Lean-Protein Foods

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Food NameProteinTotal FatSaturated FatCholesterol
Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd11.14.31.717
Cheese, cottage, creamed, with fruit10.73.92.313
Cheese, cottage, nonfat, uncreamed, dry, large or small curd10.30.30.27
Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% milkfat11.82.51.010
Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat12.41.00.64
Milk, dry, nonfat, regular, without added vitamin A and vitamin D36.20.80.520
Milk, dry, nonfat, instant, with added vitamin A and vitamin D35.10.70.518
Milk, dry, nonfat, calcium reduced35.50.20.12
Milk, buttermilk, dried34.35.83.669
Whey, acid, dried11.70.50.33
Whey, sweet, dried12.91.10.76
Egg, white, raw, fresh10.90.20.00
Egg, white, dried, flakes, stabilized, glucose reduced76.90.00.00
Egg, white, dried, powder, stabilized, glucose reduced82.40.00.00
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Usage Note

  • Nutrition data are calculated per 100 g (3.5 oz) of food weight unless otherwise noted.
  • Click on column header to sort foods by name or by nutrient content. Click again to reverse sort order.
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  • Check or uncheck the nutrients in list below to choose which nutrition data to display.
  • Abbreviations: g = gram, mg = milligram, mcg = microgram, kcal = kilocalorie, kJ = kilojoule.

About DietGrail Lean Protein Diet Database

This is a most easy to use and insightful database for those seeking lean protein foods.
Besides calorie, protein, fat and carbohydrate data, we provide percentages of calories that comes from protein, carb and fat for each food. (The total of these caloric percentages should be 100 unless the food contains alcohol.)
We also provide protein content by ounce of food weight and by 100 calories of food intake.

To be listed in this database, a food must satisfy the "lean" criteria as established by the USDA and FDA and it also must have at least 10 grams of protein per 100 grams of food weight.

The reason we do not exclude non-meat items from this database is to accommodate vegetarian users who want to look for lean non-meat high protein foods.

 

For addition info about protein, amino acids, and ratings of protein quality of 8,000+ common foods from our other US and international nutrient databases see the world's most complete Directory of Protein-Related Nutrient Databases.


What is Lean Protein?

The USDA defines lean meat as having less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat and fewer than 95 milligrams of cholesterol in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) portion.

A food may be labeled as extra-lean if "the food is a discrete seafood or game meat product and as packaged contains less than 5 g total fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per 100 g" of food weight.

The food exchange system defines lean protein as a 1-ounce serving that has 2 to 3 grams of fat. That’s equal to the total fat in the USDA’s standard but with a smaller serving.

Protein and amino acids for athletes

Most athletes ingest sufficient protein in their habitual diet. Additional protein will confer only a minimal, albeit arguably important, additional advantage. Given sufficient energy intake, lean body mass can be maintained within a wide range of protein intakes. Since there is limited evidence for harmful effects of a high protein intake and there is a metabolic rationale for the efficacy of an increase in protein, if muscle hypertrophy is the goal, a higher protein intake within the context of an athlete's overall dietary requirements may be beneficial. However, there are few convincing outcome data to indicate that the ingestion of a high amount of protein is necessary. Current literature suggests that it may be too simplistic to rely on recommendations of a particular amount of protein per day.

Read more ...

Benefits of high-protein weight loss diets

High-protein diets, often with carbohydrate restriction, are quite popular among overweight Americans pursuing strategies for weight control. Recently, clinical trials have evaluated the anthropometric and metabolic effects of these diets. A study focusing on the impact of high-protein diets on energy expenditure and satiety, weight loss, body composition, cardiovascular risk, lycemic control, and potential detrimental consequences of high-protein intake found that diets moderately increased in protein and modestly restricted in carbohydrate and fat, particularly saturated fat, may have beneficial effects on body weight, body composition, and associated metabolic parameters.

Read more ...

Directory of Special Food Lists


List of Extra-Lean High-Protein Foods

The foods in lists below are classified as "extra-lean" according to USDA and FDA standards:
containing less than 5 g total fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per 100 grams (3.5 oz) of food weight.



Protein Fat S. Fat Chol.
Extra Lean High Protein Foods (100 g)

33.3 4.7 1.1 84
Chicken, breast, coated, baked or fried, prepared with skin, skin/coating not eaten

33.3 4.7 1.1 84
Chicken, breast, fried, no coating, skin not eaten

33.3 4.7 1.1 84
Chicken, breast, coated, baked or fried, prepared skinless, coating not eaten

31.2 4.4 1.0 80
Sturgeon, smoked

31.1 1.9 1.0 79
Beef, dried, chipped, uncooked

30.8 3.5 1.0 84
Chicken, breast, roasted, broiled, or baked, skin not eaten

30.8 3.5 1.0 84
Chicken, breast, skin not eaten

29.8 2.6 1.0 78
Venison/deer steak, cooked

29.8 3.2 1.0 69
Turkey, light meat, roasted, skin not eaten

29.8 3.2 1.0 69
Turkey, light meat, cooked, skin not eaten

29.6 1.2 0.3 57
Tuna, fresh, steamed or poached

29.6 2.1 0.5 95
Octopus, steamed

29.3 5.0 1.7 76
Turkey, light or dark meat, smoked, cooked, skin not eaten

29.2 5.0 1.6 76
Turkey, light and dark meat, roasted, skin not eaten

29.2 1.0 0.3 78
Moose, cooked

29.1 4.3 1.2 67
Turkey, light meat, breaded, baked or fried, skin not eaten

28.7 3.0 0.8 76
Chicken, breast, stewed, skin not eaten

28.5 3.0 0.8 75
Chicken or turkey pate with vegetables, diet

28.4 2.4 0.9 82
Bison, cooked

28.2 4.4 1.3 77
Armadillo, cooked

28.1 3.8 1.7 41
Beef, bacon, cooked, lean only eaten

27.9 4.8 1.6 78
Pork, tenderloin, cooked

27.8 4.3 1.3 76
Wild pig, smoked

27.3 4.0 0.8 53
Tuna, fresh, baked or broiled

27.3 4.0 0.8 53
Tuna, fresh, cooked

27.0 3.0 0.9 75
Goat, boiled

27.0 3.0 0.9 75
Goat, baked

27.0 3.0 0.9 75
Goat ribs, cooked


Protein Fat S. Fat Chol.
Extra Lean High Protein Foods (100 g)

26.5 4.5 1.1 73
Goat, fried

26.3 2.9 0.4 41
Fish, steamed

26.3 1.2 0.4 65
Conch, baked or broiled

25.5 0.8 0.2 30
Tuna, canned, water pack

25.5 0.8 0.2 30
Tuna, canned, NS as to oil or water pack

25.4 1.8 0.4 82
Octopus, smoked

25.2 1.0 0.2 77
Haddock, smoked

24.9 4.3 0.7 65
Salmon, dried

24.9 4.3 0.7 65
Salmon, steamed or poached

24.5 4.8 1.4 62
Mullet, steamed or poached

24.4 0.9 0.1 49
Pike, steamed or poached

24.0 2.5 0.6 37
Fish, canned

23.9 0.9 0.2 72
Haddock, steamed or poached

23.6 4.4 0.8 56
Mussels, steamed or poached

23.6 3.4 0.8 65
Porgy, steamed or poached

23.6 0.4 0.1 72
Frog legs, steamed

23.6 1.5 0.4 60
Flounder, steamed or poached

23.5 4.3 1.1 55
Salmon, cooked

23.4 1.0 0.2 45
Tuna, fresh, raw

23.3 1.2 0.3 77
Fish, cooked

23.3 2.0 0.3 52
Ocean perch, steamed or poached

23.2 1.7 0.3 85
Whiting, steamed or poached

23.0 2.5 0.6 51
Sea bass, steamed or poached

22.5 4.0 1.4 77
Croaker, steamed or poached

22.5 3.7 0.7 46
Pike, baked or broiled

22.4 0.8 0.1 46
Cod, steamed or poached

22.3 3.1 0.6 89
Smelt, steamed or poached

22.1 3.3 1.6 65
Venison/deer with gravy (mixture)

22.1 3.7 0.7 66
Haddock, baked or broiled

22.1 3.7 0.7 66
Haddock, cooked

22.0 4.2 0.9 56
Flounder, cooked


Protein Fat S. Fat Chol.
Extra Lean High Protein Foods (100 g)

22.0 4.2 0.9 56
Flounder, baked or broiled

21.9 3.4 0.7 73
Fish, baked or broiled

21.8 4.8 0.8 49
Ocean perch, baked or broiled

21.8 4.8 0.8 49
Ocean perch, cooked

21.4 4.4 0.8 78
Whiting, cooked

21.4 4.4 0.8 78
Whiting, baked or broiled

21.1 2.9 0.7 64
Chicken or turkey teriyaki (chicken or turkey with soy-based sauce)

20.9 3.6 0.6 43
Cod, baked or broiled

20.5 1.2 0.3 89
Crab, canned

20.3 0.6 0.1 71
Lobster, cooked

20.3 0.6 0.1 71
Lobster, steamed or boiled

20.3 0.6 0.1 71
Lobster, without shell, steamed or boiled

20.3 0.6 0.1 71
Lobster, canned

20.2 3.9 0.6 40
Scallops, baked or broiled

19.8 3.0 1.7 76
Lobster, baked or broiled

19.6 3.8 1.3 67
Turkey ham, sliced, extra lean, prepackaged or deli, luncheon meat

19.4 3.8 1.1 49
Mullet, raw

19.3 4.2 0.6 45
Stewed codfish, Puerto Rican style

18.9 2.7 0.6 52
Porgy, raw

18.8 1.2 0.3 48
Flounder, raw

18.7 4.7 0.9 25
Fish, smoked

18.7 2.5 0.8 50
Chicken in butter sauce with potatoes and vegetable

18.6 1.6 0.2 42
Ocean perch, raw

18.5 4.6 1.5 38
Ham, smoked or cured, canned, lean only eaten

18.3 4.3 0.9 23
Salmon, smoked

17.9 0.7 0.1 43
Cod, dried, salted, salt removed in water

17.8 0.9 0.2 58
Fish, raw

17.6 0.7 0.1 43
Cod, smoked

17.5 3.8 0.7 67
Gefilte fish

17.5 4.0 1.5 42
Beef with gravy (mixture)

17.5 4.8 1.5 72
Turkey ham


Protein Fat S. Fat Chol.
Extra Lean High Protein Foods (100 g)

17.3 2.7 0.7 52
Chicken or turkey with stuffing (mixture)

17.3 2.9 0.9 48
Ham, sliced, extra lean, prepackaged or deli, luncheon meat

17.3 2.9 0.9 48
Capicola

17.3 2.9 0.9 48
Ham, luncheon meat, chopped, minced, pressed, spiced, lowfat

17.1 1.7 0.5 43
Turkey or chicken breast, prepackaged or deli, luncheon meat

16.8 2.4 0.6 52
Chicken or turkey and rice with soy-based sauce (mixture)

16.7 4.3 1.6 43
Meat with gravy, NS as to type of meat (mixture)

16.3 4.3 1.2 68
Turkey pastrami

16.2 3.1 0.5 32
Scallops, steamed or boiled

16.0 1.2 0.1 42
Clams, canned

15.8 1.2 0.1 42
Clams, steamed or boiled

15.8 4.5 1.4 34
Honey loaf

15.7 3.0 0.6 39
Fish with tomato-based sauce (mixture)

15.6 3.5 1.1 38
Turkey with gravy (mixture)

15.5 2.8 1.0 44
Frankfurter or hot dog, meat & poultry, lowfat

15.3 4.9 1.0 31
Chicken fillet, (broiled), sandwich, on whole wheat roll, with lettuce, tomato and spread

15.0 3.4 1.3 33
Beef and potatoes, no sauce (mixture)

14.9 4.8 1.4 35
Beef burgundy (beef bourguignonne)

14.8 3.9 0.9 40
Bouillabaisse

14.7 4.9 2.0 56
Veal with cream sauce (mixture)

14.7 5.0 1.8 46
Ham or pork with gravy (mixture)

14.1 3.5 1.0 31
Turkey sandwich, with gravy

14.0 1.2 0.3 32
Sole with vegetable (diet frozen meal)

13.2 4.6 1.4 34
Beef goulash

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