What Are Some Protein Foods and How Much Protein Do They Have?

Considering you want approx 20-30 grams of protein per meal here are some guidelines. Use this list to plan your meals when wanting to ensure you are getting enough protein.

Be protein smart by looking at the size of a portion of protein and learning how much protein it might contain. For example when in the supermarket read the labels and ‘eye ball’ the size making your food diary much easier to fill out when recording protein in your diet.

 

Shortcut: 30g of meat or fish has approximately 7 grams of protein.

Beef

* Beefburger, 100g – 26 grams protein
* Steak, 170g – 42 grams
* Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per 30 g

Chicken

* Chicken breast, 100g – 30 grams protein
* Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)
* Drumstick – 11 grams
* Wing – 6 grams
* Chicken meat, cooked, 100g – 32 grams

Fish

* Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 100g of cooked fish
* Tuna, 170g can – 40 grams of protein

Pork

* Pork chop, average – 22 grams protein
* Pork loin or tenderloin, 100g – 27 grams
* Ham, 100g serving – 20 grams
* Ground pork, 30g raw – 5 grams; 100g cooked – 23 grams
* Bacon streaky, 1 slice – 3 grams
* bacon (back), slice – 5 – 6 grams

Eggs and Dairy

* Egg, large – 6 grams protein
* Milk, 1 cup – 8 grams
* Cottage cheese, ½ cup – 15 grams
* Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
* Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per 30g
* Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per 30g
* Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per 30g

Beans (including soy)

* Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein
* Tofu, 30g, 3 grams
* Soy milk, 1 cup – 6 -10 grams
* Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked

* Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
* Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams

Nuts and Seeds

* Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons – 8 grams protein
* Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
* Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
* Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
* Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
* Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
* Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
* Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams