What is High Protein?
What do I consider to be "high protein"? The criteria is very simple for me. If it has 10 g or more of protein per 100 calories, then the food is high protein. Otherwise, it's not.
This might sound like a complicated calculation, but it's really quite simple. Just take the calorie number, and divide it by 10. If that number is less than the grams of protein, then the food is high in protein.
For example, let's look at the old reliable chicken breast. A 4 oz (113 g) serving contains 136 calories with 25 g of protein. This is an extremely high protein food, 25 is nearly double 13.6. That's a protein to calorie ratio of 0.18.
In comparison, let's look at brown rice has 165 calories with 3.4 g of protein. This is quite a low protein food, as 3.4 is significantly less than 16.5. The protein to calorie ratio here is a mere 0.021.
Below are examples of foods that are both high protein and not high protein, with their protein to calorie ratio provided. If a food is to be considered high protein, it's protein to calorie ratio must be at least 0.1. For context, the highest possible protein to calorie ratio is 0.25, since 1 g of protein is equivalent to 4 calories.
Foods High in Protein (≥0.10)
Foods Low in Protein (<0.10)
Low Protein ≠ Unhealthy
Just because something isn't high in protein doesn't mean that it isn't a healthy food. Most of the foods I listed above as not being high in protein are still very nutritious foods in their own right. Its just that protein isn't their main benefit. Just maybe some additional on the side.
Prime Example: Eggs
The best example of this phenomenon is probably eggs. Whole eggs are an extremely nutritious food. They have notable quantities of most micronutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin D, choline, iodine, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc. The protein quality of eggs is second to none, as a whole egg contains all essential amino acid in a near perfect ratio. Pasture raised eggs can have Omega 3s, as well as higher levels of vitamin D. An egg contains no net carbs, and their saturated fat and cholesterol are actually beneficial to brain health. Eggs are literally engineered to sustain life, of course they're highly nutritious.
With all that being said, eggs are not a high protein food. Sure, their protein quality is great, but the quantity is not as high as you would believe. A standard egg (50 g) has 74 calories with 6.2 g of protein, just shy of my standards for high protein. This is because eggs have almost as much as fat as protein, with 5.0 g of fat.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is egg whites, aka an egg without the yolk. Egg whites are typically referred to "liquid protein" or "pure protein". This is because egg whites have no carbs or fat. All of the calories come from protein; egg whites are actually mostly water. Your average egg white weighs 33 g, has 17 calories, and 3.6 g of protein. Since 1 g of protein has approximately 4 calories, you can see that nearly every single calorie from egg whites comes from protein, with trace amounts of fat and carbs.
However, egg whites are also know as pure protein for another reason: because protein is all they are. All the beneficial micronutrients of eggs are found in the yolks; there's nothing in the whites. Outside of some riboflavin and selenium, the micronutrient profile of egg whites is quite poor.
So whole eggs are best for actual nutrition, and egg whites are best for hitting your protein goals with minimal calories. For the best of both worlds, I like to combine the two together. I'll mix 2 whole eggs with 2 servings (6 tbsp, 90 g) of a carton liquid egg whites when making my scrambled eggs in the morning. This combination makes them higher in protein, while also preserving all the micronutrients. See my Spinach & Mushroom Scrambled Eggs and my Higher Protein Scrambled Eggs for examples.
What About Nuts & Seeds?
Nuts and seeds are another extremely nutrient dense food group. Nuts include the following: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. Similarly, seeds include chia, flax, hemp, poppy, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds.
While they all differ somewhat, what all nuts and seeds have in common are the following: high in calories, high in fat, high in fiber, moderate amount of protein, low in net carbs, and significant quantities of many vitamins and minerals. These include vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Basically, nuts and seeds are the egg equivalent of the plant world, as they're the basis of plant life.
Notice how I said a moderate amount of protein though. Nuts and seeds are both very high calorie, with the main macronutrient being fat. Nuts and seeds are a high fat food, with the bonus of having some protein bundled with it. Any recipe claiming to be for "protein" with just nuts as the protein source is fooling you.
The Carb Confusion
Last but not least, I want to look at the carbs. These are beans, lentils, and quinoa. All three of these are touted as a high protein food for vegans and vegetarians. And while they do contain significantly more protein that other starches, such as rice, bread, and pasta, high protein these are not.
Beans are not a protein. Lentils are not a protein. Quinoa is not a protein. All 3 of these contain a good amount of protein for a side, and quinoa is even considered to be a complete protein, but they're all carbs first and foremost. These 3 are easily the best carb sides you can have on your plate, but, most of the time, they should not be your sole protein source.
They're still highly nutritious though. Black beans, red lentils, and quinoa are high in fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, choline, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Just none of them are super high in protein.
TL;DR: What is High in Protein?
TL;DR: What isn't High in Protein
Sources
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What do I consider to be "high protein"? The criteria is very simple for me. If it has 10 g or more of protein per 100 calories, then the food is high protein. Otherwise, it's not.
This might sound like a complicated calculation, but it's really quite simple. Just take the calorie number, and divide it by 10. If that number is less than the grams of protein, then the food is high in protein.
For example, let's look at the old reliable chicken breast. A 4 oz (113 g) serving contains 136 calories with 25 g of protein. This is an extremely high protein food, 25 is nearly double 13.6. That's a protein to calorie ratio of 0.18.
In comparison, let's look at brown rice has 165 calories with 3.4 g of protein. This is quite a low protein food, as 3.4 is significantly less than 16.5. The protein to calorie ratio here is a mere 0.021.
Below are examples of foods that are both high protein and not high protein, with their protein to calorie ratio provided. If a food is to be considered high protein, it's protein to calorie ratio must be at least 0.1. For context, the highest possible protein to calorie ratio is 0.25, since 1 g of protein is equivalent to 4 calories.
Foods High in Protein (≥0.10)
- Aquafaba: 0.14
- Asparagus: 0.12
- Casein protein powder: 0.22
- Cheddar cheese (fat free): 0.20
- Chicken breast (skinless): 0.18
- Chicken thighs (skinless): 0.16
- Clams (canned): 0.17
- Cottage cheese (plain, nonfat): 0.15
- Edamame: 0.10
- Egg whites: 0.21
- Ground beef (93% lean): 0.14
- Ground turkey (93% lean): 0.12
- Greek yogurt (plain, nonfat): 0.17
- Milk (skin): 0.10
- Mozzarella cheese (fat free): 0.23
- Mushrooms (white): 0.14
- Nutritional yeast: 0.15
- Pork tenderloin: 0.19
- Powdered peanut butter: 0.13
- Quest protein bar: 0.10
- Quest protein chips: 0.17
- Salmon: 0.16
- Shrimp: 0.24
- Spinach: 0.13
- Steak: 0.20
- Tempeh: 0.10
- Tilapia: 0.21
- Tofu: 0.12
- Turkey breast: 0.21
- Tuna (canned, in water): 0.23
- Whey protein powder: 0.19
Foods Low in Protein (<0.10)
- Bacon: 0.035
- Beans (black): 0.065
- Broccoli: 0.083
- Brussel sprouts: 0.079
- Cauliflower: 0.076
- Cheddar cheese (whole milk): 0.057
- Chicken thighs (skin on): 0.077
- Chicken wings (skin on): 0.094
- Clif Bars: 0.041
- Corn: 0.038
- Eggs (whole): 0.081
- Feta cheese: 0.053
- Flour (coconut): 0.050
- Flour (whole wheat): 0.038
- Greek yogurt (plain, whole milk): 0.093
- Greek yogurt (vanilla, low-fat): 0.091
- Ground beef (80% lean): 0.067
- Ground flaxseed: 0.034
- Ground pork (80% lean): 0.065
- Ground turkey (85% lean): 0.094
- Hummus: 0.033
- Kind Protein Bar: 0.052
- Lenny & Larry Protein Cookie: 0.044
- Lentils (red): 0.067
- Milk (whole): 0.052
- Mozzarella cheese (whole milk): 0.074
- Nuts (almonds): 0.036
- Oats: 0.038
- One Protein Bar: 0.086
- Parmesan cheese: 0.071
- Pasta (red lentil): 0.065
- Pasta (whole wheat): 0.040
- Peanut butter: 0.041
- Peas: 0.067
- Pepperoni: 0.038
- Potatoes: 0.027
- Quest Protein Cookie: 0.060
- Quest Protein Peanut Butter Cup: 0.058
- Quinoa: 0.038
- Rice (brown): 0.020
- Ricotta cheese: 0.065
- RX Bar: 0.052
- Salami: 0.052
- Sausage (Italian): 0.048
- Seeds (hemp): 0.058
- Soybeans: 0.081
- Sweet potatoes: 0.018
Low Protein ≠ Unhealthy
Just because something isn't high in protein doesn't mean that it isn't a healthy food. Most of the foods I listed above as not being high in protein are still very nutritious foods in their own right. Its just that protein isn't their main benefit. Just maybe some additional on the side.
Prime Example: Eggs
The best example of this phenomenon is probably eggs. Whole eggs are an extremely nutritious food. They have notable quantities of most micronutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin D, choline, iodine, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc. The protein quality of eggs is second to none, as a whole egg contains all essential amino acid in a near perfect ratio. Pasture raised eggs can have Omega 3s, as well as higher levels of vitamin D. An egg contains no net carbs, and their saturated fat and cholesterol are actually beneficial to brain health. Eggs are literally engineered to sustain life, of course they're highly nutritious.
With all that being said, eggs are not a high protein food. Sure, their protein quality is great, but the quantity is not as high as you would believe. A standard egg (50 g) has 74 calories with 6.2 g of protein, just shy of my standards for high protein. This is because eggs have almost as much as fat as protein, with 5.0 g of fat.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is egg whites, aka an egg without the yolk. Egg whites are typically referred to "liquid protein" or "pure protein". This is because egg whites have no carbs or fat. All of the calories come from protein; egg whites are actually mostly water. Your average egg white weighs 33 g, has 17 calories, and 3.6 g of protein. Since 1 g of protein has approximately 4 calories, you can see that nearly every single calorie from egg whites comes from protein, with trace amounts of fat and carbs.
However, egg whites are also know as pure protein for another reason: because protein is all they are. All the beneficial micronutrients of eggs are found in the yolks; there's nothing in the whites. Outside of some riboflavin and selenium, the micronutrient profile of egg whites is quite poor.
| Nutrient | Whole Egg (100 g) |
Egg White (100 g) |
Egg Yolk (100 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 148 | 52 | 322 |
| Protein | 12 g | 11 g | 16 g |
| Fat | 10 g | 0 g | 27 g |
| Net Carbs | 1 g | 1 g | 4 g |
| Protein : Calorie | 0.081 | 0.21 | 0.050 |
What About Nuts & Seeds?
Nuts and seeds are another extremely nutrient dense food group. Nuts include the following: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. Similarly, seeds include chia, flax, hemp, poppy, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds.
While they all differ somewhat, what all nuts and seeds have in common are the following: high in calories, high in fat, high in fiber, moderate amount of protein, low in net carbs, and significant quantities of many vitamins and minerals. These include vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Basically, nuts and seeds are the egg equivalent of the plant world, as they're the basis of plant life.
Notice how I said a moderate amount of protein though. Nuts and seeds are both very high calorie, with the main macronutrient being fat. Nuts and seeds are a high fat food, with the bonus of having some protein bundled with it. Any recipe claiming to be for "protein" with just nuts as the protein source is fooling you.
| Nutrient | Almonds (1 oz, 28 g) |
Hemp Seeds (1 oz, 28 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 164 | 157 |
| Protein | 6 g | 9 g |
| Fat | 14 g | 14 g |
| Net Carbs | 3 g | 1 g |
| Protein : Calorie | 0.036 | 0.058 |
Last but not least, I want to look at the carbs. These are beans, lentils, and quinoa. All three of these are touted as a high protein food for vegans and vegetarians. And while they do contain significantly more protein that other starches, such as rice, bread, and pasta, high protein these are not.
| Nutrient | Black Beans (50 g) |
Red Lentils (50 g) |
Quinoa (50 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 171 | 179 | 184 |
| Protein | 11 g | 12 g | 7 g |
| Fat | 1 g | 1 g | 3 g |
| Net Carbs | 23 g | 26 g | 29 g |
| Protein : Calorie | 0.065 | 0.067 | 0.038 |
They're still highly nutritious though. Black beans, red lentils, and quinoa are high in fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, choline, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Just none of them are super high in protein.
TL;DR: What is High in Protein?
- Egg whites
- Lean dairy
- Lean fish
- Lean meats
- Protein powder
TL;DR: What isn't High in Protein
- Beans & lentils
- Fatty dairy
- Fatty meat
- Grains
- Most vegetables
- Nuts & seeds
- Whole eggs
Sources