Getting enough protein in a day can be difficult. However, these 10 foods can help you reach your protein goal for minimal calories.
Protein Powder (2 scoops, 40-50g/200 calories)
Chicken Breast (4 oz cooked, 30g/200 calories)
Turkey Breast (4 oz cooked, 30g/200 calories)
Ground Beef - (4 oz cooked, 23 g/200 calories)
Beef Jerky - (4.5 oz, 30g/200 calories)
Bison - (4 oz cooked, 30g/200 calories)
Canned Salmon - (4 oz , 44g/200 calories)
Egg Whites - (1.5 cups, 40g/200 calories)
0% Greek Yogurt - (250g, 20g/200 calories)
0% Dry Cottage Cheese - (225g, 40g/200 calories)
Edamame - (1 cup, 16g/200 calories) - Edamame is close enough and can be a great source of minimally processed plant-based protein.
If you're concerned about serving sizes, check out this article on protein.
While these amounts will differ based on brand, it gives you a good place to get started.
The Case Against Nuts, Seeds (and some legumes)
A common question that arises is about nuts. Are they a good source of protein?
While nuts do contain protein, they shouldn't be considered a source of protein. A majority of their calories come from fat. A gram of fat contains over twice as many calories vs a gram of protein (9 vs 4).
Here are the calorie counts per 20 grams of protein for some nuts:
Peanuts: 450 calories
Almonds: 590 calories
Walnuts: 890 calories!
Cashews: 620 calories
As you can see, the calories double in order to get the same amount of protein. This doesn't mean that nuts are bad - they can be quite a healthy part of most people's diet, however they need to be eaten with more mindfulness.
