List of High Protein Foods

Proteins are an essential part of almost all activities that take place in our body. The common example is the enzymes found in the saliva, stomach and small intestine. These enzymes help in the digestion of food consumed by us. Our hair and nails are formed by certain proteins known as alpha-keratin. Every part of the body requires oxygen to be supplied to perform different activities. This job is carried out by the hemoglobin protein that carries oxygen in the blood. All muscular activities are ensured by muscle proteins known as actin and myosin. Proteins are a part of the body's immune system in the form of antibodies that protect us from bacteria and viruses. Proteins (ion channel proteins) play a significant role in regulating brain signals and in cellular construction in the body, as well.

Thus, we can see that proteins do play a major role, and high protein diet helps to keep our body fit and in proper shape. The below list will help you inculcate the right kind of proteins in your daily diet.

List of Foods High In Protein

Grains

• Buckwheat flour, whole-groat
• Buckwheat groats, roasted, cooked
• Cornmeal, degermed, enriched, yellow
• Cornmeal, whole-grain, yellow
• Oatmeal, rough cut
• Oat bran, raw
• Popcorn, dry
• Pancake, whole wheat
• Rice, brown, cooked
• Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, enriched
• Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached
• Wheat flour, whole-grain
• Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched
• Whole wheat bread rye bread

Beans

• Beans, navy, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt
• Beans, baked, canned, with pork and sweet sauce
• Black beans
• Beans, Cowpeas (Blackeyes), immature seeds, boiled, without salt
• Beans, Kidney beans, red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt
• Beans, white, mature seeds, canned
• Beans, baked, canned, with franks
• Garbanzo (chickpeas)
• Lentil beans
• Lima beans
• Navy beans
• Soybeans, green, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
• Soybeans (edamame)
• Tofu

Dairy Foods

• Cheddar cheese
• Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk
• Cream cheese
• Cheese sauce, prepared from recipe
• Cottage cheese, non fat or low-fat
• Egg
• Egg whites
• Milk, low-fat
• Mozzarella cheese
• Muenster cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Ricotta cheese

Fish

• Anchovies, in water
• Cod fillets (baked)
• Fish, salmon, sockeye, cooked, dry heat
• Fish, rockfish, Pacific, mixed species, cooked, dry heat
• Fish, halibut, Atlantic and Pacific, cooked, dry heat
• Haddock
• Mackerel
• Pollock, Atlantic, cooked, dry heat
• Swordfish
• Tuna, tongol
• Shrimp, mixed species, cooked, moist heat

Poultry Foods and Beef Products

• Chicken breast
• Chicken, broilers, fryers, breast, meat and skin
• Chicken thigh
• Chicken wing
• Chicken, canned, meat only, with broth
• Drumstick
• Roast chicken
• Turkey, light meat, no skin
• Turkey, dark meat, no skin
• Beef product high in protein
• Beef, chuck, blade roast, separable lean only
• Hamburger patty
• Roast beef
• Round steak
• Steak

Fruits and Vegetables

• Brazil nut
• Peach
• Coconut
• Date
• Avocado
• Dried apricots and prunes
• Papaya
• Watermelon
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Beets
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Dandeliongreens
• Endive
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Pumpkin
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Squash
• Sweet potato
• Tomatoes

The above high protein foods list includes all types of food sources that make up for a healthy diet. However, a balanced diet includes proper proportions of not only protein, but vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and minimal but required quantity of fat as well. As a summary to what has been mentioned at the beginning of this article, it can be said that protein is required for the growth/repair of hair, eyes, bones and muscles and construction of antibodies and cells. It is also required for maintaining metabolism and digestion, etc. It's an obvious fact of the impossibility to include all what has been mentioned in the above list. However, even if some of these foods with high protein, are combined with other foods rich in vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates, it will definitely yield positive and healthy results in life.