What does 20 grams of protein look like

Where can you get your protein?

People who aren’t used to read food labels usually have no idea how many grams of protein they’re getting. The following list of foods can help eyeball protein portions. Building every meal around a portion of at least 20 g of protein is good place to start.

20 grams of protein =

	21 grams or .75 ounces of protein powder  (whey isolate) 83 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.2 g carbs, 0.2 g sugar, 0.2 fat			182 grams or 6.4 ounces  egg whites (5 egg whites) 94 kcal, 20 g protein, 1.3 g carbs, 1.3 g sugar, 0.3 g fat
	80 grams or 2.8 ounces canned tuna (packed in water) 84 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.0 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 0.4 fat			80 grams or 2.8 ounces  turkey 88 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.0 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 0.8 g fat
	118 grams or 4.2 ounces  scallops 91 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.7 g carbs, 0.4 g sugar, 0.8 g fat			87 grams or 3.0 ounces  chicken breast 91 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.0 carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 1.3 g fat
	75 grams or 2.6 ounces  shrimps 99 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.9 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 1.7 g fat			143 grams or 5.0 ounces  codfish 101 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.4 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar,  2.1 g fat
	76 grams or 2.7 ounces  seitan 110 kcal, 20 g protein, 6.1 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 0.6 g fat (Seitan is a vegetarian meat-substitute made from gluten, the main protein of wheat.)			194 grams or 6.8 ounces  fat-free Greek yogurt 111 kcal, 20 g protein, 7.8 g carbs, 7.8 sugar, 0.0 fat
	33 grams or 1.2 ounces  spirulina 123 kcal, 20 g protein, 6.3 g carbs, 0.0 sugar, 2.0 fat Spirulina is a kind of sea weed rich in protein. However, eating 33 grams of spirulina powder in one go is too much and above the recommended serving size.			125 grams or 4.4 ounces  ham 125 kcal, 20 g protein, 2.5 g carbs, 2.5 g sugar, 3.8 g fat (but careful: high in sodium)
	138 grams or 4.8 ounces  Quorn – meat substitute made of mycoprotein (mushroom protein) 130 kcal, 20 g protein, 6.2 g carbs, 0.8 g sugar, 2.8 g fat			105 grams or 3.7 ounces  lean beef 131 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.8 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 5.3 g fat
	182 grams or 6.4 ounces  mussels 131 kcal, 20 g protein, 4.5 g carbs, 0.9 g sugar, 3.6 g fat			400 grams or 14.1 ounces  fat-free yogurt 144 kcal, 20 g protein, 16 g carbs, 16 g sugar, 0 g fat NB: although fat-free yogurt contain protein, it is not a good food to rely on for your protein intake if you’re looking to lose weight as you’re also getting 16 g of milk sugar (lactose) along with the 20 g of protein.
	179 grams or 6.3 ounces  cottage cheese 159 kcal, 20 g protein, 4.1 carbs, 4.1 sugar, 7 g fat			88 grams or 3.1 ounces  sardines 174 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.1 carbs, 0.0 sugar, 10.4 g fat
	667 grams or 23.5 ounces  mushrooms (uncooked) (I put the cooked mushrooms in the picture because the 667 g of raw mushrooms were taking too much volume for the plate) 180 kcal, 20 g protein, 20 g carbs, 10 g sugar, 2 g fat			167 grams or 5.9 ounces  tofu 192 kcal, 20 g protein, 1.7 g carbs, 0.7 g sugar, 11.7 g fat
	121 grams or 4.3 ounces  feta cheese(10% fat) 194 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.1 g carbs, 0.1 g sugar, 12.5 g fat (but careful: high in sodium)			105 grams or 3.7 ounces  ground beef 196 kcal, 20 g protein, 0.5 g carbs, 0.4 g sugar, 12.6 g fat
	185 grams or 6.2 ounces  edamame(soy beans) 204 kcal, 20 g protein, 4.4 g carbs, 1.9 g sugar, 11.9 g fat			103 grams or 3.6 ounces  tempeh(fermented soy product) 207 kcal, 20 g protein, 13.3 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 8.2 g fat
	159 grams or 5.6 ounces  eggs (3 whole eggs) 225 kcal, 20 g protein, 1.1 g carbs, 1.1 g sugar, 15.7 g fat			235 grams or 8.3 ounces  lentils 228 kcal, 20 g protein, 33.2 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 1.6 g fat
	250 grams or 8.8 ounces  red kidney beans 240 kcal, 20 g protein, 37.5 g carbs, 1.3 g sugar, 1.3 g fat			105 grams or 3.7 ounces  salmon 245 kcal, 20 g protein, 1.1 g carbs, 1.1 g sugar, 17.9 g fat
	313 grams or 11.0 ounces  chickpeas 325 kcal, 20 g protein, 45.9 g carbs, 0.0 g sugar, 6.9 g fat			222 grams or 7.8 ounces  surimi 278 kcal, 20 g protein, 26.7 g carbs, 10 g sugar, 10 g fat Surimi is fish-based food product. It is a processed food and not the healthiest choice, but it is a cheap source of protein.

Notes:

■ The fork on the pictures is just meant to give you an idea of the size of the foods. Many foods are raw / uncooked on the pictures because the nutrition facts I found on the foods’ packages were mostly based on the uncooked weight of these foods.

■ The 8 first foods on the list (protein powder, egg whites, canned tuna, turkey, chicken breast, white fish and seafood like scallops or shrimps) are the best sources of protein for weight loss as they provide the “leanest” sources of protein with the fewest carbs and calories. However, other foods at the end of the list (like salmon or chickpeas for example) can be very beneficial too as they provide combinations of protein with other macronutrients (fats or carbs) making you feel even fuller.

■ I didn’t put any foods like nuts, nut butters, quinoa or falafels in the list. Although these foods contain protein, the amount of calories you’d have to eat to get to 20 grams of protein from these foods alone is very high. For example, you’d have to eat 5 tablespoons of peanut butter (470 kcal) to get 20 grams of protein.