On average somewhere between 10% – 35% of your daily calorie intake should come from proteins. For women that comes out to about 46 grams per day. For men it’s around 56 grams. It’s not hard to meet that requirement with 3 servings throughout the day. Get some ideas for your meals with these 8 delicious high protein and low calorie foods.
Keep in mind that everyone absorbs protein differently and has specific needs. If you are a long distance runner, heavy weightlifter, or any type of other athlete, you definitely need more protein. Active people put their muscles to work, so they need the building blocks to repair the stressed tissue. If you’re more sedentary you probably don’t need as much protein. In any case, these options will give you the most bang for your buck:
1 – Eggs & Egg Whites
Personally, I like the whole egg. The yoke has some of the best protein and good cholesterols. Plus, I hate wasting perfectly good food.
But if you’re really looking to reduce the calories, or you’re watching the cholesterol levels really close, then egg whites are an effective choice.
Regular eggs have 1 gram of protein for every 12 calories. Egg whites drop it down to 1 gram for every 4.4 calories.
2 – Lean Beef
There’s a big variety of steak, so you have to make sure that you’re getting a high quality. In restaurants always ask for the leanest cut.
When you’re shopping for red meat, look for the most solid red cuts. If it has a heavy white “marble” look to it, chances are it’s high in fat.
If you can pick out the leanest pieces, beef can supply you with a ton of protein. There is about 1 gram for every 5.3 calories.
3 – Tuna
You can’t go wrong with most choices of fish, but tuna is one of the best. In a 3 ounce cut of this meat, you’ll get 22 grams of protein and only 99 calories.
The best part is that it has so many different cooking options. You can eat it as sushi, or make it into a salad. The options are endless.
4 – Salmon
Personally, this is my favorite fish. In the same 3 ounce size of meat, this fish will give you 10 more grams of protein than the tuna (32 grams), but it contains three times the calorie load.
Don’t freak out. A lot of those calories come from fats in the fish that are actually really healthy. Remember, your body NEEDS fats. Just make sure it’s the good stuff.
5 – Edamame
In every cup of these little beans you get 29 grams of protein. That’s a lot! That also means for every gram of protein it will only run you about 10 calories.
These little guys make a really good appetizer or snack food. Just add a pinch of salt, and maybe a little garlic and you’re good to go.
For all of you cholesterol watchers out there….this doesn’t have any. The coast is clear!
6 – Tofu
This man made protein offers so much variety in the kitchen. In a half cup it offers 10 grams of protein and only 94 calories.
There’s no cholesterol in it and the majority of the fats are mono and poly unsaturated.
7 – Cottage Cheese
With 15mg of protein and only 104 calories in every cup, you should definitely consider using this stuff to get your dairy fix.
It’s a great tasting snack food with almost any fruit or vegetable.
8 – Greek Yogurt
If you’re not into the whole cottage cheese thing, this is another effective dairy option. There’s a few reasons why you should switch to greek yogurt from the regular kind.
I hope these 8 delicious high protein and low calorie foods give you some great snack and meal ideas. Remember, food is the biggest factor in getting lean. If you liked this article, please share it on facebook. If you’re considering one of the big fad diets out there, take a look at 3 reasons why they don’t work.
About Adam Pegg
