In this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast, I talked about the concept of protein density and why it really matters.
Plant-based sources of protein like legumes or nuts often contain a lot of additional calories in the form or carbohydrates and/or fats. It can be challenging to to increase your protein intake using plant-based sources without taking in more calories than you need. This is where the concept of protein density can help.
We can calculate the protein density of a food by dividing the protein by the calories and multiplying by 100. Foods with a higher protein density provide more protein per calorie. For example, black beans have a protein density score of 6.6, meaning that 100 calories worth of black beans contains 6.6 grams of protein. Edamame, on the other hand, has protein density of around 10. You get 50% more protein from the same number of calories. (Although the calories and protein will change with the serving size, the protein density will always remain the same.)
Here is a table of some common foods and their protein density. You can sort this list by any column by clicking on the column header.
| Food | Amount | Weight (g) | Protein (g) | Calories | Protein density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soy protein isolate | 1 scoop | 28 | 25 | 95 | 26.3 |
| Whey protein isolate | 1 scoop | 28 | 25 | 100 | 25 |
| Egg white | 1 large | 33 | 3.60 | 17 | 21.2 |
| Chicken breast | 3 oz | 85 | 26.00 | 140 | 18.6 |
| Cottage cheese, lowfat | 1/2 cup | 113 | 14.00 | 81 | 17.3 |
| Steak, sirloin, broiled | 3 oz | 85 | 25.75 | 160 | 16.1 |
| Tuna, white, canned | 3 oz | 85 | 22.55 | 158 | 14.3 |
| Bok choi, cooked | 1 cup | 170 | 2.65 | 20 | 13.3 |
| Hamburger, 90% lean, broiled | 3 oz | 85 | 22.19 | 184 | 12.1 |
| Tofu, firm | 1/2 cup | 126 | 21.76 | 181 | 12.0 |
| Mushrooms, grilled | 1 cup | 121 | 3.97 | 35 | 11.3 |
| Pork loin, broiled | 3 oz | 85 | 23.22 | 206 | 11.3 |
| Turnip greens, cooked | 1 cup | 144 | 4.00 | 36 | 11.1 |
| Salmon, baked | 3 oz | 85 | 19.00 | 175 | 10.9 |
| Asparagus, cooked | 1 cup | 180 | 4.32 | 40 | 10.8 |
| Broccoli, cooked | 1 cup | 156 | 4.38 | 41 | 10.7 |
| Edamame | 1 cup | 118 | 13.24 | 129 | 10.3 |
| Bean sprouts | 1 cup | 124 | 2.52 | 26 | 9.7 |
| Cauliflower, raw | 1 cup | 64 | 1.89 | 20 | 9.5 |
| Kale, cooked | 1 cup | 67 | 1.78 | 19 | 9.4 |
| Egg , whole | 1 large | 50 | 6.28 | 72 | 8.7 |
| Yogurt, plain, low fat | 1 container (6 oz) | 170 | 8.93 | 107 | 8.3 |
| Collards, cooked | 1 cup | 190 | 5.15 | 63 | 8.2 |
| Mozzarella, part skim | 1 oz | 28 | 6.67 | 83 | 8.1 |
| Lentils, cooked | 1 cup | 198 | 18 | 230 | 7.8 |
| Brussels sprouts, raw | 1 cup | 88 | 2.97 | 38 | 7.8 |
| Zucchini, cooked | 1 cup | 180 | 2.05 | 27 | 7.6 |
| Provolone cheese | 1 oz | 28 | 7.19 | 99 | 7.3 |
| Swiss cheese | 1 oz | 28 | 7.57 | 110 | 7.3 |
| Snow peas | 1 cup | 98 | 2.74 | 41 | 6.7 |
| Black beans, cooked | 1 cup | 240 | 14.47 | 218 | 6.6 |
| Artichoke, cooked | 1 medium | 120 | 3.5 | 61 | 5.73 |
| Yogurt, plain, whole milk | 1 container (6 oz) | 170 | 5.90 | 104 | 5.7 |
| Cheddar, cheese | 1 oz | 28 | 6.42 | 113 | 5.7 |
| Lima beans, cooked | 1 cup | 170 | 11.58 | 209 | 5.5 |
| Cheese, feta | 1 oz | 28 | 3.99 | 74 | 5.4 |
| Green beans, cooked | 1 cup | 135 | 2.01 | 38 | 5.3 |
| Pumpkin seeds, roasted | 1 oz | 28 | 8.38 | 161 | 5.2 |
| Milk, whole | 1 cup | 244 | 8.00 | 156 | 5.1 |
| Tomatoes, canned | 1 cup | 240 | 1.90 | 38 | 5.0 |
| Bread, whole wheat | 1 slice | 32 | 4.00 | 81 | 4.9 |
| Vegetable juice, canned | 1 cup | 253 | 2.35 | 56 | 4.2 |
| Peanuts, roasted | 1 oz | 28 | 6.84 | 165 | 4.1 |
| Pasta, whole wheat, cooked | 1 cup | 117 | 7.00 | 174 | 4.0 |
| Amaranth, cooked | 1 cup | 246 | 9.35 | 251 | 3.7 |
| Pasta, cooked | 1 cup | 124 | 7.19 | 196 | 3.7 |
| Quinoa, cooked | 1 cup | 185 | 8.00 | 222 | 3.6 |
| Almonds, roasted | 1 oz | 28 | 5.90 | 168 | 3.5 |
| Corn, yellow | 1 cup | 136 | 4.11 | 120 | 3.4 |
| Egg noodles, cooked | 1 cup | 160 | 7.26 | 221 | 3.3 |
| Baked potato | 1 potato | 299 | 7.86 | 284 | 2.8 |
| Sunflower seeds, roasted | 1 oz | 28 | 4.80 | 173 | 2.8 |
| Rice, brown, cooked | 1 cup | 202 | 5.53 | 248 | 2.2 |
| Butternut squash, backed | 1 cup | 205 | 1.84 | 82 | 2.2 |
| Sweet potato, baked | 1 potato | 114 | 2.29 | 103 | 2.2 |
| Rice, white, cooked | 1 cup | 158 | 4.25 | 205 | 2.1 |
| Hummus | 2 tablespoons | 28 | 2 | 70 | 2.8 |
I’ve been looking for something like this without even knowing it existed…thanks for providing this!
You’re welcome!
I never thought of vegetables as a source of protein. Very informative!
Thank you so much for this information that I can share w/my clients that have diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Good info. Great podcast!!!!!
I saw that egg whites where at the top of this list. Fun fact: the dutch word for protein is actually “eiwit”, that translates to egg white!
Thank you so much for this info. How can i respond to a nutritionist that claims a potato has no protein?
Give them a link to a nutritent database? Then again, maybe a nutritionist who believes that potatoes have no protein requires no further response. It’s not a difficult data point to find. Anyone with an internet connection can do it.
Hi. I found this confusing. I think of protein density as the ratio of protein in grams to total weight in grams, or to total volume in mL. I think the ratio of protein to calories should have a different name, such as protein index or just simply protein-calorie ratio.
Hello,
I am trying to increase my daily protein intake to increase and maintain my muscle mass and strength. I am a 55 year old woman. I have a healthy weight for my height and age, so I do not count calories. My diet is healthy fats, low carbs, no to low sugar, a lot of vegetables, leafy greens, and protein sources from mainly salmon, and bison meat. I exercise regularly and have a very physical job.
I have some confusion regarding weight of, for example, a 3.5 oz (100 grams weight) cooked, grass fed, ground bison burger that according to various sources, contains 25 grams of protein. What I am not sure about is, what is the actual protein content of the burger.? After reading this site, I am wondering if protein density is the same as protein content.?
My recommended amount of protein daily is between 45-68 grams. So if I want to get 50 grams of protein per day, do I need to eat 2 (100g weight, 25 grams protein) burgers per day, or only 1/2 (100gram weight, 25 grams protein) burger a day?
Maybe I’m making this process overly complicated…I just want to make sure I am not getting too much or too little protein daily.
Thank you!
Protein density is not the same as protein content. Protein density refers to how many calories you have to eat in order to get each gram of protein.
A burger (or any other food) that contains 25g of protein contains…25g of protein. If you’re aiming for around 50 grams, you’d need two servings.
Thank you very much for your reply, and clarifying protein content!