Smallplate

Sources

General information, not advice for your case. Please check your target with your doctor.

Protein guidance

Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society (2025, open access on PubMed Central). We read the article text. It says:

  • "the recommended daily allowance for protein is 0.8 g/kg/day" (noted as under review for updating).
  • "Higher targets, such as 1.2-1.6 g/kg/day, have also been proposed" during active weight reduction.
  • "setting an absolute protein target of 80-120 g/day, or 16%-24% energy on a 2000 kcal/d diet, may enhance adherence."
  • "prolonged intake at or above 2 g/kg/day should be avoided due to potential adverse health effects."
  • It is unclear whether targets should use actual, adjusted, ideal or fat-free mass, and "the use of actual weight can significantly overestimate protein requirements."
  • "Protein-rich foods can be consumed first in a meal" to improve the chance of adequate intake.

How Smallplate uses it

  • The default target is 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, the low end of the higher targets above. The suggested range shown is 0.8 g per kg to 1.6 g per kg. You can type any target you like.
  • Smallplate uses your actual body weight because that is the only number it asks for. The advisory notes this can overestimate needs, which is another reason to check your number with your doctor or dietitian.
  • If you skip setup, Smallplate starts you on a plain 60 g so the Today screen has a number to show. That starter figure is not taken from the source; change it in Settings.
  • The advisory does not give protein guidance specific to kidney disease, so the app tells you to check your target with your doctor if you have it.

Food data

All food and meal nutrition values come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central, SR Legacy dataset, which is in the public domain. Each food in the app keeps its FoodData Central ID (fdcId). A portion's protein is its weight in grams times the USDA value per 100 g, rounded to whole grams; calories are rounded to the nearest 5. Household measures such as cups and ounces are matched to gram weights from the USDA's own portion data. Real foods and brands vary from these averages.

Smallplate is not endorsed by the USDA.