Following the article about the potential benefits and side effects of whey protein, you may be wondering what are some whole foods high in protein that do not contain milk. In this article, I’ve picked fifty of them from USDA’s National Nutrient Database so that you can use the tables below as a quick reference. While you may find many foods familiar, you might be surprised to find some hidden jewels in this list.

But before we look at the high protein foods list, it’s useful to first debunk some deep-rooted myths about proteins:

Animal vs Plant Proteins

Traditionally, animal proteins have always been considered more superior than plant proteins. This led to the unfortunate and persistent thinking that we must consume animal flesh, fish or eggs to prevent protein deficiency. But study has found this to be untrue. Vegetarians aren’t in any way more protein-starved than their meat-eating counterparts.

According to a paper published in 2002, John McDougall, MD, concluded that “it is impossible to design an amino acid–deficient diet based on the amounts of unprocessed starches and vegetables sufficient to meet the calorie needs of humans.”

Of course, the emphasis here are unprocessed foods and eating enough to meet your caloric needs. If you’re a vegetarian who eats predominantly highly refined foods and is half-starving most of the time, it’s possible to end up lacking not just in proteins but also other nutrients.

Some people may argue that animal sources of proteins give us essential amino acids that can’t be found in plants.

As illustrated by Dr. McDougall’s study, this, again, is not true. Furthermore, the distinction between essential and non-essential amino acids is also increasingly blurred as more discoveries are made about proteins . As it turns out, we now know that under certain circumstances we can also become deficient in the so-called non-essential amino acids in the same way we can become deficient in essential amino acids.

For instance, people with malabsorption syndromes, certain metabolic disease, or lacking in vitamin B6, may not produce enough non-essential amino acids such as cysteine to meet their bodily requirements.

Now that we’ve cleared the air about proteins, let’s look at some non-dairy, whole foods that are high in protein!

Protein from Meats & Eggs

This table shouldn’t come as a surprise. Chicken, duck, turkey, beef, lamb and pork are all food rich in protein.

Protein from Seafood

Seafood is not just a rich source of protein, they also contain anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. If you’re not allergic to sea creatures, don’t miss them out!

Protein from Plants

Beans and tofu are plant foods that are high in protein. If you’re sensitive to beans, you may find fermented beans like tempeh and natto more tolerable, and they are also equally rich in protein.

Notes:

* The tables only list the protein content of each food, and not the amounts of fats, cholesterol and other nutritional values. If you need the complete nutritional profile of a particular food, please refer to USDA’s database.

* Unfortunately, USDA’s database has very limited data on organic food stuff, which is why you don’t find many organic items in this high protein foods list. Nevertheless, if you can help it, choose organic version of the food listed here from your local farmers’ market to reduce your exposure to residual pesticides, drugs and chemicals, and support the farmers in your area.

* Protein content is measured in grams. All foods are cooked unless otherwise stated.

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