Low calorie, high protein foods

[brikis98]

I'm currently finishing up a (long) cutting phase and as my bf% drops into the ~10% range, I'm finding it harder to stay within my caloric limit, feel full and get enough protein. Therefore, I thought it would be useful to come up with a list of foods that are a good "bang for the buck": they are low in calories and high in protein.

I'll update this list as people post new ideas. For each item in it, I've listed the number of calories, grams of protein and the calorie to protein ratio. These numbers are from thedailyplate.com and will obviously vary with different preparation, cuts, brands, etc. For the purposes of this list, the items with the lowest calorie to protein ratio are the "best" and end up at the top of the list. The theoretical minimum ratio should be about 4.0 cal/g in pure protein.

Whey protein isolate (Syntrax Nectar): 100 cal, 23g, 4.34 cal/g
Spirulina: 26 cal, 5.92g, 4.39 cal/g
Turkey breast: 146 cal, 33g, 4.42 cal/g
Ostrich steak: 160 cal, 36g, 4.44 cal/g
Turkey breast (deli slices): 60 cal, 13g, 4.62 cal/g
Canned tuna: 70 cal, 15g, 4.66 cal/g
Chicken breast: 130 cal, 27g, 4.81 cal/g
Casein protein: 120 cal, 24g, 5.0 cal/g
Shrimp: 90 cal, 17g, 5.29 cal/g
Smoked salmon: 70 cal, 13g, 5.38 cal/g
Cottage cheese (0% fat): 70 cal, 13g, 5.38 cal/g
Clams: 50 cal, 9g, 5.56 cal/g
Cottage cheese (1% fat): 90 cal, 16g, 5.63 cal/g
Salmon filet: 130 cal, 22g, 5.91 cal/g
Greek strained yogurt (0% fat): 90 cal, 15g, 6.0 cal/g
Sirloin Steak: 260 cal, 43g, 6.05 cal/g
Chicken breast (deli slices): 70 cal, 11g, 6.36 cal/g
Buffalo burger: 280 cal, 43g, 6.51 cal/g
Button mushrooms: 15 cal, 2.2g, 6.28 cal/g
Shiitake mushrooms: 21 cal, 3g, 7.0 cal/g
Canned salmon: 90 cal, 12g, 7.5 cal/g
Mussels: 70 cal, 9g, 7.78 cal/g
Beef jerky: 130 cal, 16g, 8.13 cal/g
Hamburger (90/10): 200 cal, 23g, 8.70 cal/g
Oysters: 57 cal, 6g, 9.5 cal/g
Pork chops: 152 cal, 15.6g, 9.74 cal/g
Skim milk: 80 cal, 8g, 10.0 cal/g
Mozarella: 60 cal, 6g, 10.0 cal/g
Soybeans: 100 cal, 10g, 10.0 cal/g
Portabella Mushroom: 26 cal, 2.5g, 10.4 cal/g
Chicken wing: 98 cal, 9g, 10.7 cal/g
Egg: 70 cal, 6g, 11.66
Yogurt (0% fat): 70 cal, 6g, 11.66 cal/g
Lamb: 331 cal, 27.57g, 12.0 cal/g
Provolone cheese: 70 cal, 5g, 14.0 cal/g
Italian salami: 100 cal, 7g, 14.29 cal/g
Hamburger (80/20): 290 cal, 23g, 14.5 cal/g
Bacon: 103 cal, 7g, 14.71 cal/g
Muenster Cheese: 120 cal, 8g, 15.0 cal/g
Kashi Go Lean Protein Cereal: 200 cal, 13g, 15.38 cal/g
Cheddar cheese: 113 cal, 7g, 16.1 cal/g
Tofu: 610 cal, 35g, 17.43
American cheese: 70 cal, 4g, 17.5 cal/g
Black beans: 140 cal, 7g, 20.0 cal/g
Peanuts: 160 cal, 7g, 22.85 cal/g
Pumpkin seeds: 46 cal, 2g, 23 cal/g
Sunflower seeds: 262 cal, 10.48g, 25.0 cal/g
Peanut Butter: 190 cal, 7g, 27.14 cal/g
Almonds: 312 cal, 11g, 28.36 cal/g
Quinoa: 636 cal, 22g, 28.9 cal/g
Sesame Seeds: 158 cal, 5g, 31.6 cal/g
Cashews: 240 cal, 7g, 34.23 cal/g
Walnuts: 688 cal, 14.7g, 46.8 cal/g

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

beans are good for vegetarians. black/pinto/refried?

cottage cheese - good recipe is 1/2cup cottage cheese 1 cup or 1/2 cup oats, 1 or 2 packets of splenda/equal/etc, mix it up. Toss in some raisins or maybe some ANPB with a dash of cinnamon and you're golden.

Fat free regular yogurt. You can mix in some cottage cheese.

canned salmon
quinoa is supposed to be good. I haven't tried this out msyelf.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: M0oG0oGaiPan
beans are good for vegetarians. black/pinto/refried?

cottage cheese - good recipe is 1/2cup cottage cheese 1 cup or 1/2 cup oats, 1 or 2 packets of splenda/equal/etc, mix it up. Toss in some raisins or maybe some ANPB with a dash of cinnamon and you're golden.

Fat free regular yogurt. You can mix in some cottage cheese.

canned salmon
quinoa is supposed to be good. I haven't tried this out msyelf.

I added black beans, soy beans, fat free yogurt, canned salmon and quinoa to the list. I had heard quinoa was good too, but was surprised to find that it's ratio was pretty damn bad: 636 cal, 22g, 28.9 cal/g. I was also surprised to find black beans weren't a whole lot better: 140 cal, 7g, 20.0 cal/g. This list, and especially the calorie to protein ratio, is really putting these foods into perspective for me

 

[Kaido]

http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/proteincost.htm

 

[Crono]

Spirulina, and pretty much all seaweed.
Also, all nuts and seeds (I like pumpkin seeds in particular this time of year), though the calorie/protein ratio isn't as good.

Economically speaking, you pretty much have all the foods that are protein rich and readily available at fair prices.

Here is Nutrition Data's list. I did a custom search with lowest calories and highest protein. The list is going to have a lot of things you really can't eat too much of, as the list is automated.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Crono
Spirulina, and pretty much all seaweed.

I'd never heard of spirulina, but that stuff comes in second only to whey protein. How do you eat it and what does it taste like?

Originally posted by: Crono
Also, all nuts and seeds (I like pumpkin seeds in particular this time of year), though the calorie/protein ratio isn't as good.

I added a whole bunch of nuts and seeds to the list and was pretty surprised how low down they ended up, although I guess they have lots of fats, which would add to the caloric total pretty quick.

Originally posted by: Crono
Economically speaking, you pretty much have all the foods that are protein rich and readily available at fair prices.

That's a shame, I was hoping there were some other high protein foods I totally overlooked

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: brikis98

That's a shame, I was hoping there were some other high protein foods I totally overlooked

Well, you overlooked mealworms, crickets, etc. Those are pretty taboo in American society. I was thinking about buying some at the pet store and raising them. They're super low maintenance and they are really quite delicious I've heard (like almonds).

 

[KoolDrew]

A favorite of mine is beef jerky. Although the carbohydrate content will vary quite a bit depending on flavoring.

EDIT - I don't see shrimp on there which is another favorite of mine.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: brikis98
I'd never heard of spirulina, but that stuff comes in second only to whey protein. How do you eat it and what does it taste like?

It's mostly in supplements and powders, but they sell it in raw and dried forms, I think. I never actually tried it, but read and heard a lot about it recently. I'll try getting it from a health food store tomorrow or Monday and I'll let you know how it tastes

Originally posted by: brikis98
I added a whole bunch of nuts and seeds to the list and was pretty surprised how low down they ended up, although I guess they have lots of fats, which would add to the caloric total pretty quick.

Yeah, that fat content (mostly unsaturated fat) is high for nuts and seeds. They're good as a snack to satisfy hunger because of that, though.

Originally posted by: brikis98
That's a shame, I was hoping there were some other high protein foods I totally overlooked

Well, that's a good list you have, and some of the sources there (like egg, soy, milk) are high quality sources of protein and have different types of protein with different digestion rates. Plus, the spectrum of foods have additional health benefits from the vitamins and micronutrients found in them. I think some people overdo one type of food or supplement, when eating a range of natural food is much better.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
A favorite of mine is beef jerky. Although the carbohydrate content will vary quite a bit depending on flavoring.

EDIT - I don't see shrimp on there which is another favorite of mine.

Good ones! Just added them to the list.

 

[dakels]

I made myself some broiled ostrich steak last night. It was AWESOME. Light coat of pepper, salt, xtra virgin olive oil. It tastes very much like a lean, non greasy steak. It should not taste gamey.

Serving Size: 6 OZ, (168g); Calories: 160, Total Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 0g, Protein: 36g

Ostrich is a bit expensive and sometimes difficult to procure. You can order online unless you are lucky enough, like me, to go to a butcher that carries it. They really need to make ostrich more prolific and cheaper because it is as flavorful, flexible, easy to cook as beef, yet much healthier.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: dakels
I made myself some broiled ostrich steak last night. It was AWESOME. Light coat of pepper, salt, xtra virgin olive oil. It tastes very much like a lean, non greasy steak. It should not taste gamey.

Serving Size: 6 OZ, (168g); Calories: 160, Total Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 0g, Protein: 36g

Ostrich is a bit expensive and sometimes difficult to procure. You can order online unless you are lucky enough, like me, to go to a butcher that carries it. They really need to make ostrich more prolific and cheaper because it is as flavorful, flexible, easy to cook as beef, yet much healthier.

Interesting, that one ended up very high on the list. I'll have to see if I can find some and figure out how to cook it.

 

[dakels]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: dakels
I made myself some broiled ostrich steak last night. It was AWESOME. Light coat of pepper, salt, xtra virgin olive oil. It tastes very much like a lean, non greasy steak. It should not taste gamey.

Serving Size: 6 OZ, (168g); Calories: 160, Total Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 0g, Protein: 36g

Ostrich is a bit expensive and sometimes difficult to procure. You can order online unless you are lucky enough, like me, to go to a butcher that carries it. They really need to make ostrich more prolific and cheaper because it is as flavorful, flexible, easy to cook as beef, yet much healthier.

Interesting, that one ended up very high on the list. I'll have to see if I can find some and figure out how to cook it.

I get it from my butcher but this place seems to be one of the best to order online from.
http://www.blackwing.com/product_shop.php?pcnm=ostrich

Its really easy to cook. You can basically prepare it like a normal steak. I usually cook my beef steak med rare but I like my ostrich med to med well. I like the flavors that come out of the ostrich meat when more cooked but you have to be careful since it has no fat it will get tough easily with overcooking.

http://flickr.com/photos/fotoosvanrobin/2561260053/

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: dakels
I get it from my butcher but this place seems to be one of the best to order online from.
http://www.blackwing.com/product_shop.php?pcnm=ostrich

Its really easy to cook. You can basically prepare it like a normal steak. I usually cook my beef steak med rare but I like my ostrich med to med well. I like the flavors that come out of the ostrich meat when more cooked but you have to be careful since it has no fat it will get tough easily with overcooking.

http://flickr.com/photos/fotoosvanrobin/2561260053/

Looks awesome, thanks!

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: dakels
I get it from my butcher but this place seems to be one of the best to order online from.
http://www.blackwing.com/product_shop.php?pcnm=ostrich

Its really easy to cook. You can basically prepare it like a normal steak. I usually cook my beef steak med rare but I like my ostrich med to med well. I like the flavors that come out of the ostrich meat when more cooked but you have to be careful since it has no fat it will get tough easily with overcooking.

http://flickr.com/photos/fotoosvanrobin/2561260053/

Looks awesome, thanks!

Yeah, that sounds delicious
Buffalo burgers are good, too. Not ostrich good in terms of protein, but better than hamburger. Venison (deer meat) has similar numbers, I think. Argh, now I'm hungry for large birds and bovine, lol.

Buffalo burger: 280 cal, 43g, 6.51 cal/g

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: dakels
I get it from my butcher but this place seems to be one of the best to order online from.
http://www.blackwing.com/product_shop.php?pcnm=ostrich

Its really easy to cook. You can basically prepare it like a normal steak. I usually cook my beef steak med rare but I like my ostrich med to med well. I like the flavors that come out of the ostrich meat when more cooked but you have to be careful since it has no fat it will get tough easily with overcooking.

http://flickr.com/photos/fotoosvanrobin/2561260053/

Looks awesome, thanks!

Yeah, that sounds delicious
Buffalo burgers are good, too. Not ostrich good in terms of protein, but better than hamburger. Venison (deer meat) has similar numbers, I think. Argh, now I'm hungry for large birds and bovine, lol.

Buffalo burger: 280 cal, 43g, 6.51 cal/g

Just added that to the list too, thanks.

 

[presidentender]

Casein. More slowly absorbed than whey isolate, good for before bed, crappy for immediately before or after a workout. 120 cal, 24g, 5 cal/g.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: presidentender
Casein. More slowly absorbed than whey isolate, good for before bed, crappy for immediately before or after a workout. 120 cal, 24g, 5 cal/g.

Good one.

 

[arrfep]

I see you've got Kashi cereal up there. I'm a big fan of all Kashi products, but mostly their TLC bars. Great all-natural snack for pre-workout. Good carbs, and for 140 they have (depending on variety) 3-4g fiber and 6-7g protein. And pretty tasty too.

 

[dealmaster00]

Originally posted by: presidentender
Casein. More slowly absorbed than whey isolate, good for before bed, crappy for immediately before or after a workout. 120 cal, 24g, 5 cal/g.

Also, cottage cheese has a high % of casein (I think 80% of the protein in it is casein) so it's also good to take before bed.

 

[Crono]

Mushrooms: 15 cal, 2.18g, 6.88 cal/g
I love 'shrooms (not the drug kinds, silly )

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Crono
Mushrooms: 15 cal, 2.18g, 6.88 cal/g
I love 'shrooms (not the drug kinds, silly )

Good call! I didn't realize how high in protein mushrooms were. The exact numbers did vary a bit on dailyplate.com, but I added the three most popular types of mushrooms I encounter to the first post:

Button mushrooms: 15 cal, 2.2g, 6.28 cal/g
Shiitake mushrooms: 21 cal, 3g, 7.0 cal/g
Portabella Mushroom: 26 cal, 2.5g, 10.4 cal/g

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Crono
Mushrooms: 15 cal, 2.18g, 6.88 cal/g
I love 'shrooms (not the drug kinds, silly )

No silly shrooms?

I haven't researched the subject but it seems to me that the cheapest healthy source of protein is non-fat milk, and the most economical source is the dry stuff. I get it in big boxes at Costco. Zero fat/cholesterol, big protein, no issues with it going bad (until you mix some), light to lug home, cheap (the price has gone up a lot... last time I bought it, it was $0.80/qt). People complain about the taste but once you're used to it it doesn't bother you. I have never been a straight milk drinker, anyway. I either cook with it or drink with something.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: Crono
Mushrooms: 15 cal, 2.18g, 6.88 cal/g
I love 'shrooms (not the drug kinds, silly )

No silly shrooms?

I haven't researched the subject but it seems to me that the cheapest healthy source of protein is non-fat milk, and the most economical source is the dry stuff. I get it in big boxes at Costco. Zero fat/cholesterol, big protein, no issues with it going bad (until you mix some), light to lug home, cheap (the price has gone up a lot... last time I bought it, it was $0.80/qt). People complain about the taste but once you're used to it it doesn't bother you. I have never been a straight milk drinker, anyway. I either cook with it or drink with something.

Milk: it does the body good THere are other sources of protein that are cheaper in terms of price per gram, but milk supposedly (I haven't done the research myself, so can't say for sure) has other components aside from protein that help stimulate muscle growth. It makes sense, considering that milk is intended to provide the "stuff" needed for physical development. Granted, the milk we drink is cow's milk, but at least it's mammalian I prefer organic whole milk to non-fat. I drink only a glass a day on average, though.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Crono
THere are other sources of protein that are cheaper in terms of price per gram, but ...

What are cheaper sources of protein than NFDM (non fat dry milk)?

The cheapest source I know of is soy bean tempeh, which I used to make from scratch. I bought dry soy beans for the purpose. I learned the necessary techniques from a book on my shelf named "The Book of Tempeh." Once you have tempeh starter (you can produce excellent starter from any piece of fresh tempeh, such as you can buy in some stores), and have a modest complement of materials (plastic bags, an incubation environment of some sort, which you can easily make yourself... mine was a 15 watt bulb in a kitchen cabinet), you can make high quality protein tempeh easily and repetitively, making more starter when necessary from the last batch (you store starter spores in the freezer). This product is nearly as protein rich as red meat and is, I've been given to understand, the only significant source for vitamin B12 in a vegetable source. It's much much cheaper than meat, on the order of 1/4. One day I may start making it again. It's a major staple in Indonesia and other Asian nations and has many advantages to meat, besides the economy.