First, let’s understand exactly how we are determining “highest protein content” of a given food.
To determine how much protein content a food has, you have to look at the percentage of total protein in relation to the rest of the macro-n
First, let’s understand exactly how we are determining “highest protein content” of a given food.
To determine how much protein content a food has, you have to look at the percentage of total protein in relation to the rest of the macro-nutrients in the food (carbohydrates and fats) and things like fiber, water and vitamin and mineral content (yes, vitamins and minerals weigh something — just not very much.)
This will give you the “absolute” percentage of protein in a food and let you compare apples-to-apples … sort of.
Some High Protein Content Foods Compared
Let’s look at a few of foods with reputations for having a high protein content.
In all of these cases, we’ll be using a 50 gram serving or sample of the food to determine its percentage of protein. I’ll also use the raw form of the food, since the amount of water in a food can change its percentage of protein by weight after cooking. The goal here is to keep everything as equal as possible.
I’ve only included one non-animal source of protein (soy isolate), because in general, plant sources of protein don’t rank as high in total protein as animal or seafood/fish sources. So we won’t even bother with them (although they are still good for you.)
The key metric to look at with each of these foods is the percentage of total protein by weight, which is the last figure given for each food.
Eggs are one of those foods that always makes the top five list when it comes to high protein content. Here’s what eggs look like from a nutritional standpoint:
One large, whole raw egg (50 g) has the following nutritional profile:
- Fat: 5 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0 grams
- Protein: 6 grams
Protein Percent by Weight: 12%
Chicken breast is a staple of bodybuilding building diets because it’s considered very high in protein. Here’s what a 50 gram serving of chicken breast looks like from a protein perspective:
- Fat: 0.6 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0 grams
- Protein: 11.5 grams
Protein Percent by Weight: 23%
Ground Sirloin (95% Extra Lean)
Lean beef is another food that is considered very high in protein. Here’s what 50 grams of extra lean ground sirloin looks like:
- Fat: 3 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0 grams
- Protein: 12.9 grams
Protein Percent by Weight: 25.8%
Raw Yellowfin Tuna Steak
Among fish, tuna is one of the highest protein foods:
- Fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0 grams
- Protein: 11.7 grams
Protein Percent by Weight: 23.4%
Soy Protein Isolate
Soy beans, in particular th