Protein, food by food
Ranking · Protein
Your muscles, and every other tissue, are built and repaired from it.
An adult is advised to get 0.8 g a day for each kilo of body weight, so the amount depends on your weight. That is 40 g at 50 kg, 48 g at 60 kg, 56 g at 70 kg, 64 g at 80 kg and 72 g at 90 kg.
How we counted this
Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intakes, adults 19–30. The word beside each food reads one serving against 56 g, the figure they give for men.
The plain words beside each food: “a lot” means one serving gives at least 20% of the daily amount, “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2%; below that it says “almost none”. Each row prints its percentage of the daily amount, rounded to a whole number, and the word is read from that printed percentage (a row at 9.6% prints 10% and reads “some”). The cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source”, and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount; Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%, and we keep one number so a percentage never changes meaning (provisional: they may change in a later method version).
What it does: Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. How much a day: Health Canada, Dietary reference intakes tables: Reference values for macronutrients.
Most per serving: roast chicken breast (31 g), then Pork chop, pan-fried and Beef liver, pan-fried.
Listed amounts, not what your body absorbs. Where a human study measured absorption, the food’s page shows it. ?
How we counted this
Listed for 206 of the 210 preparations on this page (159 foods). The other 4 aren’t zero, just not listed: see “Not listed” below.
203 of them are ranked below, by what one serving gives; the other 3 list it but have no serving size on file, so they follow, per 100 g.
The 159 reviewed foods (229 preparations) are counted here, and raw and cooked spinach are two preparations of one food. Each row below is one preparation, and 210 of them are on this page. The other 19 are left out: 19 raw or dry forms of a food ranked as eaten (listed below). Imported foods are listed separately below, not ranked. Every amount here is copied from the national food databases, as published. A serving’s weight is shown rounded, and the amount is worked from its exact weight, so a row can differ slightly from weight times the per-100 g figure.
- 1
A lot31g31.02 g / 100 g - 2
A lot27.6g27.63 g / 100 g - 3
A lot26.5g26.52 g / 100 g - 4
A lot26.4g26.44 g / 100 g - 5
A lot26.2g26.15 g / 100 g - 6
A lot25.6g25.55 g / 100 g - 7
A lot24.5g24.46 g / 100 g - 8
A lot24.1g24.09 g / 100 g - 9
A lot23.9g23.85 g / 100 g - 10
A lot23.8g23.8 g / 100 g - 11
A lot23.4g78.13 g / 100 g - 12
A lot22.8g22.83 g / 100 g - 13
A lot22.8g22.78 g / 100 g - 14
A lot22.1g22.1 g / 100 g - 15
A lot17.2g20.29 g / 100 g - 16
A lot16.6g18.21 g / 100 g - 17
A lot16.3g27.1 g / 100 g - 18
A lot16.2g27 g / 100 g - 19
A lot14.5g11.62 g / 100 g - 20
A lot13.5g24.62 g / 100 g - 21
A lot13g23.62 g / 100 g - 22
A lot13g23.59 g / 100 g - 23
A lot12.9g5.99 g / 100 g - 24
A lot12.6g12.58 g / 100 g - 25
A lot12.5g5.8 g / 100 g - 26
A lot12.2g22.1 g / 100 g - 27
A lot11.8g9.45 g / 100 g - 28
A lot11.7g10.19 g / 100 g - 29
A lot11g9.99 g / 100 g - 30Some10.5g19 g / 100 g
- 31
Some10.2g18.53 g / 100 g - 32
Some10.1g11.91 g / 100 g - 33
Some9.43g9.02 g / 100 g - 34
Some9.23g12.3 g / 100 g - 35
Some9.2g9.73 g / 100 g - 36
Some9.13g16.6 g / 100 g - 37
Some8.97g29.91 g / 100 g - 38
Some8.87g3.55 g / 100 g - 39
Some8.87g3.37 g / 100 g - 40Some8.68g3.3 g / 100 g
- 41
Some8.15g14.81 g / 100 g - 42
Some8.14g9.01 g / 100 g - 43
Some8.1g27 g / 100 g - 44
Some8.05g8.86 g / 100 g - 45
Some7.71g8.86 g / 100 g - 46
Some7.32g3.79 g / 100 g - 47
Some7.31g24.35 g / 100 g - 48Some7.14g5.71 g / 100 g
- 49
Some7.11g23.7 g / 100 g - 50
Some6.99g23.3 g / 100 g - 51
Some6.96g23.21 g / 100 g - 52
Some6.87g8.08 g / 100 g - 53Some6.76g3.5 g / 100 g
- 54
Some6.75g9 g / 100 g - 55
Some6.64g8.85 g / 100 g - 56
Some6.47g12.94 g / 100 g - 57
Some6.44g21.45 g / 100 g - 58
Some6.32g21.05 g / 100 g - 59
Some6.29g20.96 g / 100 g - 60
Some6.28g2.54 g / 100 g - 61
Some6.16g4.4 g / 100 g - 62
Some6.14g20.45 g / 100 g - 63
Some6.04g5.25 g / 100 g - 64
Some5.91g19.71 g / 100 g - 65
Some5.8g19.33 g / 100 g - 66
Some5.78g7.05 g / 100 g - 67
Some5.49g18.29 g / 100 g - 68
Some5.44g18.13 g / 100 g - 69
Some5.36g35.75 g / 100 g - 70
Some5.32g17.73 g / 100 g - 71
A little5.23g17.44 g / 100 g - 72
A little5.09g33.92 g / 100 g - 73
A little4.78g8.7 g / 100 g - 74
A little4.51g15.04 g / 100 g - 75
A little4.5g4.98 g / 100 g - 76
A little4.4g3.82 g / 100 g - 77
A little4.38g5.15 g / 100 g - 78
A little4.37g14.56 g / 100 g - 79
A little3.88g7.06 g / 100 g - 80
A little3.84g2.74 g / 100 g - 81
A little3.77g2.69 g / 100 g - 82
A little3.67g3.5 g / 100 g - 83
A little3.55g7.1 g / 100 g - 84
A little3.39g3.98 g / 100 g - 85
A little3.33g22.21 g / 100 g - 86
A little3.28g10.93 g / 100 g - 87
A little3.14g20.96 g / 100 g - 88
A little3.14g5.7 g / 100 g - 89
A little3.06g7.65 g / 100 g - 90
A little2.89g2.63 g / 100 g - 91
A little2.85g3.35 g / 100 g - 92
A little2.71g18.04 g / 100 g - 93
A little2.64g3.1 g / 100 g - 94
A little2.63g3.09 g / 100 g - 95
A little2.55g17.01 g / 100 g - 96
A little2.55g17 g / 100 g - 97
A little2.52g2.97 g / 100 g - 98
A little2.5g2.94 g / 100 g - 99A little2.48g2.92 g / 100 g
- 100
A little2.48g16.54 g / 100 g - 101A little2.47g2.91 g / 100 g
- 102A little2.46g2.89 g / 100 g
- 103
A little2.43g2.86 g / 100 g - 104
A little2.4g3.43 g / 100 g - 105
A little2.39g2.99 g / 100 g - 106
A little2.33g7.78 g / 100 g - 107
A little2.21g2.01 g / 100 g - 108
A little2.19g2.58 g / 100 g - 109A little2.18g2.57 g / 100 g
- 110
A little2.18g2.56 g / 100 g - 111
A little2.17g2.55 g / 100 g - 112
A little2.17g2.55 g / 100 g - 113
A little2.1g7 g / 100 g - 114A little2.09g1.9 g / 100 g
- 115
A little2.04g2.4 g / 100 g - 116
A little2.04g5.09 g / 100 g - 117
A little1.99g0.8 g / 100 g - 118
A little1.95g2.3 g / 100 g - 119A little1.93g2.75 g / 100 g
- 120
A little1.88g1.71 g / 100 g - 121
A little1.85g6.15 g / 100 g - 122
A little1.83g0.7 g / 100 g - 123
A little1.74g1.58 g / 100 g - 124
A little1.61g1.89 g / 100 g - 125
A little1.56g1.84 g / 100 g - 126
A little1.53g5.1 g / 100 g - 127
A little1.51g1.37 g / 100 g - 128
A little1.48g1.06 g / 100 g - 129
A little1.46g1.04 g / 100 g - 130
A little1.43g1.68 g / 100 g - 131
A little1.4g1 g / 100 g - 132
A little1.39g1.64 g / 100 g - 133
A little1.39g0.55 g / 100 g - 134
A little1.32g3.3 g / 100 g - 135
A little1.31g0.87 g / 100 g - 136
A little1.3g8.14 g / 100 g - 137
A little1.28g0.91 g / 100 g - 138
A little1.28g1.5 g / 100 g - 139
A little1.27g0.91 g / 100 g - 140
A little1.27g0.91 g / 100 g - 141
A little1.26g0.9 g / 100 g - 142
A little1.23g0.82 g / 100 g - 143
A little1.15g0.82 g / 100 g - 144
A little1.13g0.81 g / 100 g - 145
A little1.08g0.87 g / 100 g - 146
A little1.08g1.27 g / 100 g - 147
A little1.04g0.74 g / 100 g - 148A little0.97g1.14 g / 100 g
- 149
A little0.97g1.14 g / 100 g - 150
A little0.92g1.15 g / 100 g - 151
A little0.9g0.64 g / 100 g - 152
A little0.88g0.63 g / 100 g - 153
A little0.87g1.02 g / 100 g - 154
A little0.84g0.99 g / 100 g - 155
Almost none0.83g0.98 g / 100 g - 156
Almost none0.82g0.96 g / 100 g - 157
Almost none0.81g0.95 g / 100 g - 158
Almost none0.81g1.01 g / 100 g - 159
Almost none0.8g0.94 g / 100 g - 160
Almost none0.77g0.9 g / 100 g - 161
Almost none0.77g0.9 g / 100 g - 162
Almost none0.72g1.81 g / 100 g - 163
Almost none0.71g2.44 g / 100 g - 164
Almost none0.71g0.83 g / 100 g - 165
Almost none0.71g0.83 g / 100 g - 166
Almost none0.65g0.46 g / 100 g - 167
Almost none0.61g0.72 g / 100 g - 168
Almost none0.6g0.43 g / 100 g - 169
Almost none0.59g0.7 g / 100 g - 170
Almost none0.56g0.7 g / 100 g - 171
Almost none0.55g0.22 g / 100 g - 172
Almost none0.54g1.81 g / 100 g - 173
Almost none0.53g0.63 g / 100 g - 174
Almost none0.5g0.36 g / 100 g - 175
Almost none0.48g3.13 g / 100 g - 176Almost none0.43g2.84 g / 100 g
- 177
Almost none0.42g0.49 g / 100 g - 178
Almost none0.41g0.11 g / 100 g - 179
Almost none0.4g1.32 g / 100 g - 180
Almost none0.34g0.42 g / 100 g - 181
Almost none0.3g0.12 g / 100 g - 182
Almost none0.27g0.91 g / 100 g - 183
Almost none0.26g6.62 g / 100 g - 184Almost none0.25g0.1 g / 100 g
- 185
Almost none0.21g0.15 g / 100 g - 186
Almost none0.13g0.96 g / 100 g - 187
Almost none0.1g0.69 g / 100 g - 188
Almost none0.09g0.85 g / 100 g - 189Almost none0.09g0.85 g / 100 g
- 190
Almost none0.07g0.17 g / 100 g - 191
Almost none0.06g0.3 g / 100 g - 192
Almost none0.05g2.48 g / 100 g - 193
Almost none0.04g0.12 g / 100 g - 194
Almost none0.03g0.04 g / 100 g - 195
Almost none0.02g0.35 g / 100 g - 196
Almost none0g0 g / 100 g - 197
Almost none0g0 g / 100 g - 198
Almost none0g0 g / 100 g - 199
Almost none0g0 g / 100 g - 200
Almost none0g0 g / 100 g - 201
Almost none0g0 g / 100 g - 202Almost none0g0 g / 100 g
- 203Almost none0g0 g / 100 g
Not ranked in this view
These list Protein but have no serving size on file yet.
Not listed
The databases don’t list Protein for these foods: left out, not counted as zero.
Not yet reviewed · shown per 100 g, not per serving
Straight from the national databases, not yet checked, so not ranked. The list can include dried foods, spices and fortified products that a review would set aside.
No serving size yet, so shown per 100 g, even under “per serving”.
- Soy protein isolate · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)88.3 gper 100 g
- Soy protein isolate, potassium type · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)88.3 gper 100 g
- Gelatins, dry powder, unsweetened · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)85.6 gper 100 g
- Egg, white, dried, stabilized, glucose reduced · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)84.1 gper 100 g
- Seal, bearded (Oogruk), meat, dried (Alaska Native) · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)82.6 gper 100 g
- Egg, white, dried, powder, stabilized, glucose reduced · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)82.4 gper 100 g
- Egg, white, dried · US food database (USDA Foundation Foods)79.9 gper 100 g
- Game meat, Indigenous, moose, dried · Canadian Nutrient File 202679.5 gper 100 g
- Steelhead trout, dried, flesh (Shoshone Bannock) · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)77.3 gper 100 g
- Game meat, Indigenous, narwhal, meat, dried · Canadian Nutrient File 202677 gper 100 g
- Egg, white, dried, flakes, stabilized, glucose reduced · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)76.9 gper 100 g
- Vital wheat gluten · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)75.2 gper 100 g
- Game meat, Indigenous, beluga, meat, dried · Canadian Nutrient File 202672 gper 100 g
- Whale, beluga, meat, dried (Alaska Native) · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)69.9 gper 100 g
- Fish, arctic char, Indigenous, meat and skin, dried · Canadian Nutrient File 202669 gper 100 g
- Fish, whitefish, Indigenous, smoked, dried · Canadian Nutrient File 202667 gper 100 g
- Beverages, ABBOTT, EAS whey protein powder · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)66.7 gper 100 g
- Soy protein concentrate, produced by alcohol extraction · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)63.6 gper 100 g
- Soy protein concentrate, produced by acid wash · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)63.6 gper 100 g
- Fish, cod, Atlantic, dried and salted · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)62.8 gper 100 g
Ranked as eaten. Where a food is also listed in a form people eat, these forms are left out: raw meat, poultry, fish and eggs (their cooked forms are ranked), dry grains and legumes, and frozen vegetables before cooking. Raw oysters stay: they have no other form.
Which 19 are left out?
- raw ground beef
- Beef liver, raw
- Beef steak, top loin, raw
- raw chicken breast
- Chicken thigh, raw
- Chicken liver, raw
- Cod, raw
- raw eggs
- dry lentils
- raw mackerel
- dry rolled oats
- dry pasta
- dry whole-wheat pasta
- frozen peas
- Pork chop, raw
- Pork sausage, raw
- dry quinoa
- raw farmed salmon
- Ground turkey, 93% lean, raw
12 fortified foods are ranked here. Fortifying adds vitamins and minerals, not protein, so what they hold of it is the food’s own; they are left out of the vitamin and mineral rankings: Almond drink, unsweetened, fortified · White bread · White bread, toasted · Breakfast cereal · Pies · Cakes · Cookies · Crackers · Flour tortillas · Oat drink, unsweetened, fortified · Pasta, cooked · Soy drink, unsweetened, fortified
Running low, and too much
Running low
A severe lack of protein shrinks muscle and brings swelling, tiredness and worse infections. In the United States it is rare in children, but one government estimate says up to half of older people in nursing homes don’t get enough protein.
Too much
Health Canada sets no upper level for protein. It adds that having no definitive data does not mean people can tolerate high intakes for years.
Sources: MedlinePlus, Kwashiorkor (2026-01-01); Health Canada, Dietary reference intakes tables: macronutrients (2025-11-19)