target for the day, distributed evenly throughout.

How I Track My Protein

I started using the free app MyFitnessPal (MFP), to log meals. It was eye-opening. Foods I thought were “high protein” barely scratched the surface, while some underrated meals like Adai (south indian staple) or greek yogurt packed a punch. Now I aim for around 100g/day, spread across meals. That’s the difference-maker and I would highly recommend setting up something like this simply to gain a basic understanding of the macros and nutrients of each meal that you consume throughout your day.

There are certainly days when I’m too busy to search and fill out what I ate for each meal – you might face that too, but just remember that that’s okay. For me, the app helps make me aware where I stand with regards to protein intake – and as long as I have a rough idea of what I ate for each meal, I don’t mind missing a couple days.

Protein Breakdown

Here’s a quick look at the breakdown of what a high-protein diet looks like in India (vegetarian and non-vegetarian).

Vegetarian Diet:

🌅 Breakfast (~33g)

MuscleBlaze High-protein dark choc oats (50g + 300ml milk) – 20g
Pintola Peanut butter (2 tbsp) – 7g
Extra milk or 1 boiled egg (optional) – 6g

🍛 Lunch (~65g)

1 cup dal (200g cooked, moong/masoor) – 9g
100g paneer bhurji – 20g
1 cup quinoa or brown rice – 8g
400g Epigamia greek yogurt – 28g

☕ Snack (~25g)

1 scoop whey (The Whole Truth protein powder) – 25g

🍽 Dinner (~25g)

3 medium moong dal dosas (adai) – 15g
150g curd – 6g
Side of veggies / salad – 4g

✅ Daily Total = ~ 140-160g protein

Non – Vegetarian Diet:

🌅 Breakfast (~43g)

40g oats – 5g
1 banana – 1g
1 scoop Foodstrong Chocolate Almond Whey Protein (34g) – 26g
1 tablespoon The Whole Truth Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter – 6g
10-15 nuts of choice (Pecans, Almonds, Walnuts) – 4g
1 dash milk – 1g
1 dash of Sri Lankan cinnamon

🍛 Lunch (~60g)

200g cooked chicken thigh – 48g
2 rotis – 8g
Side of veggies / salad – 3–4g

☕ Snack (~25g)

1 scoop Origin Plant (Pea) Protein Chocolate Fudge (40.5g) with water – 25g

🍽 Dinner (~55g)

200g cooked chicken thigh – 48g
1 cup pasta – 3g
Side of veggies / salad – 3–4g

✅ Daily Total = ~150-180g protein

The Bigger Picture

Since getting conscious about protein, I feel stronger, am more consistent with workouts, and just feel healthier overall. And honestly, it’s not just about muscle or aesthetics – it’s about longevity.

There’s still this weird stigma in India around “too much protein.” People warn you about kidneys without realizing most of us are actually under-eating protein. For me, going through kidney stones and then re-learning the science gave me the confidence to ignore the noise and just focus on what works.

If sharing this saves even one person from making the same assumptions I did, it’s worth it.

And in case you’re finding it difficult to help your parents understand the importance of protein in our diet, here’s a PPT I created that might help.