List of High Protein Foods

The Bricks to Build Your "Business"

You can use this list of high protein foods when you are looking for protein to build muscle or wanting to burn fat with a low carbohydrate diet.

The high protein foods list at the bottom of this page is one of the most complete on the internet.

High Protein Foods List: The Building Blocks of you Business

Protein helps build and maintain muscle.

Why is protein important if you are trying to build muscle?
Imagine that your muscles are a factory your are building. The bricks are the amino acids found in protein. If you are trying to build muscle, then it is imperative that you have sufficient bricks (amino acids from high protein sources) to get the job done.

Why is protein important if you are trying to lose weight?
Imagine that the factory is complete and the heat for the factory is your metabolism. In order to keep the heat in and your metabolism burning, you must maintain the walls of your factory (your muscles). If you do not maintain the factory (keep providing enough amino acids from sources in the list of high protein foods), the the heat begins to escape through the cracks in the walls, and the heat begins to drop.

List of High Protein Foods: Nutrient Label Claims

The FDA has established the Daily Reference Value (DRV) for Protein at 50 grams. Those who are looking to build muscle may need significantly more protein than the DRV.

Those looking to burn fat by using a low carb/high protein diet many be more interested in total or net carbs from the foods listed the high protein foods list below.

Nutrient label claims can allow you to quickly determine whether a food is qualifies as a high protein food.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient claims for individual foods:

High Protein

A food can be labled "High Protein" if it contains greater than 10 grams (20% of the DRV) of high quality protein per serving. The list of high protein foods below come from this category.

Good Source of Protein

Foods that are labeled "Good Source of Protein" contain at least 5 grams (10% of the DRV) of high quality protein, but not enough to labeled as a high protein food.

More Protein

More Protein indicates that the food contains at least an additional 10% percent of the DRV than a reference food.

High Protein Foods List

High protein foods can be found from a variety of sources. The list of foods for each category contain only those foods that can be classified as "high protein" under the FDA Nutrient Label Guidelines.

When examining the foods in the protein charts below, we included two additional criteria when creating the list:

1. The food derives greater than 20% of its calories from protein, and
2. The calories from fat are less than 25% of total calories.

Finally, the high protein foods listed below also denote foods that are considered to be "low fat" by the FDA.

It is important to note, however, that not all sources of protein are equal. Meat proteins are different from plant proteins in both fat and fiber content.

High Protein Foods List Categories

Protein Charts for Meats, Eggs, Dairy, Plants and Supplements

The following list of high protein foods is one of the most comprehensive on the internet. Click on a link below to see the protein chart for each category.

• Baby Foods
• Baked Products
• Beef Products
• Beverages
• Breakfast Cereals
• Cereal Grains and Pasta
• Ethnic Foods
• Dairy and Egg Products
• Fast Foods
• Finfish and Shellfish Products
• Lamb, Veal, and Game Products
• Legumes and Legume Products
• Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes
• Nut and Seed Products
• Pork Products
• Poultry Products
• Sausages and Luncheon Meats
• Snacks
• Soups, Sauces, and Gravies
• Sweets
• Vegetables and Vegetable Products

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