Choosing Your Calories Wisely: Start with Protein
Understanding where your calories come from helps you make informed, confident food choices that support your health goals.
When you’re aiming to increase protein, it’s helpful to see which foods deliver the most protein for the calories they contain — in other words, which foods give you the most bang for your buck. Consistently prioritizing protein can help reduce cravings, balance blood sugar, improve muscle tone, boost energy, sharpen mental clarity, and even support better mood and sleep.
A protein-forward approach along with resistance training protects your lean mass while promoting fat loss. And because protein helps you feel fuller, you may naturally end up eating fewer calories overall.
Making Sense of the Protein Percentages Cheat Sheets
The charts below help you compare, for example, different cuts of beef or lamb based on how much protein you’re actually getting for the calories you eat.
- The Protein % tells you what portion of the food’s total calories comes from protein. Higher percentages mean more protein bang for your calorie buck.
- The (Protein / Fat / Calories) line shows you what you’re getting per typical serving. Individual serving size will vary, but the macro percentages stay the same.
How will this help you?
Let’s say you’re aiming to increase protein while managing calories and fat:
- “Good” choices (like ribeye or short ribs) still give you protein, but also come with higher fat and calories. These can absolutely fit into your diet, but may be more of an occasional choice depending on your goals.
- “Better” choices (like NY strip or skirt steak) provide more protein relative to fat and calories — a solid everyday option for most people.
- “Best” choices (like filet, top sirloin, hanger steak, bottom round) give you the highest protein percentage with fewer calories from fat — great for building muscle, supporting fat loss, and fueling recovery.
Not all protein sources are created equal. Small differences in the cut of meat or poultry, or type of cheese, can make a big difference in your overall nutrition — and these charts give you a simple way to choose the foods that best align with your current goals.
Understanding where your calories come from helps you make informed, confident food choices that support your health goals.
- Protein Percentage — This tells you what portion of each food’s total calories comes from protein. The higher the percentage, the more protein-dense the food.
- Grams per Serving — This shows exactly how many grams of protein you’re getting in a typical serving.
- Total Calories — Helps you see the bigger picture of how much energy you’re consuming.
Calories from Protein as Percent of Total Calories
(Protein/Calories per typical serving.
Nutrient values may vary depending on source, prep, cooking method. ALWAYS READ LABELS!)
Beef Cuts (4oz Raw)
| GOOD | BETTER | BEST |
| Ribeye 30% (22/290) | NY Strip 38% (23/240) | Filet Mignon 54% (23/170) |
| Short Ribs, Boneless 30%(20/270) | Skirt Steak 40% (22/220) | Top Sirloin 58% (25/170) |
| Tomahawk 32%(20/250) | Flat Iron 45%(21/190) | Hanger Steak 55%(26/190) |
| T-Bone 34%(28/328) | Porterhouse 37%(54/580) | |
| Ground Beef 42% (22/210) | Chuck Roast 42%(21/200) | Bottom Round 61% (26/170) |
| Lamb 34%(21/250) | Lamb Chop 36%(15/165) | Leg of Lamb 40%(22/219) |
Poultry (cooked portions)
| GOOD | BETTER | BEST |
| Duck Breast, Skin-On 33% (23/280) | Ground Chicken 44%(22/200) | Ground Turkey 54%(23/170) |
| Chicken Thigh, Skin-On 37%(21/230) | Chicken Thigh 46%(22/190) | Duck Breast 56%(25/180) |
| Chicken Drumstick, Skin-On 40%(18/180) | Turkey Thigh, Skin-On 48%(24/200) | Chicken Breast 80%(26/130) |
| Cornish Hen 34% | Chicken Drumstick 50%(19/150) | Turkey Breast 85%(28/130) |
Pork and Wild Game
| GOOD | BETTER | BEST |
| Pork Butt 29%(19/20/265) | Pork Chop, Center Cut 42%(22/10/210) | Pork Tenderloin 69%(24/3/140) |
| Pork Shoulder 31%(21/17/270) | Bison 57%(27/70/190) | Elk 70%(28/4/160) |
| Ground Pork 35%(21/15/240) | Wild Boar 65%(26/5/160) | Venison 72%(27/3/150) |
Other Meats
| Hot Dog (Frankfurter) 15%(6/14/155) | Polish Kielbasa 20%(16/28/320) | Chicken or turkey Sausage 49%(18/8/150) |
| Turkey Dog 22%(6/8/100) | Bratwurst 17%(12/25/283) | Breakfast Sausage Links 23%(9/13/150) |
| Bacon 30%(12/12/161)Turkey Bacon 32%(7/6/90) | Pork Italian Sausage 22%(14/20/258) | Sausage Patty 23%(5/7/90) |
Fresh Fish and Seafood
| Salmon, Wild Caught 43%(25/14/234) | Scallops 76%(16/1/84) | Halibut 85%(20/1.5/94) |
| Mussels 55%(20/4/146) | Sea Bass 77%(24/3/125) | Cod 86%(41/1.5/190) |
| Trout 58%(17/5/118) | Shrimp 78%(7/1/36) | Mahi Mahi 88%(38/1.5/173) |
| Crab and Lobster 72%(22/2/122) | Tilapia 81%(44/5/218) | Yellowfin Tuna 90%(25/1/111) |
| Flounder 70%(19/3/109) | Red Snapper 83%(45/3/218) | Swordfish 55%(25/8/182) |
| Oysters 46%(28/7/246) | Monkfish 78%(16/2/82) | Perch 84%(42/2/200) |
Canned Fish and Seafood
| GOOD | BETTER | BEST |
| Canned Sardines in oil 48%(25/11/208) | Canned Mackerel 59%(26/7/176) | Canned Crab 86%(24/1/112) |
| Canned Anchovies in oil 54%(13/4/95) | Canned Salmon 67%(37/8/218) | White Tuna 88%(42/3/190) |
| Canned Tuna in oil 59%(50/14/340) | Canned Clams 70%(21/1.5/121) | Light Tuna 90%(32/2/142) |
Unsweetened Milk Varieties
| Oat Milk 6%(2/1/130) | Whole Milk 21%(8/8/150) | 1% Milk 32%(8/2.5/102) |
| Almond Milk 7%(1/2/56) | 2% Milk 25%(8/5/130) | Skim Milk 38%(8/0/83) |
| Cashew Milk 16%(1/2/25) | Soy Milk 28%(7/4.5/100) | Pea Milk 46%(8/4.5/70) |
Cheese
| Cream Cheese 8%(2/10/99) | Cheddar 23%(7/10/120) | Fontina 25%(7/9/110) |
| Brie 25%(6/8/95) | Queso Fresco %33(12/9/145) | Gruyere 26%(8/9/120) |
| Feta 21%(7/2/132) | Swiss 27%(8/9/110) | Goat Cheese 26%(5/6/75) |
| Manchego 2%(7/7/110) | Monterey Jack 26%(7/9/106) | Part Skim Mozz 33%(7/6/84) |
| Blue Cheese 24%(11/15/177) | Gouda 28%(7/8/101) | Part Skim Ricotta 32%(11/8/138) |
| Provolone 29%(7/8/98) | Parmesan 33%(10/8/122) |
Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Spreads
| GOOD | BETTER | BEST |
| Cream Cheese 8%(2/10/99) | Goat Cheese 26%(5/6/76) | Cottage Cheese lowF 69%(14/1/81) |
| Whipped Cream Cheese 7%(1/7/70) | Laughing Cow Light 32%(2/2/25) | Greek Yogurt, plain 68%(17/1/100) |
| Whole Milk Ricotta 26%(7/8/108) | Kefir, plain unsweetened 36%(10/2/110) | Skyr, plain 41%(9/1/92) |
| Plain Whole Milk Yogurt 23%(6/6/105) | Greek Yogurt, plain LF 46% | |
Breads
| White Bread 12%(3/1/98) | Whole Wheat 20%(4/1/81) | Sourdough 17%(7/2/174) |
| Rye 15%(3/1/80) | Whole Grain 19%(5/1/80) | Sprouted Grain 28%(5/0/71) |
| Pumpernickel 15%(3/1/80) | Ezekiel SG 25%(5/1/80) |
Beans and Legumes, Cooked
| Chickpeas 22%(8/4/135) | Cannellini Beans 27%(8/1/125) | Kidney Beans 29%(13/1/115) |
| Pinto Beans 24%(7/1/125) | Split Peas 28%(8/1/115) | Lentils 31%(9/1/115) |
| Navy Beans 24%(7/1/125) | Great Northern Beans 28%(7/1/100) | Edamame 38%(9/4/94) |
| Black Beans 26%(8/1/113) |
Whole Grains, Cooked
| White Rice 8%(4/1/205) | Rolled Oats 14%(5/3/155) | Buckwheat 15%(6/1/155) |
| Brown Rice 9%(5/2/218) | Barley 7%(4/1/190) | Quinoa 15%(4/2/111) |
| Couscous 14%(6/1/176) | Farro 18%(8/2/165) | |
Nuts and Seeds
| BEST | ||
| Macadamia 4%(2/21/210) | Flax Seed 15%(2/4/55) | Pistachios 15%(6/13/160) |
| Pine Nuts 8%(4/19/190) | Cashews 13%(5/13/160) | Almonds 14%(4/10/115) |
| Brazil Nuts 9%(4/20/200) | Chia Seeds 14%(2/4/60) | Peanuts 17%(7/14/170) |
| Walnuts 10%(5/20/200) | Sunflower Seeds 15%(9/23/250) | Pumpkin Seeds 17%(12/12/285) |
| Hemp Seeds 23% |