Dal contains protein. As does milk. As does paneer. As does oats. 

But how efficient are those foods at giving you protein. 

Cars cover distance. How much electricity or petrol do they need to cover that distance determines efficiency. 

In foods, a simple measure of protein efficiency is how many calories do you ingest to get 10 grams of protein? 

With milk for example, you drink 190 calories of milk to get 10 grams of protein. You get 10 grams from 100 calories of skim milk. You’d consume 115 calories of eggs, to get 10 grams of protein. 

You eat roughly 160-180 calories of dal to get the same 10 grams (not factoring for oil etc used to prep the dal). 

The simple need for increased awareness of protein consumption in this country is for two reasons:

*Our primary sources of energy that are very inefficient at giving us protein. Rice, millets, wheat, fruit, dal, oil, unprocessed dairy are inefficient sources of protein. More efficient foods such as eggs and paneer are heavy on fat. The most efficient don’t feature often enough or in sufficient quantities to matter. 

*The foods that are rich in protein are either expensive or harder to port into our daily eating. Cottage cheese does not behave as paneer does. Skim milk tastes terrible in coffee. If you’re going to load up on dal and dairy, you’re going to have to cut back on wheat and rice. 

Most of us have to consume far too many calories to get our daily dose of protein. Hence most of us don’t get our daily dose of protein. This matters for everything from retaining lean mass, healthier bones, hair, skin, nails and remaining healthy. More so for kids whose growth and body composition for life benefit from higher protein intake. 

Takeaway 

It’s best to ask yourself how efficient is a food or ingredient at giving you 10 grams of protein. And you would plan and prepare your meal to ensure this number does not stray too far 180-200 calories for 10 grams mark.