For years, most Indians never planned meals around protein. Food was cooked based on habit, taste, budget, and what was available at home. Dal was dal. Milk was milk. Eggs were just eggs. No one counted grams or checked labels. Protein was not part of daily conversation, and it did not need to be. That began to change slowly. As lifestyles shifted, work hours got longer, and health conversations moved from doctors to social media, protein started entering everyday language. What was once taken for granted became something people actively talked about. From fitness conversations to family WhatsApp groups, protein moved from being invisible on the plate to becoming a buzzword, as more people began questioning whether their daily diets were getting enough of it.
One of the lesser-known realities of Indian diets is that protein is not necessarily missing, but unevenly distributed across the day. Many everyday meals provide energy and fullness but fall short on protein unless supported by the right additions. The gap often comes from eating patterns rather than lack of access, making small, familiar adjustments far more effective than drastic dietary changes.
Dr. Manika Singh, Nutritional Consultant at Godrej Industries Group Commented “Protein awareness in India has improved significantly over the past few years, but the opportunity now lies in translating awareness into everyday practice. Many people assume their regular meals provide enough protein, when in reality the distribution across the day often falls short. The focus should be on including a reliable protein source consistently through meals, especially at breakfast, lunch and dinner using familiar and accessible foods. These small, sustainable adjustments can play an important role in supporting strength, recovery, and overall health over time, without requiring drastic changes to traditional eating habits.
Mr. Shantanu Raj, Head of Marketing, Godrej Jersey Commented “On World Protein Day, we are reminded that protein is no longer the concern of only gym goers; it is a daily need for every Indian household, especially mothers planning family meals. At a time when surveys show that a majority of Indians still fall short on quality protein and remain unaware of their actual daily requirement, closing this “protein awareness and access gap has become a family nutrition priority. As a dairy brand, our responsibility is to help families move from everyday dairy to everyday protein in forms they already love.
Through value-added products like our Badam Milk in an affordable twenty-rupee pack, we are bringing familiar, tasty nutrition within reach of more children and young adults on the go, at a time when India is actively looking for convenient, on-the-move protein options. Equally, our new paneer pack at Rs 99 offers around thirty grams of protein in a convenient format that fits seamlessly into regular home cooking, without asking families to change their habits or compromise on softness and taste; paneer is already one of the most preferred vegetarian protein sources in Indian cuisine. With 76% of households preferring paneer according to Godrej Jersey India Lactograph Findings FY25-26 study, this becomes a powerful lever to improve protein intake at scale. By combining accessibility, trusted quality and meaningful protein delivery across milk drinks, curd and paneer, Godrej Jersey aims to make meeting daily protein needs simpler for every Indian family, not just serious fitness enthusiasts.”
Meals that are filling but often low in protein on their own include:
Breakfast staples like poha, upma, idli, toast, or plain paratha
Roti-sabzi combinations without curd, dal, paneer, or other protein additions
Rice-heavy meals where dal or protein portions are minimal
Bread-based snacks such as sandwiches made without protein fillings
· Common evening snacks like Namkeen
This is why protein balance often depends less on changing the meal itself, and more on what accompanies it whether that is a chicken, a portion of paneer, eggs, pulses, or convenient ready protein options that fit into everyday routines.
Lesser-Known Protein Reality: It’s Not Just What You Eat, But When You Eat It
Most people focus on protein sources, but timing and distribution play an equally important role.
What many people don’t realise:
The body uses protein better when intake is spread across meals, not concentrated in one meal
Breakfast is typically the weakest protein meal in Indian diets
Protein consumed earlier in the day supports sustained energy and reduces hunger later
Late evening protein intake supports overnight repair and recovery
Small additions across the day are more effective than one large protein-heavy meal
This means protein is not just about adding new foods, but about strengthening existing meals.
The basic protein numbers people now recognise
Roughly 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight for most adults
For those who work out regularly, around body weight multiplied by 2
This is why protein balance often depends less on changing the meal itself, and more on what accompanies it whether that is a chicken, a portion of paneer, eggs, pulses, or convenient ready protein options that fit into everyday routines.
While many foods contain small amounts of protein, only a few qualify as true protein sources foods where protein forms a significant part of their nutritional value. These foods play a central role in helping meet daily needs and are far more efficient than relying on staples where protein is only present in minor quantities. Including even one or two of these in daily meals can make a meaningful difference.
Practical Protein Sources
· 100 g cooked chicken → ~25–27g protein
· 2 whole eggs → ~12g protein
· 100 g paneer → ~18g protein
· 1 bowl Greek yogurt / hung curd (200 g) → ~15–18g protein
· Prawns (100 g) - 23–24 grams protein
· 100 g tofu → ~10–15g protein
· 1 bowl cooked dal (200 g) → ~12–14g protein
· 50 g soy chunks (dry weight) → ~25g protein
· 1 glass milk (250 ml) → ~8g protein
Unconventional Protein Source
· Edamame (soyabean phali ) - 11 grams protein per 100 grams
· Amarantha ( Rajgira) (100g) - ~13–14 grams protein
· Green Peas (100g) - 5 g protein
· Sardines (100g) - 24–25 grams protein
· Chicken Nuggets (100g) – 16 Gram Protein (The ones Preserved using IQF Tech like Godrej Yummiez)
These foods stand apart because protein is not incidental to them, but it is a primary component. Building meals around such sources, rather than relying only on carb-heavy staples, is what helps create more balanced and effective daily protein intake.
This shift in thinking changed how protein was approached. Instead of being tied to one food or habit, it started being seen as something that can be spread through the day, leaving room for easier and more convenient ways of meeting daily needs.
As daily routines get busier, convenience has started playing a bigger role in how people think about protein. Long work hours, shorter cooking windows, and changing eating patterns have pushed people to look for options that fit into real life rather than ideal routines. This has led to a wider mix of protein choices entering everyday consumption, from dairy based products and ready to cook foods to newer packaged formats that focus on ease. Across categories, brands like The Whole Truth, The Health Factory, and Godrej Jersey reflect this shift in different ways, each catering to specific moments through the day. Together, they point to how the protein conversation in India is evolving, not around perfection or strict rules, but around access, familiarity, and making protein easier to include without overthinking meals. As World Protein Day approaches, the focus is less on chasing numbers and more on how protein fits naturally into everyday routines.
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