What is it?
A macronutrient that among other things, is important for building muscles. Protein is built up of at least 20 amino acids.There are lots of different foods that contain protein such as salmon, nuts, eggs, and cottage cheese.
Why do we need it?
I gram of protein gives 4 calories. Protein is necessary because there are nine amino acids that are essential, which means that the body can’t produce these by itself. Amino acids are important for being able to create enzymes and hormones, for building up cells, and for building up important parts of the immune system. We need to add the missing amino acids (protein) through food.
There are a lot of different recommendations depending on your goal. The World Health Organization and government recommend the lowest possible amount that is needed to be able to repair cells and prevent muscle breakdown. That's around 0.6-0.8 grams/kg body weight. We recommend 25E% of protein a day. For a person with 2000 calories per day as a goal, that's 125 grams protein. Since our users focus on losing weight, staying healthy or gaining weight, we recommend higher amounts to ensure that the body gets the amount it needs to make the journey as smooth as possible. The amount we recommend is still close to the amount the government recommends though and within the USDA guidelines.
What if I have too much?
As with other macronutrients, a large surplus leads to eventual weight gain, but protein is the nutrient that's hardest to transform into fat in fat cells and is therefore harder to over consume. If you have kidney problems or feel unsure, please consult a doctor.
Foods to eat
Protein-rich foods are (the amount of protein is mentioned per 100 gram):
- egg and cheese sandwich (10 grams)
- edamame beans/soybeans (10 grams)
- weetabix (11 grams)
- miso (11 grams)
- chicken sandwich (12 grams)
- trail mix (13 grams)
- brazil nuts (14 grams)
- mixed nuts (17 grams)
- tempeh (18 grams)
Dairy
- cottage cheese (11 grams)
- scrambled egg (11 grams)
- quark (13 grams)
- fried egg (13 grams)
- boiled egg (12 grams)
Fish
- smoked salmon (18 grams)
- mackerel, canned (18 grams)
- sardines (20 grams)
- herring (23 grams)
- tuna, canned in water (24 grams)
- sea bass (23 grams)
- pollock (24 grams)
- cod (22 grams)
Shellfish
- shrimps (20 grams)
- clams (25 grams)
Poultry
- turkey breast, without skin (21 grams)
- diced turkey meat, seasoned (18 grams)
- chicken wing, with skin (26 grams)
- chicken drumstick, with skin (27 grams)
Lamb/pork/beef/veal/game
- chuck (22 grams)
- ribs (22 grams)
- loin (22 grams)
- round (22 grams)
- breast & flank (22 grams)
- ground (24 grams)
- shoulder (22 grams)
- legs (22 grams)
- cured (22 grams)
Ketogenic diet
Dairy
- feta cheese (14 grams)
- cream cheese, fat-free (14 grams)
- cottage cheese (11 grams)
- quark (13 grams)
- scrambled egg (11 grams)
- ricotta cheese (11 grams)
- boiled egg (12 grams)
- camembert cheese (19 grams)
- brie cheese (20 grams)
Lunch meats
- minced ham (16 grams)
- pastrami (16 grams)
- parma ham (30 grams)
- bacon (38 grams)
Fish
- smoked salmon (18 grams)
- mackerel, canned (18 grams)
- sardines (20 grams)
- herring (23 grams)
- tuna, canned in water (24 grams)
- sea bass (23 grams)
- Pollock (24 grams)
- cod (22 grams)
To get the recommended amount of protein for a day you can have (all suggestions combined for one day's meals)*;
- 1 serving of whole grain cereal and a bowl of plain yogurt for breakfast.
- 1 serving of chicken stew for lunch.
- 1 egg and a handful of almonds as a snack.
*Calculated for a person eating 2000 calories a day.
To read more about protein and see what we base our recommendations on, read more here: