Is this food actually high protein?
Enter calories and protein grams. Get an instant Platinum / Gold / Silver / Avoid tier, grams per 100 calories, estimated leucine, and a protein-quality verdict — no signup, no tracking.
- Instant Platinum / Gold / Silver / Avoid rating
- Estimated leucine + MPS-trigger check
- Protein-quality verdict (Complete / Complementary / Incomplete)
Frequently asked questions
What counts as "high protein" for the calories?
A food is "high protein for the calories" when at least 25% of its calories come from protein — our Gold tier (25–39%) or Platinum tier (40%+). Many foods marketed as "high protein" (granola bars, peanut butter, mass-gainer shakes) sit at 5–15% — the Avoid tier — because they're calorie-dense, not protein-dense.
How is the tier calculated?
We compute protein density = (protein grams × 4 kcal) ÷ total kcal × 100. The four tiers: Platinum 40%+, Gold 25–39%, Silver 15–24%, Avoid under 15%. See the methodology page for the full rationale and references.
What is leucine and why does this calculator estimate it?
Leucine is the amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis (MPS). About 2.5g leucine per meal is the practical minimum to fully stimulate MPS (Norton & Layman 2006; Witard et al. 2014). We estimate leucine as a percentage of the protein based on the source (whey ~10.5%, dairy ~9.5%, egg ~8.5%, meat ~8%, plant proteins 7–8.2%, collagen ~2.5%) — all from USDA amino acid reference profiles.
Why does collagen show "Incomplete — does not count"?
Collagen has zero tryptophan and DIAAS ≈ 0, so it cannot legally count toward label %DV protein. Leucine-matched RCTs show it does not raise muscle protein synthesis (Oikawa 2020; Aussieker & van Loon 2023). Honest framing: count its calories, not its grams, toward your muscle-protein target. More on the /collagen page.
Can I rate a whole meal or recipe?
Yes — just enter the totals. Add up the calories and protein grams across all ingredients (or use the totals at the bottom of a recipe), then enter both numbers. The tier, leucine estimate, and protein-quality verdict will reflect the meal as a whole.
Want more?
Use the protein intake calculator to set your daily target, protein-per-dollar to compare sources by cost, or browse the snack database for rated packaged options.