High-Protein Indian Vegetarian Diet Plan: 7 Example Days (IFCT 2017)
This is a week of example days for a high-protein Indian vegetarian diet, built from the plates and snacks already worked out in our breakfast guide, lunch and dinner guide and snacks guide. Every protein and calorie figure comes from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017); the plate weights and the way the days are put together are ours.
The short answer
By our arithmetic from IFCT 2017, the seven days below add up to between 62.0 g of protein (day 2) and 71.7 g (day 1), with an average of 64.1 g, and between about 1,180 kcal and about 1,430 kcal. Day 1 is the highest day by a clear margin; the other six days sit within 2.5 g of each other.
The seven days
Each day is a breakfast, a lunch, one snack and a dinner. Protein and calories are the sums of the plate values shown in the next table, so each day's total is the total of its four rounded figures.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Snack | Dinner | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Moong dal chilla with paneer | Toor dal with rice | Raw peanuts | Paneer sabzi with roti | 71.7 g | about 1,430 kcal |
| Day 2 | Sprouted-moong bowl | Masoor dal with roti | Paneer cubes | Rajma with rice | 62.0 g | about 1,180 kcal |
| Day 3 | Paneer bhurji with roti | Lobia curry with rice | Moong chaat (dry weight) | Kala chana curry with roti | 64.5 g | about 1,330 kcal |
| Day 4 | Black chana with a glass of milk | Moong dal and paneer with roti | Almonds | Toor dal with rice | 62.2 g | about 1,300 kcal |
| Day 5 | Poha with groundnuts | Paneer sabzi with roti | Kala chana chaat (dry weight) | Masoor dal with roti | 62.2 g | about 1,280 kcal |
| Day 6 | Moong dal chilla with paneer | Kala chana curry with roti | Peanut bhel | Lobia curry with rice | 62.4 g | about 1,310 kcal |
| Day 7 | Black chana with a glass of milk | Rajma with rice | Glass of cow milk | Moong dal and paneer with roti | 63.7 g | about 1,310 kcal |
Not counted: cooking oil or ghee, tadka, vegetables, curd, salad, tea or coffee and any sugar. A teaspoon of ghee or oil adds calories that these days do not include; see our ghee guide for the arithmetic.
The 19 plates and snacks the days are built from
Each row is the sum of its IFCT 2017 Table 1 rows at the weights shown, dry or raw, before water and cooking fat. Protein is shown to 0.1 g and calories to the nearest 10 kcal; the same plates and snacks appear in the three guides linked above.
| Plate or snack (weights are ours) | What is counted | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moong dal chilla with paneer | 60 g dry moong dal + 30 g paneer | 20.0 g | about 290 kcal |
| Toor dal with rice | 60 g dry toor dal + 80 g dry rice | 19.4 g | about 480 kcal |
| Raw peanuts | 30 g raw peanuts | 7.1 g | about 160 kcal |
| Paneer sabzi with roti | 100 g paneer + 60 g atta | 25.2 g | about 500 kcal |
| Sprouted-moong bowl | 60 g dry whole moong | 13.5 g | about 180 kcal |
| Masoor dal with roti | 60 g dry masoor dal + 60 g atta | 21.0 g | about 390 kcal |
| Paneer cubes | 50 g paneer | 9.4 g | about 150 kcal |
| Rajma with rice | 60 g dry rajma + 80 g dry rice | 18.1 g | about 460 kcal |
| Paneer bhurji with roti | 80 g paneer + 40 g atta | 19.3 g | about 370 kcal |
| Lobia curry with rice | 60 g dry lobia + 80 g dry rice | 18.6 g | about 480 kcal |
| Moong chaat (dry weight) | 40 g dry whole moong | 9.0 g | about 120 kcal |
| Kala chana curry with roti | 60 g dry kala chana + 60 g atta | 17.6 g | about 360 kcal |
| Black chana with a glass of milk | 50 g dry kala chana + 200 g whole cow milk | 15.9 g | about 290 kcal |
| Moong dal and paneer with roti | 40 g dry moong dal + 50 g paneer + 40 g atta | 23.2 g | about 410 kcal |
| Almonds | 20 g almonds | 3.7 g | about 120 kcal |
| Poha with groundnuts | 50 g dry poha + 20 g groundnuts | 8.5 g | about 280 kcal |
| Kala chana chaat (dry weight) | 40 g dry kala chana | 7.5 g | about 110 kcal |
| Peanut bhel | 20 g puffed rice + 20 g raw peanuts | 6.2 g | about 180 kcal |
| Glass of cow milk | 200 g whole cow milk | 6.5 g | about 150 kcal |
IFCT 2017 has no row for curd (dahi), cooked dal or rice, tofu, soya chunks, makhana, sprouts or packaged foods, so none of them is used. The sprouted-moong bowl is counted as 60 g of dry whole moong.
What the plan shows
- One day stands out. Day 1 comes to 71.7 g; the other six days come to 62.0 g to 64.5 g.
- The highest day holds the highest plate. Day 1 has moong dal chilla with paneer for breakfast and paneer sabzi with roti for dinner.
- Calories vary more than protein. Day 1 is about 1,430 kcal; day 2, the lowest day for both protein and calories, is about 1,180 kcal.
For protein per 100 g across more foods, see our high-protein Indian foods guide.
What this page leaves out
- A protein or calorie target: we have not looked up one for any body weight, so we give none.
- Cooked values and foods with no IFCT row (curd, tofu, soya chunks, makhana, packaged foods).
- Anything about weight loss, muscle gain or health outcomes: the page adds up food data and makes no claim about what a day of eating does to your body.
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Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
How much protein is in this 7-day vegetarian plan?
By our arithmetic from IFCT 2017 rows, the example days in this guide range from 62.0 g of protein (day 2) to 71.7 g (day 1), and the seven days average 64.1 g, before cooking oil, vegetables, curd and tea. The calories range from about 1,180 kcal to about 1,430 kcal. The weights are ours, not a recommendation.
Why is day 1 higher in protein than the other days?
Day 1 has moong dal chilla with paneer (20.0 g) at breakfast and paneer sabzi with roti (25.2 g) at dinner by our IFCT 2017 arithmetic; the dinner plate is the highest-protein plate in this guide. The other six days come to 62.0 g to 64.5 g.
Is this plan egg-free?
Yes. Every plate comes from dal, pulses, paneer, milk, nuts, rice, atta or poha. The boiled-egg breakfast in our breakfast guide is not used here.
Does this plan set a protein or calorie target?
No. We have not looked up a target for any body weight, so the plan shows what a day adds up to, not what it should add up to. Ask a doctor or registered dietitian what is right for you.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, read from the PDF 23 Oct 2026: cereals A011, A012, A015, A019 (PDF page 41 to 42), pulses B002, B005, B010, B011, B013, B019, B021 (pages 42 to 43), nuts H001 and H012 (page 55), milk and paneer L002, L003 (page 57). Energy converted from kJ at 4.184 kJ per kcal.
The plate and snack weights, the way the seven days are put together, the sums, the average and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own arithmetic or opinion, not from a study. Day totals add the rounded plate figures shown.