Protein

shaunte01
shaunte01 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
What foods are the best source of protein?

Replies

  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Meat and eggs are the biggest bang for your buck
  • brendanwhite84
    brendanwhite84 Posts: 219 Member
    That depends on what you mean by best. If you mean quantity of protein as a percentage of the calories, then lean meats are pretty hard to beat. For a vegetarian like myself plain skyr is about 75% protein and fat free cottage cheese is about 70%, which are not bad numbers at all.

    Not to be a contrarian, but the above poster's mention of eggs and the overall value thereof depends again on what is meant by 'best'. Eggs are about 35% protein, but they are also cheap and delicious!
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    brendanwhite84 wrote: »
    That depends on what you mean by best. If you mean quantity of protein as a percentage of the calories, then lean meats are pretty hard to beat. For a vegetarian like myself plain skyr is about 75% protein and fat free cottage cheese is about 70%, which are not bad numbers at all.

    Not to be a contrarian, but the above poster's mention of eggs and the overall value thereof depends again on what is meant by 'best'. Eggs are about 35% protein, but they are also cheap and delicious!

    Yeah, I should have said egg whites. Eggs whole have a lot of their calories from fat.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited December 2017
    Yes, as the other posters said, if you mean most efficient source, hard to beat lean meat (especially shellfish or whitefish), eggwhites (although I personally never eat just the whites), and skim/lowfat dairy (especially greek yogurt, skyr, cottage cheese).

    For plant-based sources, your most efficient options are going to be beans and lentils, especially foods made from soybeans like tofu and tempeh (edamame and black soybeans aren't bad either).

    You get smaller amounts of protein from a huge range of other foods, including grains and vegetables and nuts/seeds.

    Obviously the various protein powders are another option, and there are some alternative plant-based options like seitan and various fake meats, which vary quite a bit in their ingredients.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Adding shrimp to the list. Not the most budget friendly option, but shrimp has a ton of protein for the calories.
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