High Protein Foods: USDA Values for Meat, Dairy and Plant Sources

High protein foods include poultry, fish, lean meat, eggs, dairy, soy foods, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. By weight, roasted chicken or turkey breast, parmesan cheese and hemp or pumpkin seeds sit near the top of the USDA tables, while beans and lentils offer less protein per bite but bring fiber with it. This guide lists protein values from USDA FoodData Central, explains what the official reference values say, compares animal and plant sources, and shows how to read protein on a food label.

Peptide Labs sells one protein product, a collagen powder, but this article is about food and does not recommend any product. It is general information, not medical advice.

What counts as high protein foods?

There is no single legal definition of a high protein food for everyday eating, so the useful question is how much protein a food supplies by weight and by calorie. A food can be high in protein per 100 grams yet deliver it with a lot of fat or calories (peanut butter), or be modest per 100 grams but very lean (cottage cheese, shrimp). The table below uses USDA FoodData Central, the federal nutrient database, so the numbers are nutrition facts rather than advice.

The newest federal advice puts protein front and center. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 tell people to prioritize protein foods at every meal and to eat a variety of animal sources (eggs, poultry, seafood, red meat) and plant sources (beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy), with baked, broiled, roasted or grilled cooking in place of deep frying.

Foods high in protein: USDA values per 100 grams

Values are grams of protein in 100 grams of the food as listed in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Cooked foods are weighed after cooking; dry foods such as oats are weighed dry.

USDA also lists plain nonfat Greek yogurt at about 10.2 grams per 100 grams, Atlantic cod at about 22.8 grams, chia seeds at 16.5 grams, dry oats at 13.2 grams and 2% milk at 3.3 grams. Grain-based foods such as cooked quinoa (4.4 grams) and vegetables such as green peas (5.2 grams) or broccoli (2.4 grams) add smaller amounts that still count across a day.

Protein per calorie tells a different story

Compare chicken breast and peanut butter. Both look high in protein per 100 grams, but chicken supplies 31 grams for 165 calories, while peanut butter supplies 22 grams for close to 600 calories. Shrimp, cod, turkey breast, cottage cheese and nonfat Greek yogurt are among the leanest options. Nuts and seeds are nutritious, but if you are watching calories they work better as a protein add-on than as the main source. Our guide on metabolism explains why the small extra energy the body spends digesting protein is not a weight-loss strategy on its own.

High protein vegetarian foods and vegan options

High protein vegetarian foods include eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and other dairy, plus every plant source above. For vegans, the most protein-dense choices are soy foods (tempeh, tofu, edamame, soymilk), legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas), and nuts and seeds such as hemp, pumpkin, almonds and peanuts. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines advise vegetarians and vegans to eat a variety of these foods, to diversify plant protein sources for amino acid balance, and to limit highly processed vegan foods with added fats, sugars and salt.

The same guidelines note that vegan diets often fall short not only in protein but also in vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium and several other nutrients, so variety and periodic checks with a clinician matter. Plant proteins come packaged with fiber, which most adults lack; see how much fiber per day for the reference values.

Complete and incomplete proteins

Proteins are built from amino acids, nine of which the body cannot make. Animal proteins and soy supply all nine in useful proportions. Many other plant proteins are lower in one or more, which is why mixing sources over the day (beans with grains, nuts with legumes) is the usual advice. Collagen is an animal protein that is incomplete: the label of the collagen powder we sell states that collagen is not a complete protein and should not replace dietary protein. Our guides to collagen peptides and vegan collagen explain what collagen is and is not.

How much protein do official guidelines describe?

Reference values describe groups of healthy people, not you personally. Two are worth knowing:

• RDA: the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines list a Recommended Dietary Allowance of 46 grams per day for adult women and 56 grams for adult men, with an acceptable range of 10 to 35 percent of calories from protein for adults.
• 2025-2030 goal: the newest Dietary Guidelines set protein serving goals of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, adjusted for individual calorie needs. That is higher than the long-standing RDA and has drawn debate among nutrition researchers.
• Label Daily Value: FDA uses 50 grams as the Daily Value for protein on labels for adults and children 4 and older.

Older adults may need as much protein as younger adults, or more, while eating fewer calories, the guidelines note. People with chronic kidney disease are in a different position: the NIDDK says some may need moderate protein so waste does not build up in the blood, while too little risks malnutrition, and that the balance should be set with a dietitian or clinician.

Protein during weight loss and on GLP-1 medicines

Protein matters most when you eat less. A 2012 meta-analysis of 24 trials with 1,063 adults found that calorie-reduced, higher-protein diets led to slightly more weight and fat loss and less loss of lean mass than standard-protein diets over about 12 weeks. A 2016 review of 20 trials in adults over 50 reached a similar conclusion for lean mass. The effects were modest, and longer studies were less consistent, largely because people found it hard to stick with the diets.

For people taking GLP-1 medicines, a 2025 joint advisory from four obesity and nutrition societies warned that low protein intake from reduced appetite may contribute to muscle loss, and stressed that protein alone is unlikely to protect muscle without resistance training. Our GLP-1 diet guide and article on muscle loss on Ozempic cover this in detail, and creatine is a separate topic often discussed alongside training. If foods alone feel hard to manage, our article on protein powder for weight loss looks at shakes.

Reading protein on a food label

• Grams per serving: every Nutrition Facts panel lists protein in grams per serving.
• Percent Daily Value: FDA rules make the protein %DV optional unless the package makes a protein claim. When it appears, it is based on protein corrected for quality (the PDCAAS score), so a low-quality protein shows a lower %DV than its grams suggest.
• “Not a significant source of protein”: required wording when protein quality is very low, unless the corrected %DV is shown instead.
• Serving size: compare products per 100 grams or per serving size you actually eat, since bars, yogurts and cereals use different serving sizes.

Packaged “protein” snacks can carry added sugar, sugar alcohols or a lot of sodium. Our guide to sugar alcohols explains why some protein bars cause gas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Follow the label and ask a healthcare provider or registered dietitian before making big changes to your diet or starting any supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have kidney disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: GLP-1 Diet: What Experts Recommend While on GLP-1 Medicines, Ozempic Muscle Loss: What the Body-Scan Data Show, Protein Powder for Weight Loss: What Studies Show and What to Check, Bone Broth: Benefits, Nutrition, Collagen and Safety, Low Carb Foods List: Vegetables, Fruits, Proteins and Nuts.