Protein Content Of Common Foods

Dietary protein is categorized into two types: complete protein and incomplete protein.

Complete proteins contain all 9 amino acids that the body can’t produce on its own and has to obtain from food to complement the 11 it can produce by itself towards synthesis of a full protein. Animal products fit exclusively in this category. In contrast, incomplete proteins are food items that contain low amounts of one or more of the 9 essential amino acids. With a few exceptions, most plant foods fall under this umbrella.

Common foods with the highest concentration of protein are provided in the accompanying tables based on this classification system.

COMPLETE PROTEINS

CHICKEN

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Breast	4 oz	36
Drumstick	4 oz	16
Egg, White	33g	3
Egg, Whole	1 large	6
Ground (79/21)	4 oz	25
Ground (96/4)	4 oz	23
Liver	4 oz	21
Thigh	4 oz	19
Wing	4 oz	20

TURKEY

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Breast	4 oz	33
Drumstick	4 oz	20
Ground (93/7)	4 oz	22
Thigh	4 oz	24

FISH

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Cod	4 oz	26
Haddock	4 oz	27
Halibut	4 oz	31
Salmon	4 oz	23
Sardines	4 oz	18
Snapper	4 oz	30
Tilapia	4 oz	30
Tuna, Canned	4 oz	24

SEAFOOD

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Calamari	4 oz	18
Clams	4 oz	16
Crab	4 oz	21
Lobster	4 oz	21
Mussels	4 oz	11
Scallops	4 oz	19
Shrimp	4 oz	24

DAIRY

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Cheese, Cheddar	1 oz	7
Cheese, Feta	1 oz	5
Cheese, Mozzarella	1 oz	7
Cheese, Parmesan	1 oz	4
Cottage Cheese, 1%	½ cup	16
Kefir	175 mL	6
Milk, 1%	250 mL	9
Milk, 2%	250 mL	9
Milk, Skim	250 mL	9
Milk, Whole	250 mL	8
Ricotta Cheese	1 oz	3
String Cheese	1 stick	7
Yogurt, Greek	6 oz	12
Yogurt, Nonfat	6 oz	8

GRAINS

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Amaranth	1 cup	9
Bread, Ezekiel	2 slices	8
Buckwheat	1 cup	6
Quinoa	1 cup	8

SEEDS

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Chia Seeds	2 tbsp	4
Hemp Seeds	3 tbsp	10

SOY

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Edamame	3 oz	8
Soy Beans	½ cup	14
Soy Milk	250 mL	7
Tempeh	3 oz	11
Tofu, Extra Firm	3 oz	9
Tofu, Firm	3 oz	8
Tofu, Silken	3 oz	4
Tofu, Soft	3 oz	7

OTHER

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Mycoprotein (Quorn)	84g	12
Nutritional Yeast	15g	8
Spirulina	7g	4

INCOMPLETE PROTEINS

GRAINS

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Barley	1 cup	4
Bulgur	1 cup	6
Farro	1 cup	12
Oats	½ cup	5
Spelt	1 cup	6
Teff	1 cup	10

SEEDS

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Flaxseeds	¼ cup	6
Pumpkin Seeds	¼ cup	9
Sunflower Seeds	¼ cup	6

NUTS

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Almonds	¼ cup	6
Brazil Nuts	¼ cup	5
Cashews	¼ cup	4
Hazelnuts	¼ cup	4
Peanuts	¼ cup	7
Peanut Butter	1 tbsp	7
Pine Nuts	¼ cup	5
Pistachios	¼ cup	6
Walnuts	¼ cup	4

BEANS

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Adzuki Beans	½ cup	9
Black Beans	½ cup	8
Fava Beans	½ cup	7
Kidney Beans	½ cup	8
Lima Beans	½ cup	6
Lupini Beans	½ cup	11
Moth Beans	½ cup	10
Mung Beans	½ cup	9
Navy Beans	½ cup	8
Pinto Beans	½ cup	7

LEGUMES

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Black-Eyed Peas	½ cup	7
Chickpeas	½ cup	7
Green Peas	½ cup	4
Hummus	¼ cup	4
Lentils	½ cup	9

OTHER

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	SERVING	PROTEIN (g)
Bran Flakes	1 cup	5
Couscous	1 cup	6
Egg Noodles	1 cup	8
Pasta, White	1 cup	7
Pasta, Whole Wheat	1 cup	8
Seitan	3 oz	25

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Monster Longe

Monster Longe is a personal trainer and online coach in San Diego. He's helped hundreds of people lose weight, build muscle, and become more attractive to their loved one so they don't have as strong of a desire to cheat on them anymore. When not working with clients or making content that's easy to read, understand, and apply to everyday life, he enjoys making fun of Drake and people who like the guy.

Protein Content Of Common Foods

CHICKEN

TURKEY

FISH

SEAFOOD

DAIRY

GRAINS

SEEDS

SOY

OTHER

GRAINS

SEEDS

NUTS

BEANS

LEGUMES

OTHER

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