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Skip to content 73% of Indians consume less protein than the ICMR recommends. this article compares 15 common protein sources per 100g — including 6 defatted nut powders that most people don’t know exist.
according to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 73% of Indians consume less protein than the recommended daily amount. a 2026 survey by LocalCircles found that 60% of urban Indians are protein deficient — and 74% couldn’t even identify how much protein they’re supposed to eat.
the conversation around fixing this has been dominated by two options: whey protein (processed, expensive, often loaded with additives) or dal and paneer (whole foods, but lower in protein density than most people assume). there’s a third option that almost nobody talks about: defatted nut butter powder.
the problem with India’s protein conversation is that it stops at “eat more dal” or “buy protein powder.” neither is wrong. both are incomplete.
here’s what the actual protein content looks like when you compare common Indian protein sources side by side — per 100g:
| Protein | Fat | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanut butter powder | 45g | 13g | Whole food |
| Peanut cacao powder | 40g | 13g | Whole food |
| Almond powder | 38g | 13g | Whole food |
| Pistachio powder | 34g | 13g | Whole food |
| Chicken breast | 31g | 3.6g | Whole food |
| Sesame powder | 30g | 17g | Whole food |
| Cashew powder | 26g | 17g | Whole food |
| Paneer | 18g | 20g | Whole food |
| Eggs (2 large) | 13g | 10g | Whole food |
| Curd/yogurt | 11g | 3g | Whole food |
read that table carefully. peanut butter powder has 45g of protein per 100g — that’s nearly double the protein of raw peanuts (25.8g), with 73% less fat. it’s higher in protein per gram than chicken breast. and it’s a whole food — three ingredients (peanuts, coconut sugar, himalayan salt), cold-pressed to remove the oil.
this isn’t a supplement. there’s no extraction process, no chemical solvents, no added isolates. the protein concentration happens because removing the fat concentrates everything else — including the protein that was already there.
the ICMR recommends 0.83g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. for a 70kg adult, that’s about 58g of protein per day. sounds manageable — until you look at what people actually eat.
the math problem with dal: a typical serving of moong dal (one bowl, ~150g cooked) gives you about 11g of protein. to hit 58g from dal alone, you’d need to eat more than five bowls a day. nobody does that.
the math problem with paneer: paneer has 18g protein per 100g, but it also has 20g fat per 100g. and a “portion” at most meals is 50-75g, giving you 9-13g protein. two servings a day = 18-26g. you’re still short.
the math problem with curd: curd gives you 11g per 100g. a bowl of curd with lunch adds maybe 11-15g. helpful, but not enough on its own.
this is why the protein gap persists: the foods that Indian vegetarians eat every day are genuinely nutritious — but none of them are protein-dense enough to close the gap in normal serving sizes.
the point isn’t to stop eating dal or paneer. it’s to add a protein-dense ingredient to meals you already eat — without changing the meal itself.
two tablespoons of peanut butter powder (about 20g) added to morning oats = 9g extra protein. that’s the equivalent of adding a whole egg to your breakfast without cracking one open.
three tablespoons of cashew powder stirred into your evening curry = 8g extra protein, plus the creaminess that the dish was getting from cream or yogurt anyway. Indian cooks already use kaju paste in korma, shahi paneer, and butter chicken gravy — powder is the same ingredient, defatted and ready to use without soaking or blending.
a pistachio powder latte in the afternoon = 7g extra protein in a drink that tastes like a premium dessert. this isn’t a supplement shake. it’s a latte.
add it up: +9g at breakfast, +8g at dinner, +7g as a drink. that’s 24 extra grams of protein per day — from whole foods, with zero change to your cooking routine.
for someone eating 40g of protein daily (India’s average), that’s a 60% increase. from powder.
India doesn’t eat one type of nut. Indian kitchens use kaju (cashew) for cream sauces, badam (almond) for desserts and warm milk, pista (pistachio) for sweets, and til (sesame) for laddoo, chikki, and chutney. a nut butter powder brand that only sells peanut is solving the protein gap for breakfast. a brand that sells all six is solving it for every meal.
the bottom line
“India doesn’t have a protein awareness problem. it has a protein density problem. the foods are right. the format needs to catch up. we make 6 nut butter powders because Indian kitchens don’t use just one nut. nobody else makes all six. we do.”
(Elad Lavi — founder, Botenz)
Per Serving
Per Serving
Botenz makes 6 defatted nut butter powders — peanut, almond, pistachio, cashew, sesame, and peanut cacao — cold-pressed in India from whole nuts. 1-3 ingredients, no additives. explore all 6 powders.
I’m Elad Lavi, the founder of Botenz. After living in India, I realized something: people here care about health—but “better-for-you” products here often use the same tricks—just better marketing.
So I built Botenz for European standards, kept it clean and simple, and focused on nuts—because India already values them as premium nutrition, and we make them even better: more of the good stuff, with much less oil.
Botenz is my mission—to make better nutrition feel normal.
— Elad Lavi, Founder
Others chase flavor with additives. We keep it real.
We pack Botenz in glass, not plastic, to keep the powder pure—no microplastics, better freshness, and real natural taste. Inside, it’s just 1–3 natural ingredients with no refined sugar, no fillers, and no gums. We use the most natural process.
Botenz exists to make better nutrition feel normal in India—clean, premium, and easy to trust. Start with one jar and taste the difference: real nuts, less oil, zero tricks.
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