TOP 10 high-protein foods for mass and weight loss

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2015-05-14

Hello. I often get asked: "How can I get more protein, but only from natural products?" or "What products can replace protein?" Of course, protein can be replaced with regular foods. And to some extent, it is even necessary. Below, I will provide you with products that contain the most protein, which you can easily find on store shelves and which are affordable for most people. This is what guided me when compiling this TOP list.

In addition, I have divided them into products suitable for gaining mass and losing weight (universal) and products suitable only for mass gain. After all, in addition to protein, food also contains fats and carbohydrates. This also needs to be taken into account.

Products Suitable for Mass Gain and Weight Loss

Fish

Tuna, trout, salmon, shrimp. They contain about 20% protein and 1% - 6% fat. Tuna has almost no fat at all. But even if the fish is fatty, gaining weight from fish fat is much harder than from regular fat. In general, any fish with at least 18% protein and no more than 10% fat can be classified in this category.

By the way, I want to draw your attention to dried (jerky) fish and shrimp. They contain 40% - 50% protein. This is due to the lower water content in dried products.

Fat-free Cottage Cheese

Fat-free cottage cheese contains about 18% protein. The downside is that it is dry, and it is quite inconvenient to eat it on its own. But cottage cheese protein is good because it is digested fairly slowly. Therefore, it is great to eat at night. And not just at night.

Meat

Beef, turkey, chicken. And all other reasonably lean meats. They contain about 20% protein and 10% fat. For example, chicken breast contains 25% protein and almost no fat. In general, if the fat content is less than 10%, such meat is suitable for weight loss.

Liver

Beef, pork, and chicken liver. Compared to meat, it has less fat, about 1% - 6%. And the protein content is roughly the same as in meat.

Products Suitable Only for Mass Gain

Legumes

Peas, beans, soy, lentils. Peas, beans, and lentils contain 20% - 25% protein. Soy contains 35% - 40% protein. The plus of these products is that they are inexpensive and almost fat-free (except for soy). Peas are probably one of the most accessible and cheapest sources of protein. When I didn't have money, I bought dried peas, boiled them, and made pea puree. It turned out to be roughly like potato puree, but with a higher protein content.

However, all legumes contain a lot of carbohydrates. And soy also has a lot of fat (15% - 20%). Therefore, legumes are great for mass gain but not suitable for weight loss.

Cheeses

Amber, parmesan, mountain cheese, Dutch cheese, poshekhonsky, Yaroslavl. These cheeses have a protein content of 25% - 35%. There are probably some lesser-known varieties, but I listed the most common ones. However, the fat content in these cheeses is about the same as the protein content (if not more). It is clear that, given this ratio, using cheese to obtain protein while losing weight is impractical.

Nuts

Walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pistachios. They contain about 20% - 25% protein. However, they also have even more fat, approximately 50% - 60%. Because of this, nuts are excellent for mass gain but not suitable for weight loss.

Cereals

Buckwheat, oats, millet, barley, lentils. They contain 10% - 14% protein. However, they contain 60% - 70% carbohydrates. This refers to their dry state. Therefore, they are perfect for gaining mass and are relatively inexpensive.

Bagels and Baranki

Since these are essentially "dry" bread, they contain more protein than regular bread, about 15% - 16%. However, they contain as much as 70% carbohydrates. Therefore, they are also unsuitable for weight loss.

Eggs

In fact, eggs contain about equal amounts of protein and fat, approximately 12% each. Additionally, there is more protein (the good kind) in the yolk than in the egg white. Egg whites are mostly eaten because they contain no fat, while the yolk contains about 35% fat. Therefore, whole eggs are not suitable for weight loss. You can only use the egg whites. However, they contain only about 10% protein. To get 100 grams of protein, you would need to consume 1 liter of egg whites. And how many eggs that would require is frightening to think about!))

Conclusions

In general, as you can see, not all protein products are suitable for the same purpose. If you want to gain weight, you can eat all protein products, including those suitable for weight loss. However, if you want to lose weight, you will have to choose products that are low in fat and carbohydrates whenever possible. And such products tend to be quite expensive.

Finally, I want to point out a thought for those who are convinced that buying protein powder is expensive. Many want to get all their protein from natural food for this reason alone. For example, 1 kg of average protein powder costs about 1500 rubles. It contains 80% protein. This means that to get 1 kg of pure protein, you would need about 1.25 kg of protein powder, which amounts to approximately 1800 rubles.

1 kg of meat (raw beef) without bones and fat currently costs about 500 rubles. It contains 20% protein. So in 1 kg of meat, we have 200 grams of protein. To get 1 kg of protein, we need 5 kg of this meat, which costs about 2500 rubles. That's the arithmetic. Good luck!