Indian Food Calories and Protein Chart (IFCT)

The calories and protein of 50 everyday Indian foods, from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, worked out for the serving you actually eat. Of the foods here, soya bean carries the most protein per 100 g, at 37.8 g. Every food links to its own page: the full table, how it fits a plan that loses fat and keeps muscle, how to cook it, and what to compare it with.

Paneer, milk, eggs, chicken and fish

The foods that do most to keep muscle while fat comes off.

Paneer, milk, eggs, chicken and fish: per serving, IFCT 2017
Food and serving	Energy	Protein	On the plate
Paneer 50 g, about six small cubes	153 kcal	9.4 g	Protein anchor
Chicken breast 100 g raw, skinless	168 kcal	21.8 g	Protein anchor
Egg 1 large boiled egg, about 50 g without shell	74 kcal	6.7 g	Protein anchor
Rohu fish 100 g raw fillet	102 kcal	19.7 g	Protein anchor
Mutton 100 g raw goat meat, leg cut	160 kcal	22.1 g	Protein anchor
Milk 1 glass, about 200 ml	146 kcal	6.5 g	Useful add-on

Dals, chana, rajma and soya

The vegetarian plate's protein, with fibre built in.

Dals, chana, rajma and soya: per serving, IFCT 2017
Food and serving	Energy	Protein	On the plate
Moong dal 30 g raw dal, about one katori cooked	98 kcal	7.2 g	Protein anchor
Besan 30 g besan, enough for one chilla	99 kcal	6.5 g	Protein anchor
Kala chana 30 g dry, about three quarters of a katori boiled	86 kcal	5.6 g	Protein anchor
Rajma 30 g dry, about one katori cooked	90 kcal	6 g	Protein anchor
Soya bean 30 g dry soya beans, a small handful	113 kcal	11.3 g	Protein anchor

Rice, atta, millets and breakfast grains

Fuel, in a measured katori or a counted roti.

Rice, atta, millets and breakfast grains: per serving, IFCT 2017
Food and serving	Energy	Protein	On the plate
White rice 40 g raw, which cooks to about one small katori	142 kcal	3.2 g	Weigh-it carb
Brown rice 40 g raw, which cooks to about one small katori	142 kcal	3.7 g	Weigh-it carb
Wheat atta 30 g atta, about one medium roti	96 kcal	3.2 g	Fibre-rich carb
Jowar 30 g jowar flour, about one jowar roti	100 kcal	3 g	Fibre-rich carb
Ragi 30 g ragi flour, about one roti or a bowl of ragi malt	96 kcal	2.1 g	Fibre-rich carb
Barley 30 g raw barley (jau), about half a katori cooked	95 kcal	3.3 g	Fibre-rich carb
Quinoa 40 g raw, which cooks to about one katori	131 kcal	5.2 g	Fibre-rich carb
Suji (rava) 40 g suji, one plate of upma	134 kcal	4.6 g	Fibre-rich carb
Poha 40 g dry poha, one plate	142 kcal	3 g	Weigh-it carb
Sweet corn 100 g kernels, about one cup	97 kcal	4.2 g	Weigh-it carb

Vegetables and roots

Half the plate: volume that fills you for few calories.

Vegetables and roots: per serving, IFCT 2017
Food and serving	Energy	Protein	On the plate
Potato 1 medium potato, about 150 g	105 kcal	2.3 g	Weigh-it carb
Sweet potato 1 small sweet potato, about 100 g	109 kcal	1.3 g	Weigh-it carb
Onion 1 medium onion, about 100 g	48 kcal	1.5 g	Half-plate vegetable
Beetroot 1 medium beetroot, about 100 g	36 kcal	1.9 g	Half-plate vegetable
Carrot 1 medium carrot, about 80 g	26 kcal	0.8 g	Half-plate vegetable
Bhindi 100 g, about one katori of sabzi	27 kcal	2.1 g	Half-plate vegetable
Bottle gourd 150 g, about one katori of sabzi	17 kcal	0.8 g	Half-plate vegetable
Moringa leaves 1 cup of fresh leaves, about 50 g	34 kcal	3.2 g	Useful add-on

Fruit

Whole fruit, counted, in place of a sweet.

Fruit: per serving, IFCT 2017
Food and serving	Energy	Protein	On the plate
Banana 1 medium banana, about 100 g peeled	105 kcal	1.2 g	Whole fruit
Grapes 1 cup, about 100 g	54 kcal	0.6 g	Whole fruit
Guava 1 medium guava, about 150 g	48 kcal	2.2 g	Whole fruit
Litchi about 10 litchis, 100 g peeled	54 kcal	1 g	Whole fruit
Mango 1 cup cubes, about 150 g	83 kcal	0.8 g	Whole fruit
Avocado half an avocado, about 75 g flesh	108 kcal	2.2 g	Whole fruit
Jackfruit about 6 bulbs, 100 g	72 kcal	2.7 g	Whole fruit
Amla 2 amlas, about 50 g	12 kcal	0.2 g	Whole fruit
Dates 3 dry dates, about 24 g	75 kcal	0.6 g	Whole fruit
Muskmelon 1 cup cubes, about 150 g	42 kcal	0.8 g	Whole fruit
Chikoo 1 medium chikoo, about 100 g edible	73 kcal	0.9 g	Whole fruit
Pear 1 medium pear, about 150 g	57 kcal	0.5 g	Whole fruit
Watermelon 2 cups cubes, about 200 g	40 kcal	1.2 g	Whole fruit
Papaya 1 cup cubes, about 150 g	36 kcal	0.6 g	Whole fruit
Apple 1 medium apple, about 150 g	93 kcal	0.4 g	Whole fruit
Pomegranate half a cup of arils, about 100 g	55 kcal	1.3 g	Whole fruit

Nuts and seeds

Good food in small spoons: every one is calorie-dense.

Nuts and seeds: per serving, IFCT 2017
Food and serving	Energy	Protein	On the plate
Peanuts 30 g, a small handful	156 kcal	7.1 g	Spoon-sized food
Cashew about 10 cashews, 15 g	87 kcal	2.8 g	Spoon-sized food
Sesame seeds 1 tablespoon, about 10 g	52 kcal	2.2 g	Spoon-sized food
Flaxseed 1 tablespoon, about 10 g	44 kcal	1.9 g	Spoon-sized food
Coconut 2 tablespoons fresh grated, about 20 g	82 kcal	0.8 g	Spoon-sized food

Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, 2017. Grains, dals and meat are weighed raw, as IFCT reports them.

Indian food numbers: questions people ask

Where do these calorie and protein numbers come from?

From the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), published by ICMR's National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad. They are measured on foods sampled across India, per 100 g of the edible part. Each page names the IFCT food code it uses.

Which Indian foods have the most protein per calorie?

Among the foods here, chicken breast, fish, egg whites, soya, moong and other dals, besan and paneer give the most protein for their calories. The protein shelf and the dal shelf in the tables above show the figures side by side.

Why are grains and dals weighed raw?

Because IFCT measures them raw, and cooked weight changes with how much water goes in. Weighing a dry handful of rice or dal before it is cooked is the reliable way to match a serving to the table.

Do you list glycaemic index?

No. IFCT 2017 does not measure glycaemic index, and we print nothing we cannot source. Each page gives carbohydrate and fibre per serving instead, which is what a meal plan is built from.

Indian food calories and protein, by the numbers