What Are Considered Lean Protein Foods?

Protein is important for growth and development in your body. It gives your body energy and it is necessary to make hormones, antibodies, enzymes and tissues, according to the Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Protein comes in two types, complete proteins found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese and milk, and incomplete proteins found in grains, legumes and green leafy vegetables. Any of these can be a lean protein food if you choose correctly.

Lean Meat

One of the best protein choices is lean beef. The amount of fat in beef varies depending on the marbling, white particles that occur throughout the meat. The Mayo Clinic recommends that you choose beef with the least marbling to cut down on fat. This includes round cuts, lean cuts and lean or extra lean ground beef. Ensure that you check the grade of beef you are buying to make the leanest choice. Prime meat has the most fat. Choice is the middle grade of beef. Select has the lowest fat and fewer calories than Choice.

If you prefer to cook chicken as a lean protein, the best choice is white meat with the skin and fat trimmed off. Or, choose seafood as a lean meat instead of beef.

Vegetable Protein

Lean vegetable protein comes from nuts, cereals, beans, peas and lentils. Nuts have vitamins, minerals and oil as well as protein. Breakfast cereal is a good source of lean vegetable protein because it is usually made with wheat, rice or oats. Other good choices are hummus, a dip made with chickpeas, or dahl, an Indian food made with lentils. Baked beans made with fava, kidney or navy beans are lean, especially if cooked without additional fat. Soybeans are another lean protein food. In Asian countries they are used to make foods like tofu and miso.

Whey Protein

Whey protein is a lean food source with the highest biological value, according to the Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. BV is a measurement that scientists use to determine how much of the amino acid in a protein is absorbed and used in the body. Whey is a complete protein that occurs as a by-product of cheese production. It is popular with body builders and athletes.