Nutrition guide
High Protein Meal Planning
Turn a chosen daily protein target into portions you can shop for and repeat, with a worked day that adds up to about 100 g.
Updated 16 October 2026 • Prepared by Tools by Layna Editorial Team
Start with a target and your existing meals
Use a daily target that fits your age, activity and health context. Then list the foods you already eat and calculate their contribution before buying extra products. A 100 g target is used below purely to demonstrate the arithmetic; it is not a recommendation for every adult.
Worked example: a roughly 100 g protein day
The food quantities below use FSANZ AFCD Release 3 data. They show protein accounting for one possible schedule, rather than a prescribed diet or a complete assessment of daily energy, food-group serves and micronutrients. Adjust the overall menu to your own needs.
| Meal | Quantities counted | Approximate protein |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 50 g dry oats + 250 mL milk + 150 g increased-protein yoghurt | 29.0 g |
| Lunch | 100 g baked lean chicken + 100 g cooked brown rice + 100 g cooked broccoli | 36.0 g |
| Dinner | 150 g firm tofu + 100 g boiled chickpeas + 100 g cooked broccoli | 29.3 g |
| Snack | 150 g Pink Lady apple + 30 g raw unsalted almonds | 6.2 g |
| Total | All listed ingredients | 100.5 g |
How to change one meal without rebuilding the day
The lunch’s chicken contributes 29.0 g protein. Replacing that 100 g chicken portion with 150 g firm tofu contributes 19.2 g, reducing the day by 9.8 g to about 90.7 g. You can accept that change if it suits the target, or add another food with a known contribution. The useful step is recalculating the portion, rather than assuming all “protein foods” are interchangeable.
Batch preparation: divide the actual recipe
If four equal prepared portions together contain 120 g protein from the ingredients, each supplies 120 ÷ 4 = 30 g. When portions differ in size, divide by their share of the finished recipe weight instead. Record whether the meat, grains and legumes were counted raw, dry or cooked, and keep that basis consistent.
Choose vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and other foods alongside the protein components. Protein totals alone cannot tell you whether a meal plan provides enough overall food or suits a medical condition.
Data used for the sample day
AFCD food keys: oats F006143; regular milk F005634 (per 100 mL); increased-protein yoghurt F009809; baked lean chicken F002590; boiled brown rice F007641; boiled broccoli F001900; firm tofu F009176; boiled chickpeas F002882; Pink Lady apple F000105; almonds F006081. Quantities are edible weights. The total is calculated from unrounded ingredient values, then rounded.
Frequently asked questions
Do all four meals need exactly 25 g?
No. The example totals about 100 g with different amounts at each meal. Choose a workable pattern instead of forcing identical meals.
Can I use this as a weight-loss menu?
The table has not set an individual energy target or assessed all daily nutritional needs. It demonstrates protein arithmetic; weight management requires the wider food pattern and personal context.
What if my target is different?
Change the portions or ingredients and add their actual protein values. Do not simply scale every food up or down without considering appetite, energy and the rest of the diet.
Related calculators and guides
Sources and method
- FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database, Release 3: nutrient profiles — Food keys in the tables identify the source entries. Portion calculations use the energy-with-dietary-fibre, protein and total-dietary-fibre fields.
- FSANZ: nutrition information panels — How per-serving and per-100-g values differ.