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Protein in Food Chart: 23 Foods and the Meal Prep Math
Every recipe on this site lives or dies by its protein number, so here is the reference page behind all of them: a protein in food chart for the 23 foods meal preppers actually use, with the values taken from USDA FoodData Central records, plus the simple math for turning those numbers into a day that hits your target.
One reading note before the chart: USDA keeps more than one record for some foods, and the records differ. Canned tuna, for example, is 25.5 grams per 100 grams in the long running record and 19.4 in a newer one. The chart names the record used wherever it matters, and every value below is the stated value from that record, nothing estimated, nothing rounded in my favor.
Meat, poultry and seafood
| Food (cooked) | Protein per 100g | Per serving | Serving size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast | 31.0g | 43.4g | 1 cup, chopped (140g) |
| Ground turkey | 27.4g | 22.4g | 1 patty (82g) |
| Canned tuna in water, drained | 25.5g | 21.7g | 3 oz (85g) |
| Ground beef 90/10 | 25.2g | 21.4g | 1 patty, 3 oz (85g) |
| Chicken thigh | 24.8g | 28.7g | 1 thigh, skinless (116g) |
| Shrimp | 22.8g | 19.4g | 3 oz (85g) |
| Salmon fillet (farmed) | 22.1g | 18.8g | 3 oz (85g) |
Read the table the way a meal prepper should: chicken breast is the density champion, which is why it anchors half the recipes on this site. But note the thigh: a single skinless thigh serving beats a 3 oz portion of beef or tuna, because the serving itself is bigger. Per 100 gram numbers tell you density; per serving numbers tell you dinner.
Two more serving facts from the same USDA records worth knowing: half a salmon fillet (178g) gives 39.3 grams, and a whole drained can of tuna (165g) gives 42.1 grams. Portion size is the quiet variable in every protein conversation.
Eggs and dairy
| Food | Protein per 100g | Per serving | Serving size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage cheese, lowfat 2% | 10.5g | 23.6g | 1 cup (226g) |
| Greek yogurt, plain nonfat | 10.2g | 17.3g | 1 container (170g) |
| Eggs, hard boiled | 12.6g | 6.3g | 1 large egg (50g) |
| Milk, whole | 3.2g | 7.7g | 1 cup (244g) |
| Cheddar cheese | 22.9g | 6.4g | 1 slice, 1 oz (28g) |
The dairy lesson: Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are the two best protein per calorie foods in the fridge, and both are cheap. Cheddar shows the opposite pattern: dense per 100 grams, tiny per slice. Two eggs at breakfast give you 12.6 grams before anything else joins the plate, which is why egg plus dairy is the stacking move behind the strongest vegetarian recipes here.
Plant proteins
| Food | Protein per 100g | Per serving | Serving size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tempeh | 20.3g | 33.7g | 1 cup (166g) |
| Firm tofu | 17.3g | 21.8g | 1/2 cup (126g) |
| Edamame, shelled | 11.9g | 18.5g | 1 cup (155g) |
| Lentils, cooked | 9.0g | 17.9g | 1 cup (198g) |
| Black beans, cooked | 8.9g | 15.2g | 1 cup (172g) |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 8.9g | 14.5g | 1 cup (164g) |
Tempeh is the plant protein champion by a wide margin, and a cup of it out proteins a serving of ground beef. Tofu varies more than any other food on this chart: the USDA record used here (firm, calcium sulfate) states 17.3 grams per 100 grams, while a nigari set firm tofu record states 9.0. How much water is pressed out decides which tofu you actually bought, so check your own package label.
Grains, extras and the scoop
| Food | Protein per 100g | Per serving | Serving size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanut butter, smooth | 25.1g | 8.0g | 2 tbsp (32g) |
| Oats, dry | 13.2g | 10.7g | 1 cup (81g) |
| Quinoa, cooked | 4.4g | 8.1g | 1 cup (185g) |
| Brown rice, cooked | 2.7g | 5.5g | 1 cup (202g) |
| Whey protein powder | not printed on the label | 24.0g | 1 scoop (31g) |
Grains are partners, not headliners: quinoa adds a useful 8 grams beside a protein, brown rice adds 5.5, and neither carries a meal alone. The whey row is Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, read off the official panel: 24 grams per scoop. The label does not print a per 100 gram value, so neither do I.
The meal prep math
Step 1: your daily target. The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand on protein and exercise puts the range for building and maintaining muscle in exercising people at 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. In plain numbers:
- 60 kg (132 lb): 84 to 120 grams a day
- 70 kg (154 lb): 98 to 140 grams a day
- 80 kg (176 lb): 112 to 160 grams a day
- 90 kg (198 lb): 126 to 180 grams a day
Step 2: split it by meal. The same position stand suggests roughly 20 to 40 grams per meal, spread across the day. That is the real reason this site's recipes cluster at 25 to 45 grams: a 35 gram lunch is not an accident, it is the math.
Step 3: a worked day at about 130 grams, built only from the chart above.
- Breakfast: 2 eggs (12.6g) plus a Greek yogurt container (17.3g) = 29.9g
- Lunch: 1 cup chopped chicken breast (43.4g) plus 1 cup quinoa (8.1g) = 51.5g
- Snack: 4 oz cottage cheese (11.8g) = 11.8g
- Dinner: 3 oz salmon (18.8g) plus 1 cup black beans (15.2g) = 34.0g
- Day total: 127.2 grams, inside the target range for a 70 to 80 kg person, from ordinary food and one chart.
The safety math (from FoodSafety.gov)
- Cook to temperature: poultry 165°F (74°C), ground meats 160°F (71°C), fish 145°F (63°C).
- Fridge life: cooked meat and poultry keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. That number is the entire reason meal prep weeks are built in two waves, Sunday and Wednesday, on this site.
- Cooked rice: USDA's FoodKeeper lists 4 to 6 days, while the general USDA leftovers rule is 3 to 4 days. Use 3 to 4, and refrigerate rice within 2 hours of cooking. Rice is the one common prep food where the clock genuinely matters.
Chart questions
Why do different websites show different protein numbers for the same food?
Because USDA itself keeps multiple records per food, brands differ, and cooking changes water content. This chart names its records and uses one record consistently per food. Any chart that will not tell you its source is asking for trust it has not earned.
Is chicken breast really the best protein?
By density per 100 grams among whole foods here, yes. By real life, the best protein is the one you will cook four times a week without getting bored, which is why this site rotates chicken with beef, turkey, seafood and the plant stacks.
Do I need protein powder?
No. The worked day above hits 127 grams without it. A scoop is a convenience for busy days, priced accordingly, not a requirement.
Now put the chart to work: the 20 High Protein Meal Prep Recipes pillar applies these numbers across a full week, the cheap ideas list does it on a budget, and the vegetarian list does it without meat.
Plan the numbers into a week
A chart tells you what food contains. A plan tells you what to buy on Sunday. My 7-Day Meal Planner does the second job, shopping list included, for $2.99: The Tasty Table Meal Planner.
Free first? The Christmas Baking Checklist shows the whole planning system at no cost: Grab the free checklist.
