Indian protein on a budget

Prices below are what we typically see at local kirana stores and D-Mart in Jaipur — your city will vary by 10–20% either way. All figures are approximate but honest. Round in your head, not on a spreadsheet.

The cheat sheet — cost per 10 g of protein

• Whole eggs — ₹7 per egg × 1.5 eggs = ~₹10 per 10 g. Also gives you fat, choline and B12.
• Toor / chana / moong dal — ₹150/kg, ~22 g protein per 100 g dry = ₹7 per 10 g. Incomplete protein — pair with rice or roti to complete the amino profile.
• Paneer — ₹320/kg, ~18 g protein per 100 g = ₹18 per 10 g. Higher fat, very satiating.
• Curd / dahi (full fat) — ₹60/kg homemade, ~4 g protein per 100 g = ₹15 per 10 g. Cheap gut-friendly volume.
• Milk (toned) — ₹56/litre, ~32 g protein per litre = ₹18 per 10 g.
• Chicken breast — ₹280/kg, ~30 g protein per 100 g cooked = ₹9 per 10 g. Best cost-per-gram for non-veg.
• Soya chunks (nutrela) — ₹80 per 200 g, ~52 g protein per 100 g dry = ₹8 per 10 g. Genuinely underrated.
• Whey (Indian brands) — ₹2,000 for 1 kg with ~75% protein = ₹27 per 10 g. Convenient, not cheap.

A ₹150/day, 120 g protein plate

Here is one honest working-day template we've seen members run for months:

• Morning: 3 whole eggs + 1 katori curd → ~24 g protein, ~₹25
• Lunch: 1.5 katori dal + 2 roti + 1 katori sabzi → ~20 g protein, ~₹35
• Snack: 100 g paneer bhurji or 50 g soya chunks (dry) → ~18 g protein, ~₹35
• Dinner: 150 g chicken curry (or 150 g paneer for veg) + 1 katori dal + 2 roti → ~40 g protein, ~₹50
• Before bed: 250 ml milk with turmeric → ~8 g protein, ~₹15

Total: ~110–120 g protein, ~₹160. Cheaper than a single restaurant thali, and you'll actually build muscle on it.

Rules of thumb

• Aim for 1.6 g of protein per kg of bodyweight if you're training. That's a 65 kg person eating ~100 g/day.
• Split it into 3–4 servings of 25–35 g each — that's the ceiling of what your body will actually use for muscle repair in one sitting.
• Vegetarians: combine dal + rice + dairy in the same day to cover all essential amino acids. Soya covers it on its own.
• Whey is a convenience, not a magic powder. Use it when you're travelling or between meetings. Not as a food replacement.

What we tell every new member

Do the boring thing for 12 weeks: hit your protein number every day, from real food, before you spend a rupee on any supplement. If you still want the tub after that — you'll actually be strong enough to notice what it does.