List of High Protein Foods to Help You Build Muscle and Burn Fat

Do you know the Top 5 Sources of Protein?

Knowing the top 5 list of high protein foods is essential if you want to build muscle or burn fat.



The Top 5 Sources of Protein provides you with a list of the foods that are high in protein to help you build muscle and burn fat. Before we dive into the high protein foods list, however, lets quickly discuss why protein is important for both building muscle and burning fat.There are two reasons to use the list of high protein foods: to build muscle or burn fat.

Using the List of High Protein Foods to Build Muscle

The first reason to use the list of high protein foods is simply to build muscle. Protein is comprised of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of our muscles. Think of your muscles as a factory you are building. To build a strong factory, you need building blocks. You do not what just any building blocks, however. You want the best building blocks. You do not want a lot of filler in the bricks. No. You want sturdy, solid bricks.

The same is true with your protein. You do not want to get your protein from sources with high saturated fat content or a ton of empty calories and carbohydrates in them. Your protein has a purpose - to build muscle. The top 5 list of high protein foods contains the best sources of protein to help you do just that – build your factory with the best materials available.

Using the List of High Protein Foods to Burn Fat

Now that you have built your factory, you need to maintain it. If you let too many bricks fall by the wayside in disrepair, then the heat escapes and the workers are not as happy. If the workers are not happy, they are less productive.

Protein helps you to maintain your muscles as you lose weight. Maintaining your muscles keeps your metabolism elevated. If you metabolism roaring, then your efforts to burn fat are productive. The workers are happy!

The simple act of eating protein elevates your metabolism. Protein is harder to assimilate than other nutrients, so your body kicks up its metabolism to help digest it. It is like throwing a few extra coals on the fire to keep those workers happy.

Now, on to the list of high protein foods !

Top 5 Sources of Protein

Drum roll please….

1. Chicken

Chicken headlines our list of high protein foods for being high protein with a low overall fat content. In particular, you want to opt for the white meat portion of the chicken – the breast. The white meat has less than half the fat of the dark meat portion (thighs and drumsticks) of the chicken.

The best choice for chicken is a roasted, skinless and boneless chicken breast. A 4-ounce serving has only 187 calories, 35 grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat!

Frying the chicken can significantly increase its fat content. For example, that same 4-ounce chicken breast, when fried as over 5 grams of fat. That is a 25% increase in fat! Therefore, when preparing your chicken meals, you should roast, grill, or broil your chicken breast to keep the overall fat content low.

Lose Body Fat Eating Chicken Nuggets

Complete High Protein Foods List – Poultry

2. Fish and Seafood

Fish is second on our top 5 list of high protein foods. Fish has a higher fat content than chicken; however, most of the fat found in chicken is from unsaturated fats (the good kind). In particular, fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 acids promote weight loss and may reduce the risk of coronary and heart disease.

The most popular fish for protein is tuna. One can of tuna provides you with 220 calories, 40 grams of protein and 5 grams of unsaturated fat.

However, tuna is not your only choice. Anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon and sardines are all great choice for a diet high in protein. These fishes are all loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.

More information on why Omega-3 fatty acids put fish on the list of high protein foods

Complete High Protein Foods List – Fish and Seafood

3. Beef

Beef has a higher fat content, and not necessarily the good kind; as a result, it ranks below chicken and fish in our list of high protein foods.

Even though beef is high in fat, it is also loaded with compounds other than protein to help you build quality muscle, such as creatine and vitamin B-12.

In order to minimize the amount of fat in beef, you should choose the leanest cuts of meat available such as top round, sirloin and tenderloin. For example, a 4-ounce serving of broiled top round trimmed to 1/8” fat comes in at 201 calories, 36 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat.

Complete High Protein Foods List – Beef Products

4. Dairy and Egg Products

This category covers cheese, eggs, milk and yogurt. These foods make it onto the top 5 list of high protein foods with one caveat: the “full fat” versions are not allowed!

These products can add a lot of saturated (bad) fats to your diet. Therefore, you should look for labels that read “low-fat” for cheeses and yogurts and use skim or 1% milk.

For eggs, all of the fat content is in the yolk, so you should consider egg whites as a zero fat alternative to the whole egg. Of course, there is flavor in the yolk, so you can have a yolk for every five egg whites you eat.

Complete High Protein Foods List – Dairy and Eggs

5. Whey Protein

Whey protein is the best protein supplement on the market. As a result, it is the only protein supplement to make our top 5 list of high protein foods.

The creation of whey protein occurs during the process of churning milk in to cheese. Whey protein comes in many great flavors, is soluble in liquids such as water and milk, is easy on the stomach, and the body absorbs it readily, making it a popular ingredient for pre and post workout protein shakes.

If you are looking to burn fat, whey protein is an excellent option. On thing you should consider when choosing a protein powder it the carbohydrate content of the powder. Some of these powders are designed primarly for those people looking to build muscle. Those additional carbohydrates in these powders can add extra calories that you may not want.

Whey protein isolate contains very little fat or carbohydrates, and may an excellent alternative for those people who are on a calorie restricted or low carbohydrate diet plan.

If you primary concern is to build muscle, then those extra calories may not be of any concern, but you should still keep a close eye on the protein to carbohydrate ratio in your protein shakes.

Other reasons whey protein made the high protein foods list

Soy Protein – The Vegetarian’s Top Choice!

But wait! What if you are a vegetarian? Where will can I find high protein foods to fit my lifestyle?

One thing all of the proteins sources in the top 5 list of high protein foods have in common are that they are all from animal sources. If you are a vegetarian, this can cause quite the problem. Luckily, there is an excellent protein that meets your needs!

Soy protein, on the other hand, is made from soy beans. It is high in glutamine and arginine, two very important amino acids for building muscle.

You can choose to eat soy beans directly, or get soy protein from tofu, miso, or soy milk; however, many people choose to use a soy protein powder for convenience. There are many flavors available.

How does soy protein stack up versus whey protein?

So there you have it. The Top 5 List of High Protein Foods - with one to “grow” on!



Additional Resources:

Protein: Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health

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