Excellent Food Sources of Protein

Atria.org / Health Education / Excellent Food Sources of Protein

Protein is a crucial component of muscle, bone, brain, hormonal, and metabolic health.

Many factors affect how much protein you should consume, but Atria’s experts believe that most people need more than the official recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 0.36 grams per pound of body weight per day. Somewhere around 0.5 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight is appropriate for most people. For a 165-pound person, that’s roughly 80 to 120 grams of protein per day.

These charts can help you determine how much protein is in foods you regularly eat.

Animal protein

Animal protein

4 oz portion (g)

6 oz portion (g)

Chicken breast

35

52

Turkey breast

34

51

Lean ground beef (90%)

30

45

Ground bison

29

43

Ground turkey

31

46

Ground chicken

26

40

Pork tenderloin

29

43

Lamb loin

25

38

Veal

27

40

Dairy proteins

Dairy proteins

4 oz portion (g)

6 oz portion (g)

Greek yogurt (whole milk)

10

15

Greek yogurt (non-fat)

11

16.5

Cottage cheese (4%)

13

20

Cottage cheese (low-fat)

14

21

Ricotta cheese (part skim)

10

15

Milk (2%)

8

12

Cheddar cheese

7

10.5

Parmesan cheese (shredded)

10*

30*

*For Parmesan cheese, the values are for 1 oz and 3 oz respectively, not 4 oz and 6 oz.

Fish & seafood proteins

Fish & seafood proteins

4 oz portion (g)

6 oz portion (g)

Salmon

29

43

Tuna (canned in water)

26

39

Cod

24

36

Sardines

22

33

Halibut

27

41

Tilapia

26

39

Shrimp

23

35

Scallops

20

30

Egg-based protein

Egg-based proteins

Portion

Protein (g)

Whole eggs (large)

1 egg

6

Whole eggs (large)

2 eggs

12

Protein powders

Protein powders

Portion

Protein (g)

Whey protein isolate

1 scoop

24-28

Casein protein

1 scoop

24

Egg white protein

1 scoop

20-25

Pea protein

1 scoop

20-25

Rice protein

1 scoop

18-22

Hemp protein

1 scoop

12-15

Mixed plant protein

1 scoop

20-25

Plant-based proteins

Plant-based proteins

4 oz portion (g)

6 oz portion (g)

Tofu (firm)

10

15

Tempeh

16

24

Lentils

9

14

Black beans

8

12

Chickpeas

9

13.5

Quinoa

8

12

Edamame

13

20

Peas

5

7.5

Seed and nut proteins

Seed and nut proteins

Portion

Protein (g)

Hemp seeds

3 tbsp

10

Chia seeds

2 tbsp

5

Pumpkin seeds

1 oz

7

Almonds

1 oz

6

Sources: Cronometer and Nutrition Coordinating Center Food & Nutrient Database (NCCDB)

Connect with us.

Thank you! We’ll be in touch shortly.