Agnes Green, CN: Protein content of foods: an easy reference to how much protein you should eat for good health.

Our daily requirement of protein in grams (per the National Research Council):
Your weight divided by 14=ounces of protein needed per day.
Example: If you weigh 140 lbs (140 divided by 14=10), you need 10 ounces of protein daily.
Below is a reference table of approximate ounces of protein required per lb. of body weight.

Your Weight in lbs	Protein in ounces
100	7.25
110	7.75
120	8.5
130	9.25
140	10

How much food should I eat to get the protein I need?
Meat is labeled when you buy it, e.g. if 1 package of 4 pieces of chicken breast is 1lb (16 ounces), then each breast is roughly 4 ounces. Good sources of protein are chicken, turkey, quail, pheasant, duck and goose, fish, seafood, pork, beef, buffalo and venison. Make sure your meat is from good sources, organic, free range, grass fed or wild; fish should be wild caught rather than farmed. Other good sources of protein include nuts, seeds and nut butters. Also peas, beans and certain grains. A few fruits and vegetables also contain protein. Please refer to the specific tables for the protein content of foods.

Protein content of foods

Because of conversion from grams to ounces, these amounts are rounded up or down to the nearest quantity that makes sense.

QUANTITY

PROTEIN SOURCE

OUNCE OF
PROTEIN

DAIRY & SUBSTITUTE
1	Egg	1
1 cup	Milk	1
1 cup	Yogurt	1-1.5
1 cup	Rice milk	1
1 cup	Soy milk	1
1 cup	Cheese, cottage	4.5
1 oz	Cheese, mozzarella	1
2 tbsp	Cheese, Parmesan	1
1 oz	Cheese, blue	1
1 oz	Cheese, cheddar	1
2 oz	Cheese, feta	1
1 oz	Cheese, muenster	1
3 oz	Cheese, cream	1
1 oz	Cheese, American	1

NUTS, NUT BUTTERS & SEEDS
¼ cup	Almonds	1
¼ cup	Peanuts	1
¼ cup	Pumpkin seeds	1
¼ cup	Sesame seeds	1
¼ cup	Sunflower seeds	1
½ cup	Brazil nuts	1.5
½ cup	Cashews	1
½ cup	Filberts (Hazelnuts)	1
½ cup	Flax seeds	1
¼ cup	Pistachios	1
½ cup	Walnuts	1.5
2 Tbsp	Almond butter	1
2 Tbsp	Peanut butter	1
2 Tbsp	Sesame tahini	1
6 Tbsp	Cashew nut butter	1.5

BEANS & PEAS
1 cup	Adzuki	2.5
1 cup	Anasazi	2
1 cup	Black Beans	2
1 cup	Black-eyed Peas	2
1 cup	Cannellini (White Beans)	2.5
1 cup	Cranberry Bean	2.5
1 cup	Fava Beans	2
1 cup	Garbanzos (Chick Peas)	2
1 cup	Great Northern Beans	2.5
1 cup	Green Peas, whole	1
1 cup	Kidney Beans	2
1 cup	Lentils	2.5
1 cup	Lima Beans	2
1 cup	Mung Beans	2
1 cup	Navy Beans	2
1 cup	Pink Beans	2
1 cup	Pinto Beans	2
1 cup	Soybeans	4
1 cup	Split Peas	2.25
3 oz	Tofu	1
4 oz	Tempeh	2-3
¼ cup	TVP	1.5-2

GRAINS
¼ cup	Amaranth	1
½ cup	Barley, pearled	1
½ cup	Barley, flakes	1
½ cup	Buckwheat groats	1.5
½ cup	Cornmeal	1
½ cup	Millet	2
¼ cup	Oat	1
½ cup	Quinoa	1.5
¾ cup	Rice, brown	2
½ cup	Rice, white	1
¼ cup	Rice, wild	1
¼ cup	Rye	1
¾ cup	Spelt	2
¼ cup	Teff	1
¼ cup	Triticale	3.5
¼ cup	Wheat, whole	1
¼ cup	Couscous, whole	1
¾ cup	Wheat, bulgur	2

FRUITS & VEGETABLES
2	Artichokes	1
3	Corn	2
1 cup	Green peas	1
1 large	Potato	0.75
2	Avocado	1
1	Cherimoya	1

Common sense living • Common sense eating • Common sense water Essential proteins • Protein content of foods • Essential fats
Carbs and sugars • Digestive sense

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