Vegan Protein & Nutrient Calculator
Calculator
Your numbers, in one screen.
Your numbers
Activity level
Goal
Daily protein target
84 g
About 21 g across four eating moments — breakfast, lunch, dinner and one snack.
A day that gets you there
- Seitan · 100 g25 g
- Firm tofu · 150 g24 g
- Tempeh · 100 g19 g
- Cooked lentils · 1 cup18 g
Total: 86 g — no powders required.
The rest of the checklist
Vitamin B12
25 µg/day (or 2,000 µg weekly)
Supplement or fortified foods — non-negotiable on any plant-based diet.
Omega-3 (ALA)
2–4 g/day
1 tbsp ground flax or chia daily; algae oil for direct EPA/DHA.
Iron
8–18 mg/day
Lentils, tofu, pumpkin seeds. Pair with vitamin C; keep tea/coffee away from meals.
Calcium
1,000 mg/day
Fortified plant milk, calcium-set tofu, tahini, kale, fortified soy yogurt.
Iodine
150 µg/day
Iodised salt or a small, regular seaweed portion. Don't overdo kelp.
Zinc
8–11 mg/day
Beans, seeds, oats, cashews. Soaking and sprouting improves absorption.
Vitamin D
10–25 µg/day
Sunlight in summer; supplement (D2 or lichen D3) in winter.
Selenium
55 µg/day
Two Brazil nuts a day is enough — no more than that.
Estimates based on 0.9–1.6 g protein per kg body weight (Rodriguez et al., ACSM/AND position stands) and EFSA/NIH reference intakes. General information, not medical advice — talk to a clinician about your own situation.
Context
Why the protein question keeps coming up.
Protein is the first question every plant-based eater is asked and the last thing that actually goes wrong. Population studies consistently find vegans meeting or exceeding requirements without trying, because protein is not confined to animals — it's in every legume, grain, seed and nut on the shelf.
What deserves attention instead is B12, vitamin D in darker months, iodine, and long-chain omega-3s. Those are cheap to solve and genuinely worth solving. The calculator lists them beside your protein target so nothing important hides behind the loudest question.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
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