List of foods with highest Protein Calorie Percentage

andrikosDE
andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
edited August 2015 in Food and Nutrition
Here's a list of 100 (so far) foods that I compiled.
I wanted to see which food contains the highest Protein calories as related its the total caloric content.
The columns are as follows:
A. Food (per 100g serving)
B. Protein %
C. Carb %
D. Fat %
E. Total calories of 100g serving

F. Protein Quality score as taken from the excellent nutritiondata.self.com site. This is their definition of PQ score:

"PROTEIN QUALITY
Protein quality is dependent on having all the essential amino acids in the proper proportions. If one or more amino acid is not present in sufficient amounts, the protein in your diet is considered incomplete.

Each spoke on the Protein Quality graph represents one of the nine essential amino acids, and the graph shows how close the protein in your diet is to the optimal distribution of amino acids recommended by the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board.

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This is the cottage cheese amino acid makeup, the current king of this list.


An Amino Acid Score of 100 or higher indicates a complete or high-quality protein. If the Amino Acid Score is less than 100, a link is provided to complementary sources of protein. By combining complementary proteins, you may be able to increase the overall quality of the protein you consume."


G. Completeness Score. This is again taken from the nutritiondata.self.com site. This is their definition of it:
"NUTRIENT BALANCE INDICATOR™
This symbol offers a visual representation of a food's nutritional strengths and weaknesses, with each spoke representing a different nutrient. The spoke for dietary fiber is colored green, protein is blue, vitamins are purple, minerals are white, and yellow represents a group of commonly overconsumed nutrients: saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

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This is the completeness score of Asparagus, the current king of our list.


A Completeness Score between 0 and 100 is a relative indication of how complete the food is with respect to these nutrients. Although few (if any) individual foods provide all the essential nutrients, the Nutrient Balance Indicator and Completeness Score can help you construct meals that are nutritionally balanced and complete."

And finally,
H. Percentage of Protein calories / total calories. The list ranked from highest % to lowest. Did you know that Broccoli was a P%cal powerhouse? At 54.2% of its calories coming from protein, it ranks as the highest veggie on this list.


I'll be updating the list with more foods, feel free to suggest any that you'd like.

Keep in mind that the information in disseminated in 100g servings of the food (per EU standard) rather than the asinine U.S. serving sizes (oz, tsp, cups, ladles, buckets etc... ;). The EU standard makes total sense to my engineering mind.

On to the charts!

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Replies

  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    Well, I managed to grow the list to a ponderous 185 foods! :smiley:
    I also added a column to improve sortability.

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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited September 2015
    Take note people - NUTS ARE NOT A GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN. Pizza is better. I swear next time people mention nuts in those threads, I'll mention pizza.

    This should be stickied.

    And now I need to Google Harzer cheese.

    There's no mention of Greek yogurt though?
  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
    Wow, now this is dedication! Thanks for this :)
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    This list makes me sad. I HATE seafood with a passion. I've tried to like it, but I simply can't stomach it. I wish I liked seafood. It would make hitting protein goals so much easier.
  • mysticlizard
    mysticlizard Posts: 896 Member
    Sticky
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
    This list makes me sad. I HATE seafood with a passion. I've tried to like it, but I simply can't stomach it. I wish I liked seafood. It would make hitting protein goals so much easier.

    What do you hate about it? Be specific. There is a huge variety of seafood out there from sashimi to white fish to red fish to crustaceans to caviar to mollusks to fresh vs. canned, etc.
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    edited September 2015
    Francl27 wrote: »

    This should be stickied.

    And now I need to Google Harzer cheese.

    There's no mention of Greek yogurt though?
    1. Thanks
    2. I live in Germany where Harzer käse or Handkäse or Talerkäse are readily available. It's not for everyone, but since I'm a huge cheese fan I eat it very often. I'm rounding up some knowledge to start making it soon. It definitely sounds easier than brewing beer. ;)
    3. Good grief and I'm Greek ;) I'll post it on my next version of the list. FYI it's at 67.8% Protein calories.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    andrikosDE wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »

    This should be stickied.

    And now I need to Google Harzer cheese.

    There's no mention of Greek yogurt though?
    1. Thanks
    2. I live in Germany where Harzer käse or Handkäse or Talerkäse are readily available. It's not for everyone, but since I'm a huge cheese fan I eat it very often. I'm rounding up some knowledge to start making it soon. It definitely sounds easier than brewing beer. ;)
    3. Good grief and I'm Greek ;) I'll post it on my next version of the list. FYI it's at 67.8% Protein calories.

    Well I guess it depends on the % of fat in the yogurt too.

    But solid post!
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    edited September 2015
    Foods from each group with highest Protein mass per 100g:

    1) Overall king: PB2 at a WHOPPING 41.7 grams of Protein (44.4P%Cal)
    2) Dairy: Parmesan at 36g (36.7P%Cal)
    3) Legumes: Soy beans at 35.9g (32.2P%Cal)
    4) Meat: Venison at 30.2g (76.5P%Cal)
    5) Seafood: Lobster at 26.4g (73.9P%Cal)
    6) Nuts: Almonds at 21.1g (13.7P%Cal)
    7) Seeds: Sunflower seeds at 21g (13.6P%Cal)
    8) Grain: Oats at 17g (17.5P%Cal)
    9) Vegetable: Garlic at 6g (16.1P%Cal)
    10) Fruit: Guava at 3g (17.6P%Cal)
    11) Mushrooms: ~All at 3g (white (54.5P%Cal)



  • agbmom556
    agbmom556 Posts: 694 Member
    Awesome list.
    Thank you.
  • questionfear
    questionfear Posts: 527 Member
    This list makes me sad. I HATE seafood with a passion. I've tried to like it, but I simply can't stomach it. I wish I liked seafood. It would make hitting protein goals so much easier.

    I agree. I am allergic to shellfish and (I suspect) allergic to anchovies and possibly other fishes, so I just avoid all fish.

    I make up for it by living on eggs. Mmm. Eggs.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Now harzer cheese is added to my food bucket list.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Could you post this on Google Drive and link it? Then people can filter, browse, and sort at their leisure.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I love this list! Thank you :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    @Francl27 I still like nuts especially for diabetes control as the combination of carb/protein/fat means a pretty ideal absorption of calories. No spikes. But I'll take pizza too.
  • br3adman
    br3adman Posts: 284 Member
    Can octapus has 25 grams sardines has half that great snacks also
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    andrikosDE wrote: »
    Foods from each group with highest Protein mass per 100g:

    1) Overall king: PB2 at a WHOPPING 41.7 grams of Protein (44.4P%Cal)
    2) Dairy: Parmesan at 36g (36.7P%Cal)
    3) Legumes: Soy beans at 35.9g (32.2P%Cal)
    4) Meat: Venison at 30.2g (76.5P%Cal)
    5) Seafood: Lobster at 26.4g (73.9P%Cal)
    6) Nuts: Almonds at 21.1g (13.7P%Cal)
    7) Seeds: Sunflower seeds at 21g (13.6P%Cal)
    8) Grain: Oats at 17g (17.5P%Cal)
    9) Vegetable: Garlic at 6g (16.1P%Cal)
    10) Fruit: Guava at 3g (17.6P%Cal)
    11) Mushrooms: ~All at 3g (white (54.5P%Cal)



    Awesome.

    Guess I need to buy more PB2.
  • janiep81
    janiep81 Posts: 248 Member
    This is great!

    I'd love to see fiber, too. That's what makes nuts and quinoa and stuff worth it for me: the protein + the fiber. Thanks for this!
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Could you post this on Google Drive and link it? Then people can filter, browse, and sort at their leisure.

    I will once I finish the list. It'll be a couple more days...
  • JohnONE29
    JohnONE29 Posts: 101 Member
    Great information. Thank you.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    Oh my, my INTJ heart is clutching its pearls!
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    This list makes me sad. I HATE seafood with a passion. I've tried to like it, but I simply can't stomach it. I wish I liked seafood. It would make hitting protein goals so much easier.

    What do you hate about it? Be specific. There is a huge variety of seafood out there from sashimi to white fish to red fish to crustaceans to caviar to mollusks to fresh vs. canned, etc.

    I can't stand the taste of shellfish or the really fishy tasting fish.

    I can't stand the texture of anything like shrimp or scallops.

    I've been able to eat little bits of some of the "less fishy" fish, but I can't eat more than a few bites before I'm done. Certainly not enough to base a whole meal off of.

    I've tried quite a number of options over the years. Maybe I'll try something again next time my DH eats something, but usually I end up spitting it out. He has a much wider palate than I do (that's putting it lightly) and me taking a bite or two off his plate has helped me try & introduce some things that I didn't like in the past.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
    I can't stand the taste of shellfish or the really fishy tasting fish.

    I can't stand the texture of anything like shrimp or scallops.

    I've been able to eat little bits of some of the "less fishy" fish, but I can't eat more than a few bites before I'm done. Certainly not enough to base a whole meal off of.

    Fresh fish should not taste fishy; rather it should taste like the Ocean. If you live inland, a regular supply of fresh fish might be difficult to attain, but not impossible. You could just be shopping at the wrong places.

    Texture is entirely a cooking issue. If overcooked, fish turns rubbery, chewy, and/or very dry. If undercooked, it is just nasty. The point is that texture can be corrected with the right cooking technique.

    It sounds like you just have inexperience with the ingredient; just as I do with Scotch Whisky. All I taste when I drink that is treated wood, but there are millions of people out there who get the subtle complexities of it. It is entirely a learned/acquired taste thing.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    This list makes me sad. I HATE seafood with a passion. I've tried to like it, but I simply can't stomach it. I wish I liked seafood. It would make hitting protein goals so much easier.

    What do you hate about it? Be specific. There is a huge variety of seafood out there from sashimi to white fish to red fish to crustaceans to caviar to mollusks to fresh vs. canned, etc.

    Right, I despise clams and other bivalves, can tolerate crustaceans like shrimp if they are very small pieces in Chinese food, and am very fond of salmon, cooked or raw. I had some yellowtail tuna freshly caught and cooked in Costa Rica that was to die for.

    I use a meat thermometer now and discovered I like my salmon in the 120 degrees - 20 degrees less than the recommended internal temperature of 145 degrees for cooked fish.

  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    edited September 2015
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    I can't stand the taste of shellfish or the really fishy tasting fish.

    I can't stand the texture of anything like shrimp or scallops.

    I've been able to eat little bits of some of the "less fishy" fish, but I can't eat more than a few bites before I'm done. Certainly not enough to base a whole meal off of.

    Fresh fish should not taste fishy; rather it should taste like the Ocean. If you live inland, a regular supply of fresh fish might be difficult to attain, but not impossible. You could just be shopping at the wrong places.

    Texture is entirely a cooking issue. If overcooked, fish turns rubbery, chewy, and/or very dry. If undercooked, it is just nasty. The point is that texture can be corrected with the right cooking technique.

    It sounds like you just have inexperience with the ingredient; just as I do with Scotch Whisky. All I taste when I drink that is treated wood, but there are millions of people out there who get the subtle complexities of it. It is entirely a learned/acquired taste thing.

    It could be that she means strong-tasting fish when she says fishy-tasting. I have the same problem. Enough so that I only like extremely mild fish cooked. Chilean sea bass, 'perfectly' cooked catfish, turbot, cod, something along those lines. Salmon, tuna, swordfish (gag!) all extremely fishy tasting to me when cooked, no matter how fresh. No cooked fish I've ever tasted has ever tasted of the sea in my opinion (and I've tried some that was literally caught a couple of hours before it was served). ETA: some of it I caught myself :smile:

    Oddly enough, I love almost all seafood raw. I'll eat almost any seafood as sashimi, even ones I hate when cooked. I like a lot of seafood when cold-smoked. I love oil-cured anchovies.

    I do not have SingRunTing's problem with shellfish. That's the type of seafood that tastes of the sea to me. Fish roe as well.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    edited September 2015
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    I can't stand the taste of shellfish or the really fishy tasting fish.

    I can't stand the texture of anything like shrimp or scallops.

    I've been able to eat little bits of some of the "less fishy" fish, but I can't eat more than a few bites before I'm done. Certainly not enough to base a whole meal off of.

    Fresh fish should not taste fishy; rather it should taste like the Ocean. If you live inland, a regular supply of fresh fish might be difficult to attain, but not impossible. You could just be shopping at the wrong places.

    Texture is entirely a cooking issue. If overcooked, fish turns rubbery, chewy, and/or very dry. If undercooked, it is just nasty. The point is that texture can be corrected with the right cooking technique.

    It sounds like you just have inexperience with the ingredient; just as I do with Scotch Whisky. All I taste when I drink that is treated wood, but there are millions of people out there who get the subtle complexities of it. It is entirely a learned/acquired taste thing.

    I live in Massachusetts, so its pretty fresh. Most of the time, its on Cape Cod.

    I didn't grow up eating seafood (my dad doesn't like it), so I have no clue how to cook it. I've never tried because why would I cook something I don't like?

    I've only ever tried it at restaurants that are known for their seafood. So I don't think it's the prep.

    I just don't have a taste for it. But, I'll still try it every now and then when we go out somewhere and my DH orders something just to see if my tastebuds change. It's happened before (I used to hate eggs, but now I like them).
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    I used to hate coconut, but I felt it was childish to just outright not "like" something so I tried every concievable way to eat it where I could find it palateable.

    Then I realized it like it best in Thai-style cuisine. It only took years of trying and failing to find a way to enjoy it, but I finally got there, and I'm developing a taste for it.

    Moral of the story is: you can find a way.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
    I have no clue how to cook it. I've never tried because why would I cook something I don't like?

    For the knowledge, variety, and not to be a picky eater I suppose. Palates do change. Mine continually does and I'm a chef.
    just to see if my tastebuds change. It's happened before (I used to hate eggs, but now I like them).

    This is what I'm talking about. Just because someone hates onions or fish as a child doesn't mean they have to hate them as an adult. Stuff like that is good to overcome. More exposure to the ingredient will help, especially if you keep an open mind and it is prepared correctly.
  • Numberwang22
    Numberwang22 Posts: 213 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Take note people - NUTS ARE NOT A GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN.

    OMG this, confirms everything I thought about about them. I love them in every form but not worth the cals!!!

  • kcfkcfkcf
    kcfkcfkcf Posts: 3 Member
    This is awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I second a google spreadsheet link request. But mostly I thank you.
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