Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
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We all know we need protein to build muscle. Many of us know we need a lot of protein to build muscle. But, simply telling someone to “eat more protein” without telling them what to eat is like telling a new business owner they need to “make more money.”
In this guide, I’ll detail which foods and meals provide 30 grams of protein—considered the optimal amount per meal for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
The accompanying graphic illustrates the cost of obtaining 30 grams of protein from these foods.
Following the food recommendations, I'll dive into the fundamentals of protein and amino acid consumption, covering the recommended amounts and optimal timing.
Examples Of Food With 30 Grams Of Protein
Jumping right in, here are some prime examples of foods that can give you 30 grams of protein.
1. Hard Boiled Eggs/Eggs
Eggs have been the go-to natural protein source forever. They’re easy to make and deliver a lot of protein and other awesome nutrients such as choline, vitamin D, and iron…they pack a lot.
One large egg contains 6-7 grams of protein at 70 calories. This means you’d need to eat about 5 eggs, which pack 350 calories.
For many people, this is going to be a lot of calories, but there’s good news. If you’re controlling calories, you can swap out some whole eggs for just the egg whites. Egg whites are almost 90% protein, delivering 4 grams of protein at 18 calories.
2. Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilled chicken breast is the classic bodybuilding food of choice due to its high calories. One serving (100 grams) delivers around 28-33 grams of protein at just 160 calories. That makes it over 80% protein, which explains why this is the go-to food choice for those dropping weight. More than 80% protein puts chicken breast up with some protein powders.
Now you could just eat chicken breast as is. However, you can also add it to other foods to instantly increase the protein amount. For example:
- Add to a salad
- Make a chicken omelet
- Use in a wrap
This is what makes chicken breast such an effective food for bodybuilders. You can easily add it to whatever you want.
3. Chicken Thighs
We believe the chicken thigh has been unjustly overshadowed by the breast, but it should be on your grocery list. Technically, it doesn’t have as much protein as chicken breast, but not by much. A 100-gram serving delivers 24-26 grams of protein at 175 calories, which puts it at around 60% protein.
Even though chicken thighs aren’t as “lean” as chicken breast, they do offer other benefits:
- More Nutrients
- Healthy fats
- Tastier
- Usually cheaper
Also, it’s easy to get your 30 grams of protein!
4. Salmon
Including seafood in your diet is a great way to add a variety of nutrients and get your protein. Of all fish, salmon has become one of the more popular choices in the fitness world due to its high amount of healthy fatty acids and other nutrients.
To get 30 grams of protein from salmon, you’d need to eat around 5oz, delivering around 300 calories. These 300 calories will also deliver a ton of nutrients such as1:
- 82 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin B12
- 46 percent of selenium
- 28 percent of niacin
- 23 percent of phosphorus
- 12 percent of thiamin
- 4 percent of vitamin A
One drawback of salmon preparation is that it does take a little skill, but once you get that figured out, you’re good to go!
5. Greek Yogurt with Nuts (Almonds, Peanuts..)
Greek YogurtYogurt might be our favorite natural protein source for those on the go. It is highly convenient to eat—if you have a tub, you can just eat a couple of spoonfuls or a smaller cup.
Either way, eating Greek YogurtYogurt actually takes less time than making a protein shake.
Different Greek yogurts can vary in protein intake but range between 16-20 grams of protein per serving. Therefore, you can add some nuts to the mix to increase your protein intake while getting all the good-stuff nuts delivered.
Be aware that adding too many nuts will significantly increase your calories, so keep this in mind, especially if you’re losing weight.
You could also eat a bigger portion of Greek YogurtYogurt if you want. For example, 2 servings of Chobani non-fat Greek YogurtYogurt will deliver 32 grams of protein at 180 calories – that’s not bad at all!
6. Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is basically just cheese curd from milk, meaning it’s full of casein protein, similar to Greek YogurtYogurt. While not as common as Greek YogurtYogurt, it may surprise you to learn that cottage cheese is one of the best natural sources of protein—and it delivers a ton!
Two servings of Good Culture Cottage Cheese (Low-Fat) would deliver 28 grams of protein at 180 calories. If you like fat, you could get their whole-fat version, which delivers 18 grams of protein at 140 calories (2 servings = 36 grams at 280 calories).
Like Greek Yogurt, cottage cheese can be a very convenient source of 30 grams of protein as it’s ready to eat. The only drawback would be that some people find the taste and texture “unique.” However, if you haven’t had any in a while, you might want to revisit this high-protein food to help you get your protein when you need it fast.
7. Steak
Everyone deserves a nice slab of steak once in a while! The problem is that “steak” can mean numerous cuts of beef.
Top sirloin and filet mignon are popular choices for many. A 100g (3.5oz) of either delivers around 27-30 grams of protein at around 220 calories, give or take. This makes these two leaner options for those who want to get their red meat fix while keeping an eye on their waistline.
Now, a nice cut of T-bone is another popular choice due to its extra flavorful and juicy profile. This extra taste comes from the higher fat concentration, which increases the total calories. To get 30 grams of protein, you’ll be closer to the 300-calorie mark.
8. Beef/Turkey Jerky
Jerky can be a good choice for getting your protein in, but you do need to be a bit selective. Jerky is basically strips of meat that are marinated, seasoned, and then dried through various processes.
This process is relatively simple but can result in a wide range of products with various levels of “health.” Differences can be caused by the quality of meat used (how much fat), the type of meat (beef, turkey, chicken, etc.), and the amount of oils and seasoning.
The lower-calorie options will generally come from poultry and have about 210-240 calories for around 30g of protein; this is considered to be about 3 servings.
If you search hard enough, you can find some beef jerky, such as Archer’s (no sugar). Two servings give you 24 grams of protein at just 140 calories; this is protein powder. The main problem with jerky is going to be the price, so this is really only a good choice for someone with plenty of cash.
9. Lean Ground Beef (90/10)
Lean ground beef is a good choice for anyone looking to get their red meat fix AND protein. Depending on how the beef is processed, you can find different quality labels as a ratio of “lean” to “fat. Lean ground beef is considered to have at least a 90/10 ratio, meaning the meat is 90% lean and 10% fat.
This usually delivers 22 grams of protein per serving (4oz) with 200 calories. To reach your 30 grams of protein, you’ll need to use 1.5 servings, which gives you 33 grams of protein at 300 calories.
You could get leaner beef if you want fewer calories, but that also means a price increase. For example, this 93/7 lean beef delivers 25 grams of protein at 170 calories. You could easily throw on a slice of mozzarella cheese (5g of protein) or an egg to get your 30 grams of protein.
10. Ground Turkey
If you’re watching your calories or trying to cut red meat out of your diet, you can choose some quality ground turkey instead of beef. Unlike beef, all ground turkey products have similar protein levels and calories.
One serving of turkey has 26 grams of protein and 130 calories. To reach 30 grams of protein, you can add a little bit more, such as cheese or an egg. This is a great choice for anyone looking to increase protein while decreasing calories.
Pro Tip! If you like the taste of beef (who doesn’t?), mix ground turkey with ground beef in a 50/50 ratio. This allows the great taste of beef while bringing the calories down slightly.
11. Protein Powder
The most obvious choice is going to be some protein powder. On today’s market, you can find a range of protein powders with varying levels of “leanness.” On average, your typical protein powder will deliver 30 grams of protein at around 150-170 calories. By “typical,” we mean something like Optimum Nutrition or Dymatize.
However, some protein isolates provide even leaner options. For example, Optimum Nutrition has a Hydrowhey that delivers 30 grams of protein at just 140 calories. IsoPure has an even leaner option, supposedly 100% protein. 1 serving delivers 25 grams of protein at 100 calories.
Define "protein": Understanding Your Amino Acids
What we refer to as “protein” refers to the nutrient responsible for repairing and rebuilding our muscles. A quick side note, protein does a lot more than that. For example, it’s responsible not only for the repair of our muscles but also for all tissues, such as our skin.
We could even go further, as “protein” simply refers to any chain of 50 or more amino acids. If a chain consists of 49 or fewer amino acids, it’s known as a peptide. The point is that when we’re talking about protein, we’re actually talking about amino acids.
With that in mind, proteins (amino acids) are responsible for a slew of processes such as:
- Formation of some hormones (i.e. epinephrine, norepinephrine)
- Balance fluids
- Increase the immune system (immunoglobulins)
- Transport nutrients (i.e., hemoglobin delivers oxygen)
This means that your total protein intake is much more important for your body than just building muscles. Regardless, that’s what we’re concerned about today—building muscle mass!
How Much Protein Should You Eat?
You can find a wide range of suggestions for protein intake, everything from 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight (g/kg) to 2.5 g/kg and even higher2.
That said, we believe that lifters and athletes should eat at least 1.6g/kg of protein. However, eating more could provide better results, making 2.0g/kg of protein the general recommendation for most bodybuilders.
To be clear, this should be done daily to achieve the best results. For example, let’s say you should eat 200g of protein daily. You shouldn’t eat 20g one day and then 380g the next day to “make-up.”
Falling short once in a while won’t make much of a difference, but it should be as consistent as possible.
When Should You Eat Protein?
The most important variable in eating protein is the total amount consumed. Don’t worry about protein timing if you’re only eating 100g of protein when you should be eating 200g. Get your protein in!
Once you have that under control, you can worry about timing. The general rule is to spread your total protein intake into 4-6 servings throughout the day. Each serving should be relatively the same amount, but the major caveat is that every serving has at least 20g of protein. 20g of protein seems to be the dose that provides the highest increase in muscle protein synthesis.
Should You Eat Protein After Your Workout? (Anabolic Window)
The anabolic window refers to a belief that was spread that you need to eat protein within 30 minutes of your workout, or you will miss the chance to capitalize on your gains.
Not true. This idea has been unnecessarily exaggerated over the years3. In short, yes, your body is “primed for growth after a workout but it’s much longer than 30 minutes, around 3 hours.
That said, we recommend you eat your protein as soon as you can when you have the chance. That means if you have your protein, don’t put it off just because. If there is a benefit, it probably would be getting it sooner rather than later, but again, you don’t need to stress out about this.
Plus, there’s so much protein everywhere now; there’s really no reason you can’t get your protein in. Especially with the 30 grams of protein examples provided above.
Get Your 30 Grams Of Protein!
As you can see, eating quality animal products makes it easy to get 30g of protein. You could eat this alone or add some to mix it up, like with an omelet or wrap. Either way, you have a ton of options so choose whatever fit’s your lifestyle best!
References:
- USDA. (n.d.). FoodData Central. Fdc.nal.usda.gov. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-search?query=&type=Foundation
- Campbell, B., Kreider, R. B., Ziegenfuss, T., La Bounty, P., Roberts, M., Burke, D., Landis, J., Lopez, H., & Antonio, J. (2007). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 4(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-4-8
- Arent, S. M., Cintineo, H. P., McFadden, B. A., Chandler, A. J., & Arent, M. A. (2020). Nutrient Timing: A Garage Door of Opportunity? Nutrients, 12(7), 1948. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071948
Garett Reid
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