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Protein
Protein per 100 g, protein per realistic portion, and protein per calorie — for food you can put in a trolley in Dunnes, Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl or Aldi this afternoon.
Most people fall short on protein not because they lack options but because they judge foods by reputation instead of by the number on the back. The tables below give protein per 100 g and per actual portion for 50 everyday foods, plus a protein-per-calorie ranking, which is the one that matters when you are eating in a deficit.
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked | 31 g | 150 g fillet | 46 g |
| Turkey breast, cooked | 30 g | 150 g | 45 g |
| Beef steak, lean, cooked | 31 g | 200 g | 62 g |
| Beef mince 5% fat, cooked | 27 g | 150 g | 40 g |
| Pork loin, cooked | 29 g | 150 g | 43 g |
| Lamb leg, cooked | 28 g | 150 g | 42 g |
| Chicken thigh, cooked | 26 g | 120 g | 31 g |
| Bacon medallions, grilled | 26 g | 3 rashers (~75 g) | 20 g |
| Ham, sliced | 21 g | 4 slices (~80 g) | 17 g |
| Beef jerky / biltong | 50 g | 35 g bag | 18 g |
Fish is the most under-used protein source in most people’s week. Tinned fish in particular is cheap, needs no cooking and stores indefinitely — a tin of tuna is a 26 g protein hit that requires opening a tin.
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna, tinned in water | 25 g | 1 tin (~110 g drained) | 26 g |
| Salmon fillet, cooked | 25 g | 130 g | 33 g |
| Cod fillet, cooked | 23 g | 150 g | 35 g |
| Haddock, cooked | 24 g | 150 g | 36 g |
| Smoked salmon | 25 g | 100 g pack | 25 g |
| Mackerel, tinned | 21 g | 1 tin (~110 g) | 23 g |
| Sardines, tinned | 25 g | 1 tin (~90 g drained) | 22 g |
| Prawns, cooked | 24 g | 150 g | 36 g |
| Mussels, cooked | 24 g | 150 g | 36 g |
| Pollock / whiting, cooked | 23 g | 150 g | 35 g |
Dairy is where the easiest wins are, because the portions are large and require no preparation. Skyr and quark in particular carry a lot of protein for very few calories.
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyr / 0% Greek yoghurt | 10 g | 170 g pot | 17 g |
| Greek yoghurt, 5% | 9 g | 170 g pot | 15 g |
| Cottage cheese | 12 g | 200 g tub | 24 g |
| Quark | 12 g | 250 g tub | 30 g |
| Cheddar | 25 g | 30 g portion | 8 g |
| Mozzarella, reduced fat | 24 g | 30 g | 7 g |
| Parmesan | 35 g | 20 g grated | 7 g |
| Milk, low fat | 3.6 g | 250 ml glass | 9 g |
| High-protein milk drink | 6–8 g | 330 ml bottle | 20–26 g |
| High-protein yoghurt pot | 10–12 g | 200 g pot | 20–24 g |
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 13 g | 3 medium | 19 g |
| Egg whites | 11 g | 200 ml carton | 22 g |
| Firm tofu | 15 g | 150 g | 23 g |
| Tempeh | 19 g | 100 g | 19 g |
| Edamame beans | 11 g | 150 g | 17 g |
| Red lentils, cooked | 9 g | 200 g | 18 g |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 8 g | 200 g | 16 g |
| Black beans, cooked | 9 g | 200 g | 18 g |
| Kidney beans, cooked | 8 g | 200 g | 16 g |
| Baked beans | 5 g | 1 tin (~400 g) | 20 g |
| Peas, frozen | 7 g | 150 g | 11 g |
| Quorn mince | 15 g | 150 g | 23 g |
| Seitan | 25 g | 100 g | 25 g |
| Soya mince, dry | 50 g | 50 g dry | 25 g |
These are mostly here for honesty rather than recommendation. Nuts and peanut butter look high-protein per 100 g, but the portion is 30 g and most of those calories are fat. They are a fine food and a poor protein strategy.
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porridge oats, dry | 11 g | 60 g serving | 7 g |
| Wholemeal bread | 9 g | 2 slices (~80 g) | 7 g |
| Wholewheat pasta, cooked | 5 g | 200 g | 10 g |
| Quinoa, cooked | 4.5 g | 200 g | 9 g |
| Peanut butter | 25 g | 30 g (2 tbsp) | 8 g |
| Almonds | 21 g | 30 g handful | 6 g |
| Pumpkin seeds | 25 g | 30 g | 8 g |
| Whey protein powder | 75–80 g | 1 scoop (30 g) | 24 g |
| Vegan protein powder | 70–75 g | 1 scoop (30 g) | 22 g |
| Protein bar | 30–35 g | 1 bar (60 g) | 18–21 g |
If you are eating in a deficit, protein per calorie is the more useful ranking than protein per 100 g. On that measure the order changes sharply:
| Food | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|
| Egg whites | ~21 g |
| Cod, haddock, prawns | ~20 g |
| Chicken breast | ~19 g |
| Skyr / 0% Greek yoghurt | ~18 g |
| Cottage cheese | ~15 g |
| Tinned tuna in water | ~15 g |
| Lean beef mince 5% | ~13 g |
| Lentils | ~8 g |
| Cheddar | ~6 g |
| Peanut butter | ~4 g |
This is why two people can both "eat loads of protein" and end up 60 g apart: one is eating fish and skyr, the other cheese and nuts.
Every own-label range in Ireland — Dunnes, Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl, Aldi, Centra — now carries skyr, high-protein yoghurt pots, protein milk drinks, cottage cheese and lean 5% mince, and the own-label versions are typically within a gram or two of the branded ones. Irish cheddar is a genuinely good protein source at 25 g per 100 g, but the portion is 30 g, so it contributes about 8 g. Irish porridge oats carry around 7 g per 60 g serving, which is a useful base rather than a protein source in itself — add milk and a yoghurt and breakfast reaches 25 g.
Nothing here requires a specialist shop or a supplement. A week that includes fish twice, eggs twice, a lean mince, a daily yoghurt and one tin of beans will pass 130 g a day for most people without anything that could be called a diet.
By weight, the leaders are protein powder at 75 to 80 grams per 100 g, beef jerky or biltong at around 50 g, Parmesan at 35 g, and then lean meats and fish at 25 to 31 g. Among foods eaten in large portions, chicken breast, lean steak and white fish are the practical top of the list.
Eggs, tinned tuna, tinned mackerel, dried red lentils, tinned beans, own-label skyr and frozen chicken fillets give the most protein per euro in Irish supermarkets. Own-label versions of skyr and protein yoghurts are typically within a gram or two of branded equivalents.
Split it across four meals of roughly 35 to 40 grams: eggs or skyr at breakfast, a chicken or tuna lunch, a lean meat or fish dinner, and one high-protein snack such as a yoghurt pot or a protein drink. No supplement is required, though a shake is a convenient way to cover a missed meal.
When you are eating in a deficit, yes. Cheddar and peanut butter look strong per 100 g but deliver only 6 and 4 grams of protein per 100 calories, while egg whites, white fish and skyr deliver 18 to 21 grams for the same calories.
These numbers only help if you know where your own day stands. NutriMacro scans the barcode of any of these products in an Irish supermarket and adds it to a running protein total.
NutriMacro is a nutrition and training tracker for iPhone and Android. It logs food by barcode, photo or search, counts food in slices and units rather than grams, and keeps strength training, GPS activities, sleep and recovery in the same daily view. It runs in the language of your phone across 108 countries.
These are general guidelines for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, under 18, managing a health condition, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a GP or a registered dietitian before changing how much you eat.
Read next: How much protein do I need? The same list for the UK Calculating macros
