Most “high protein food” lists rank by protein per 100 g, which is the wrong measure when the problem is that you cannot finish a plate. What matters on a GLP-1 is protein per mouthful, and how little effort the food takes.

All figures below are approximate label values for ordinary supermarket portions. They will vary by brand and by how something is cooked.

The dense ones

These give the most protein for the least volume, which makes them the most useful when appetite is poor.

  • Chicken breast, 120 g cooked — about 37 g. The highest ratio of anything in common use.
  • Whey powder, 30 g scoop — about 24 g. No cooking, no chewing, no appetite required.
  • Tinned tuna, 95 g drained — about 23 g. Keeps in a cupboard indefinitely.
  • Prawns, 100 g — about 20 g. Light in a way that helps when heavier food is unappealing.
  • Cottage cheese, 200 g — about 22 g. Stirs into other things without changing them much.
  • Greek yoghurt, 170 g pot — about 17 g. Roughly double a standard yoghurt.

The easy ones

Lower density, but almost no barrier to eating them.

  • Two large eggs — about 13 g. Fast, cheap, and tolerable on most days.
  • Milk, 250 ml — about 8 g. Adds up quietly across a day.
  • Cheese, 30 g — about 7 g. Small volume, and it makes other food more appetising.
  • Kefir or drinkable yoghurt, 250 ml — about 8 to 10 g. Liquid protein without powder.

Plant sources

They work. They are generally less dense, so they take more volume for the same protein — which matters more here than usual.

  • Lentils, 200 g cooked — about 18 g.
  • Tofu, firm, 150 g — about 18 g.
  • Tempeh, 100 g — about 19 g. Denser than tofu.
  • Edamame, 150 g — about 16 g.
  • Soy or pea protein powder, 30 g — about 22 g.

Individual plant proteins are less complete in amino acid profile than animal ones. At the intakes discussed here, eating a range across the day handles it, and blended powders are formulated for it. It is a real consideration, not a large one.

What to build a day out of

A rough shape that reaches about 120 g without any meal being large:

  • Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with a scoop of powder stirred in — 41 g
  • Lunch: tinned tuna with something — 23 g
  • Dinner: chicken breast — 37 g
  • Through the day: milk in drinks, a little cheese — 15 g

That is a target in the region of someone around 85 kg. Yours will differ — the protein calculator will give you the number and a worked example for your own weight, and there is a printable one-pager if you want it on the fridge.

Two practical notes

Cooked weights. Meat loses roughly a quarter of its weight cooking, and protein figures are usually quoted for one or the other. The numbers above are cooked. Getting this wrong in either direction is the most common source of error when people count.

Eat the protein first. Fullness arrives early. Whatever is left when it does will not be eaten, so make sure it is not the protein.