Protein for Elderly: Sweden's New Over-65 Advice (2026)

Protein for the elderly has taken on new relevance: in June 2026 the Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) presented updated dietary guidelines for everyone over 65. The message is simple — eat in line with the ordinary dietary advice, but prioritize a little extra protein, because the need increases with age. This guide covers how much protein you need after 65, which foods give the most, and what to do when your appetite starts to fade.

The advice is aimed both at you who are 65+ and active, and at you who have noticed your appetite isn't what it used to be. If you're a relative caring for a parent who eats too little, there's a dedicated section further down. Everything is based on the Swedish Food Agency's material and is nutrition information — not medical advice.

Sweden's new 2026 advice: why you need more protein after 65#

On 15 June 2026 the Swedish Food Agency launched new dietary guidelines for people over 65 under the heading "Good eating habits can contribute to more healthy years." The core is that the foundation is the same as for other adults, with a couple of important additions on protein and vitamin D (Swedish Food Agency).

The reason protein is highlighted comes down to how muscles work over the years. Muscles are built up and broken down constantly. After 65 the breakdown increases, and it becomes harder to keep your muscles the older you get — an age-related muscle loss sometimes called sarcopenia. Protein is needed for strong muscles and a strong immune system, and it is food combined with exercise that preserves your strength.

In concrete terms, the protein requirement per kilo of body weight is higher for you over 65 than for younger adults. For the rest of the adult population the recommendation is 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. For you over 65, a higher intake is recommended instead, to prevent muscle loss and declining physical function (L 2026 no. 07). We'll cover exactly how much next.

Good eating habits after 65 aren't only about muscles. They also reduce the risk of several common diseases — cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer — and, according to new knowledge, the risk of dementia too. Research has not been able to name any age at which it's too late to start eating better.

How much protein do you need after 65?#

For you over 65, the Swedish Food Agency recommends a protein intake of 1.2–1.5 grams per kg of body weight per day, which corresponds to roughly 15–20 percent of your energy intake. That is noticeably more than the 0.83 g/kg for younger adults, and the aim is to prevent age-related muscle loss and preserve physical function (L 2026 no. 07).

Translated into everyday life, it's easier to grasp with a calculation. Multiply your weight in kilos by 1.2 and by 1.5 to get your daily range:

A person weighing 70 kg therefore needs around 84–105 grams of protein a day. It's hard to get all of that at a single meal, so the trick is to spread the protein across the day — a little at each meal and preferably in snacks too.

If you have kidney disease or a prescribed protein-restricted diet, follow your doctor's or dietitian's recommendation, not the range in this article. The advice here applies to healthy older adults without specific nutritional treatment.

The good news is that no supplements or special products are needed. If you eat varied, you easily get enough, because protein is found in many everyday foods. In the next section we look at exactly how much different foods provide.

The best protein-rich foods for older adults – with a nutrition table#

Protein is found in fish, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. Bread, pasta, and grains contribute too. The point isn't to eat one single "protein bomb," but to let something protein-rich be part of every meal.

The table below shows protein per 100 grams for common foods, taken directly from the Swedish Food Composition Database. Use it as a guide to which choices give the most protein for the amount.

Source: Swedish Food Composition Database, nutrient search, version 2026-07-01. Values refer to the edible portion and vary somewhat between products and cooking methods.

A couple of things are worth noting. Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel provide both plenty of protein and beneficial omega-3 fat, and the Swedish Food Agency recommends fish two to three times a week. Dairy products like quark, cottage cheese, and hard cheese are easy to eat even when appetite is low. And classics such as black pudding, liver pâté, and herring provide a lot of nutrition for the money — useful to remember if the food budget is tight.

If you want concrete recipes built around protein, there are more ideas in the guides to high-protein dinner and high-protein breakfast. They're written for a broader audience, but the protein sources and portion thinking work just as well after 65.

When appetite drops: prioritize protein and energy#

With age it's natural for appetite to decrease and for you not to feel hunger and thirst the way you used to. Your sense of taste can fade too. Weight can then decrease gradually without you noticing — and unlike earlier in life, losing weight isn't always an advantage when you get older. A few extra kilos give more resilience and help you cope better with a period of illness.

If you can't eat portions as large as before, you need to think a little differently: get enough energy and protein even though the amount of food is smaller. The Swedish Food Agency describes it as a reversed plate model.

Reverse the plate model. In the usual plate model, vegetables fill a large part of the plate. When appetite is low you do the opposite: prioritize the protein part — fish, poultry, meat, eggs, beans, lentils — and eat as much as you can manage of the potatoes/pasta/bread and vegetables. Protein and energy matter most when you can only manage a small portion (Swedish Food Agency, 65+ with reduced appetite).

Here the advice differs clearly from ordinary weight loss. This applies with low appetite and involuntary weight loss — not if your goal is to lose weight. When you struggle to eat enough it's actually good to add extra fat to get more energy: a splash of oil or cream in the food, extra sauce or mayonnaise. It can feel unfamiliar if you're used to cutting back on fat, but for someone eating small portions the fat provides important energy.

Another approach is to eat more often rather than more. Instead of three large meals, you can spread out many small, nutritious ones across the day:

• Something small first thing in the morning and just before bed
• Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and an evening snack

Good protein-rich snacks can be a sandwich with plenty of topping (cheese, egg, liver pâté, herring), a boiled or fried egg, an omelette, pancakes, or soured milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese, and quark with a little muesli, berries, and nuts. Choose full-fat or high-protein versions of the dairy products.

If you regularly struggle to get enough despite this — contact your health center or a dietitian. Homemade, energy-rich meals do not replace prescribed nutritional drinks in cases of diagnosed malnutrition.

Are you a relative of someone who eats too little?#

Often it's relatives who first notice that an older person is starting to eat worse. Someone who has lost their appetite often also has less interest in everything to do with food, and the change happens gradually. The Swedish Food Agency has gathered five simple questions that help you keep track — for yourself or a loved one:

• Do you often feel tired during the day?
• Have you lost your desire for food?
• Are you not finishing the food in the fridge?
• Are you buying less food?
• Are your clothes, watch, or rings starting to feel too loose?

Weigh yourself regularly so you notice early if your weight changes. The Swedish Food Agency's advice is clear: "Contact healthcare if you start losing weight without knowing why." Involuntary weight loss can be a sign of illness, and healthcare can make a proper assessment.

As a relative you can make a concrete difference. The Swedish Food Agency highlights that you can eat together sometimes, help with the shopping, cook and freeze meals in portions, and remind someone why it's important to eat enough. Planning a week with both meals and small, energy-rich snacks is often what makes the biggest difference in practice — especially since one in three people over 65 in Sweden lives in a single-person household, and it's less appealing to cook and eat alone.

That's exactly what Smaklig is built for. You can set up a weekly menu for a parent, get a ready shopping list, and ask the sous-chef for nutrient-dense, protein-rich dishes in reasonable portions. When the structure is already there, it becomes easier to support someone who needs to eat more — without it taking over your day. To get started with weekly planning, our pillar guide what should we eat tonight? is a good starting point.

Exercise, fluids, and vitamin D after 65#

Food is one piece of the puzzle, but not the whole thing. To keep your muscles and strength you also need to move. The Public Health Agency's advice, which the Swedish Food Agency refers to, is to train balance and strength at least twice a week and complement it with daily physical activity that raises your pulse — aim for 150–300 minutes a week. It's never too late to start; 1177 has more on exercise for older adults.

Fluids are also easy to forget, because the sensation of thirst weakens with age. Try to drink about 1.5–2 liters a day on top of the fluid in your food. Getting too little can make you tired and dizzy, which raises the risk of falling.

Finally, vitamin D. The skin's ability to form vitamin D from sunlight decreases over the years, so everyone over 75 is advised to take a supplement of 20 micrograms of vitamin D every day. Vitamin D is needed for a strong skeleton and lowers the risk of osteoporosis. The supplement is available over the counter.

Summary: how to eat protein-rich after 65#

• Prioritize a little extra protein — 1.2–1.5 g/kg body weight per day, versus 0.83 g/kg for younger adults.
• Work out your range: weight × 1.2 to weight × 1.5. A 70-kilo person lands at about 84–105 g/day.
• Spread the protein across the day's meals and snacks — not all at once.
• Vary the sources: fish, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, nuts. See the nutrition table above.
• When appetite drops: reverse the plate model, add extra fat for energy, and eat many small meals — but only with involuntary weight loss, not with a weight-loss goal.
• A relative? Watch for the five signs and contact healthcare for involuntary weight loss.
• Everyone over 75: 20 µg of vitamin D daily. Drink 1.5–2 liters of fluid and train balance and strength.

Want to skip planning it all yourself? Try Smaklig for free — get protein-rich, nutrient-dense weekly menus and shopping lists tailored to you or a loved one, in portions that work even when appetite is low.