High-protein, low-carbohydrate foods can be broken down into four main categories---fish, meat, poultry and cheese. Proteins and carbohydrates both have four calories per gram, but whether you should eat foods with more or less proteins and carbohydrates has become a controversial topic. For decades, health experts almost unanimously recommended eating fewer high-protein, high-fat foods, but best-selling author Dr. Robert Atkins' advice to eat high-protein, low-carbohydrate foods has been accepted by millions of Americans.
Fish
According to "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease," several kinds of fish have far more protein than most meats, poultry and cheeses. Tuna fish in water has 51.5 g of protein per serving; tuna in oil 46.1. Neither has any carbohydrates. Several kinds of shellfish are very high in protein and low in carbohydrates, including shrimp (31 g of protein, 0.8 g of carbs per serving), crab (27.8, 1.8), lobster (27.1, 0.4) and clams (25.3, 3). Flounder, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel, salmon, scallops and snapper have zero carbohydrates and are still considered high-protein foods with fewer than 10 g per serving.
Beef
Beef is considered a poor food choice by many nutritionists, because it is often high in fat, but "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution" concludes that carbohydrates, not fat, trigger weight gain. Kidney beef has 46.2 g of protein, 16.8 g of fat and 1.1 g of carbohydrates per serving. Other high-protein, low-carbohydrate beefs include flank and lean round (8.9 g of protein, 0 carbs per serving); chuck, filet Mignon and New York strip (8.5, 0); club and lean rib-eye roast (8.1, 0); ground chuck (7.7, 0); hamburger, steak and pot roast (7.4, 0); and brisket and rib roast (6.5, 0).
Other meats
"Essentials for Health and Wellness" and Ornish recommend you get your protein from beans rather than meat; however, Atkins suggests meats over beans because they are much lower in carbohydrates. Sausage is one of the best high-protein, low-carbohydrate choices with 11.9 g of protein and 0.9 g of carbs per serving. Other high-protein, low-carb meats include ham (8.4, 0), lamb and veal cutlet (8.2, 0), Canadian bacon (7.7, 0), spare ribs (5.9, 0), liver (5.7, 0) and salami (5, 0.4).
Poultry
"The New Pritikin Program" recommends fish over poultry in the "high-protein category" because fish-eaters have a lower risk of heart disease. Chicken gizzard is the poultry with the most protein at 39 g per serving. Other high-protein, low-carbohydrate poultry includes light-meat chicken with no skin (9.2, 0), all chicken with skin (7.7, 0), chicken liver (6.6, 0.2), duck (6.1, 0), pheasant (6.7, 0), quail (7.2, 0), light-meat turkey with no skin (9.3, 0) and all turkey with skin (9, 0).
Cheese
Atkins and Pritikin both recommend cutting back on cheeses, but for different reasons. Atkins advises aginst them because they "do contain some carbohydrates" and Pritikin because they're high in fat. Many cheeses are high in protein and low in carbohydrates, including American (6.3 g, 0.5 g), cheddar (7.1, 0.4), Colby (6.7, 0.4), mozzarella (7.8, 0.9), Muenster (6.6, 0.3), provolone (7.3, 0.6), Roquefort (6.1, 0.6) and Swiss (7, 0.6).
References
- "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease;" Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution;" Dr. Robert Atkins; 2002
- "Essentials for Health and Wellness;" Gordon Edlin, Eric Golanty, Kelli McCormack Brown; 2000
- "The New Pritikin Program;" Robert Pritikin; 1990
Member Comments