Welcome to my guide on maximizing the benefits of high protein foods for weight loss.
In this guide you'll find, not one, but 2 lists of top 10 foods highest in protein.
Both lists can help you get rid of that stubborn body fat, but each list comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
So read this guide all the way through to find out how to use natural, store bought foods that are rich in protein to maximize fat burn.
Before we get started, take a quick look at everything that will be covered in this guide:
Top 10 high protein foods (the max protein list)
You can use the first high protein list of foods to get in the highest amount of "protein per calorie".
In other words, by eating the foods from this list, you can get in a very high amount of protein, while getting in as few calories as possible.
(I'm sure I don't need to explain why this strategy is good for weight loss.)
I created this list from the USDA Food Composition Databases and made sure to include only the "real" food options.
So no refined/processed foods like protein isolates, powders (like egg white powder), energy drinks, and some of the more exotic types of foods (like raw frog legs).
Here's the first list of top 10 high protein foods for weight loss:
- COD (FISH)
- POLLOCK (FISH)
- SHRIMP
- TURKEY BREAST
- SEAWEED, SPIRULINA
- TUNA (FISH)
- NON-FAT MOZZARELLA
- HADDOCK (FISH)
- LING (FISH)
- PIKE (FISH)
The one major issue with the first food list
As you can see the list is heavily dominated by fish.
This proves that fish (and seafood) are the way to go if you're looking to get in lots of protein (but with as few calories as possible).
And while some of the foods on this list really do pack the strongest protein-per-calorie punch, they still don't do too well with another important weight loss factor.
You can't really eat any of these foods in bulk, since they still contain quite a lot of calories overall.
And this is exactly where the second high protein food list comes in.
Top 10 high protein foods (the low calorie list)
The second list I've put together has a different goal than the first one.
Instead of looking for the highest amount of protein (compared to total calories), I looked for foods that have the highest amount of protein per mass/volume.
(I'll explain the benefit of this in a bit.)
Again, after filtering out all the processed/unrealistic foods, this is what I came up with:
- BAMBOO SHOOTS
- CHINESE CABBAGE
- ASPARAGUS
- SEAWEED, SPIRULINA
- GAZPACHO SOUP
- BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE
- MUSTARD SPINACH
- WHITE MUSHROOMS
- SQUASH (ZUCCHINI)
- SPINACH
Why does the second list work so well?
Because, instead of focusing on getting in the most protein, it focuses on allowing you to eat as much food as possible.
This may not be a huge benefit to you, but there are many people who would love to know how to increase their portion size (while still burning off that stubborn body fat).
So the second list shows you some of the bulkiest, high protein foods on the planet.
Let's take a real life example of how you can benefit from all this:
How to benefit from both food lists in real life?
You can get the same amount of protein from 100 grams of shrimp (the first food list), or from 900 grams / 2 pounds of asparagus (the second food list).
That being said, it doesn't even matter if you could actually swallow down that much asparagus.
The point is, 2 pounds of just about any kind of food will always satisfy you better than eating only 100 grams of any other food.
And if not feeling full and satisfied (as they struggle to get rid of that ugly body fat) isn't the single biggest reason why people fall off the wagon, then I don't know what is.
The single food that ranks high on both lists
I don't know if you noticed, but seaweed and spirulina ranked pretty high on both food lists.
Why exactly did that happen?
You see, seaweed and spirulina are very high in protein, yet they both contain only a few calories.
(This is the exact type of foods you'd want to include in your weight loss diet.)
Unfortunately, this won't do any of us much good.
Eating huge amounts of algae isn't exactly a realistic option, because their taste can be quite overwhelming.
Summary (actionable takeaways)
If you're struggling to get rid of that annoying body fat, then protein-rich foods are definitely the way to go.
The two, top 10 high protein lists I showed you in this article, represent the finest examples of such foods.
Pick foods from the first list for the absolute maximum protein punch.
But if you'd like to be able to eat a lot of food (while still keeping your calorie intake low), then you should definitely stick with the second list.
Or better yet, prepare your meals with ingredients from both lists.
This way, you'll get to enjoy the best of both worlds. You'll be able to keep your protein intake high, your calorie intake low, all while being able to eat a huge meal whenever you feel like it.
Written by Rok Sprogar, CNC, WLS
Rok Sprogar is a NASM Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC) and a NASM Certified Weight Loss Specialist (NASM-WLS) who has been contributing highly actionable and science-based content to Leanhigh.