High Protein Low Fat Foods Compared by the Gram

High protein low fat foods include skinless chicken breast, turkey breast, white fish, shrimp, canned tuna, egg whites and nonfat Greek yogurt. A normal serving of each gives 11–27 g of protein and under 3 g of fat. Cooked cod shows how lean they get: 22.83 g of protein and 0.86 g of fat per 100 g, for 105 kcal. Below I rank eleven foods by protein per calorie, show what 30 g of protein costs in eleven more, and flag the foods that look lean and aren’t.

What counts as a high protein low fat food?

It’s a food that gives a lot of protein for few calories, with little of the energy coming from fat. No single label claim covers both, so I use two tests on the portion you’d actually eat. The first is at least 10 g of protein. The second is 3 g of fat or less. That’s the FDA’s limit for a “low fat” label claim, though I apply it to a portion you’d eat and not to the label’s reference amount.

Fat is the densest source of energy in food: the standard factors are 9 kcal per gram of fat and 4 kcal per gram of protein. That’s why the leanest fish and meats below stay under 150 kcal a serving.

To score a food on your own plate, divide its protein grams by its calories and multiply by 100, then compare it with the table. Shrimp scores 24. Lentils score 8. I call that number protein per 100 kcal.

Which high protein low fat foods give the most protein per calorie?

Shrimp leads, with 24.2 g of protein per 100 kcal, then haddock, cod, canned tuna and turkey breast at 20–22 g. I built the table from USDA FoodData Central records. Weights are cooked where the record is cooked, and energy is the specific Atwater value where the record has one. Protein per 100 kcal is my own division.

Food (state)	Portion	Protein	Fat	Energy	Protein per 100 kcal
Shrimp, cooked	85 g (3 oz)	20.4 g	0.2 g	84 kcal	24.2 g
Haddock, cooked, dry heat	85 g (3 oz)	17.0 g	0.5 g	76 kcal	22.2 g
Cod, Atlantic, cooked, dry heat	85 g (3 oz)	19.4 g	0.7 g	89 kcal	21.7 g
Tuna, light, canned in water, drained	107 g (1 can)	20.3 g	1.0 g	96 kcal	21.1 g
Turkey breast, roasted	85 g (3 oz)	25.6 g	1.8 g	125 kcal	20.5 g
Egg white, large	102 g (3 whites)	10.9 g	0.0 g	56 kcal	19.5 g
Chicken breast, braised	85 g (3 oz)	27.3 g	2.8 g	141 kcal	19.3 g
Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat	156 g (1 container)	16.1 g	0.6 g	95 kcal	16.9 g
Cottage cheese, lowfat 2%	110 g (half a cup)	12.1 g	2.5 g	92 kcal	13.1 g
Lentils, boiled, no salt	198 g (1 cup)	17.9 g	0.8 g	230 kcal	7.8 g
Black beans, boiled, no salt	172 g (1 cup)	15.2 g	0.9 g	227 kcal	6.7 g

Fish and shellfish win this column. If calories are your only filter, high protein low calorie foods ranks the same way without the fat test. Chicken breast sits seventh. It carries the most protein per serving and also the most fat in the table, so it suits you if you want the most grams in the fewest bites.

Plant foods sit at the bottom. A cup of boiled lentils has 15.6 g of fiber (7.9 g per 100 g), which no animal food in the table offers. High protein high fiber meals pairs that fiber with a protein anchor. It also costs 230 kcal, nearly three times the shrimp portion, for a little less protein.

Records for the same food can differ. One shrimp entry is cooked with moist heat, and its record notes added moisture-retaining ingredients. Per 100 g it reads 119 kcal and 22.78 g of protein, plus 947 mg of sodium. The plain cooked entry reads 99 kcal and 23.98 g. Match the record to what you bought.

Pick two or three rows you already eat, weigh one portion of each and check the grams against the table.

How much food does 30 g of protein take?

It depends on the food. Braised chicken breast needs 93 g, while boiled black beans need 339 g. I use 30 g as a yardstick for a solid meal. The table shows the cost in food, calories and fat. Four rows fail the 3 g fat test, and chicken sits right on the line.

Food needed for 30 g of protein	Weight	Energy	Fat
Chicken breast, braised	93 g	155 kcal	3.0 g
Turkey breast, roasted	100 g	146 kcal	2.1 g
Cod, cooked	131 g	138 kcal	1.1 g
Shrimp, cooked	125 g	124 kcal	0.4 g
Tuna, light, canned in water	158 g	142 kcal	1.5 g
Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat	291 g	178 kcal	1.1 g
Lentils, boiled	333 g	386 kcal	1.3 g
Beef sirloin, lean only, broiled	99 g	186 kcal	6.5 g
Pork tenderloin, lean only, broiled	99 g	184 kcal	6.2 g
Salmon, chinook, cooked	117 g	269 kcal	15.6 g
Beef, 80% lean, patty, broiled	117 g	315 kcal	20.7 g

The gap that stood out when I ran the numbers was chicken against the ground beef patty. Thirty grams of protein means 93 g of chicken or 117 g of patty. The chicken brings 3.0 g of fat and 155 kcal. The patty brings 20.7 g and 315 kcal. The extra 17.7 g of fat explains nearly all of the 160 kcal difference, because 17.7 × 9 is 159.

Salmon fails the test too. A failed row says only how much fat is in the portion.

Can you reach a day’s protein on low fat foods?

Yes. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 set protein at 1.2–1.6 g per kg of body weight a day, adjusting to calorie needs. For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult that’s 84–112 g, and how much protein to eat a day has the table for other weights. I built a day from the table and added up the grams.

Meal	Food and grams	Protein	Fat	Energy
Breakfast	6 egg whites, 204 g	21.8 g	0.0 g	112 kcal
Lunch	Light tuna in water, 107 g	20.3 g	1.0 g	96 kcal
Snack	Plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 156 g	16.1 g	0.6 g	95 kcal
Dinner	Braised chicken breast, 85 g	27.3 g	2.8 g	141 kcal
Dinner	Boiled lentils, 198 g	17.9 g	0.8 g	230 kcal
Total		103.4 g	about 5 g	674 kcal

That’s 103 g of protein for 674 kcal, inside the range for a 70 kg adult. It covers only the protein side of a day. Six egg whites is a lot, so swap in a second can of tuna if that sounds dull.

For your own daily number, enter your height and weight in the protein calculator.

What are high protein low fat snacks?

A container of plain nonfat Greek yogurt, a can of light tuna or half a cup of 2% cottage cheese. Each gives 12–20 g of protein for under 100 kcal and passes the 3 g fat test. Three large egg whites give 10.9 g of protein for 56 kcal. Whole eggs don’t pass: one large egg has 6.2 g of protein and 5.0 g of fat, so the fat sits in the yolk.

Flavored versions are a different food. The strawberry nonfat Greek yogurt record lists 83 kcal, 8.06 g of protein and 12.2 g of carbohydrate per 100 g. The plain record has 61 kcal, 10.3 g and 3.64 g. A 150 g strawberry container works out to 125 kcal and 12.1 g of protein. The plain 156 g container has 95 kcal and 16.1 g. The Dietary Guidelines cap yogurt snacks at 2.5 g of added sugar per two-thirds cup, so read the label before you buy flavored. When the snack needs to be a drink, high protein shakes compares powders, bottles and yogurt blends.

Which foods look lean but aren’t low fat?

Lean beef and pork, tofu, edamame and chickpeas. Broiled top sirloin, trimmed of all outside fat, holds 6.55 g of fat per 100 g, or 5.6 g in an 85 g portion. Pork tenderloin is close at 5.4 g. A half cup of raw firm tofu (126 g) has 8.72 g of fat per 100 g, which is 11.0 g in the portion. A cup of prepared edamame has 8.1 g, and a cup of boiled chickpeas has 4.2 g. All of them are solid protein sources. They simply don’t pass a 3 g fat test.

A low-fat label doesn’t make a food better. The Dietary Guidelines list full-fat dairy with no added sugars and healthy fats among the foods to include. Take plain Greek yogurt. A 156 g container of the whole-milk record holds 13.7 g of protein, 6.9 g of fat and 147 kcal. The nonfat container has 52 fewer calories and 2.4 g more protein. Whether 6.3 g of fat is worth 52 kcal is a personal call. It depends on what you like and what the rest of your day holds.

The pan can undo the whole choice. One tablespoon of olive oil weighs 13.5 g and holds 119 kcal. Say you fry an 85 g chicken portion in it and all the oil ends up on the plate. A 2.8 g fat portion becomes 16.3 g of fat and 260 kcal. The Guidelines suggest baking, broiling, roasting, stir-frying or grilling in place of deep frying.

If you have kidney disease or you’re pregnant, take your protein target from your doctor. This guide is for adults.

Calsa shows protein and fat next to calories for each entry. It also shows the source and the grams behind every number, so you can check any row above against what you ate.