High Protein, Low Calorie Foods

"Protein intakes in the range of 1.3–1.8 g · kg⁻¹ · day⁻¹ consumed as 3–4 isonitrogenous meals will maximize muscle protein synthesis. Elevated protein consumption, as high as 1.8–2.0 g · kg⁻¹ · day⁻¹ depending on the caloric deficit, may be advantageous in preventing lean mass losses during periods of energy restriction."

— Phillips & Van Loon, Journal of Sports Sciences (2011)

Volume eating is simple in principle: pack in as much protein as possible while spending as few calories as you can. This page ranks every food in our database by grams of protein per 100 calories — the most direct measure of protein efficiency. Higher scores mean you stay fuller for longer without eating into your calorie budget. It's the same insight behind the growing interest in high volume, low calorie foods (~9,900 searches/month): maximise satiety, minimise the caloric cost.

Note that Protein Density (% of calories from protein) and Protein/100 cal are two views of the same ratio — a food scoring 10 g per 100 cal is exactly at the 40% Platinum threshold. See the methodology for the math.

Boxed cereal is the category that fails this test most often despite "high protein" labeling — see which cereals actually deliver in the full ranking.

111 products tracked · sorted by Protein per 100 cal (descending)