From athletes to busy moms, the high-protein diet is as popular as ever, and for good reason. Proteins are the building blocks of bones, cartilage, skin, and of course, muscle.
Protein has a variety of benefits, but its association with muscle growth is probably the driving force behind the diet trend. Whether you want to bulk up or get lean, adequate protein consumption is essential to gaining or preserving muscle mass.
Food companies are hopping on the high-protein bandwagon, but we still have a long way to go. You've probably seen trail mix touted as "high protein", but half the bag is filled M&M's (no disrespect to M&M's). My favorite example is the Kodiak Cakes French Toast sticks. They're "protein-packed" with 10g of protein of serving, but each serving is 330 calories.
In other words, caloric intake is just as important as protein intake. Eating 30 bags of Doritos (no disrespect to Doritos) will give you 180g of protein, but it comes with a whopping 12,300 calories. You've heard every fitness guru say it: to lose weight, it's essential to consume fewer calories than you burn.
For a better understanding of protein density, a useful tool (shoutout to FFG Fitness) is the calorie to protein ratio (CTP). The CTP tells you how many calories of that food you need to eat to get a gram of protein. To calculate the CTP, just take the calories in a meal or a serving and divide by the protein in a meal or a serving. Here are some high-protein foods commonly used in cooking and baking and their CTP scores:
- All-Purpose Baking Flour: 110 cal / 3g protein = 36 CTP
- Almond Flour: 180 cal / 6g protein = 30 CTP
- 2% Milk: 120 cal / 8g protein = 15 CTP
- Eggs: 70 cal / 6g protein = 12 CTP
- Nonfat Cottage Cheese: 80 cal / 13g protein = 6 CTP
- Chicken Breast: 120 cal / 24g protein = 5 CTP
- Whey Protein Concentrate:130 cal / 26g protein = 5 CTP
- Elevate Protein Flour: 13g protein/60 calories = 5 CTP
Incorporating low CTP foods in your diet can help you reach your protein goals without consuming excess calories. Thankfully, protein is also the most satiating macronutrient, which means consuming low CTP foods will help you feel fuller for longer. Additionally, protein requires more energy to digest compared to fats and carbohydrates, resulting in higher calorie burn just by eating protein.
So, the question remains, how high is high protein? A good guideline is to aim for foods with a CTP of 10 or lower. Take the calories and divide by 10. If the protein is significantly lower than that number, it's not that high in protein. Barebells protein bars, for example, make the cut. They're 200 calories and 20g protein.
Of course, carbs and fats are delicious, so the challenge is making these low CTP foods actually taste good. That's why I created Elevate, so you can add protein and subtract calories from all the foods you love without sacrificing taste. I can't wait to see all the different creations we can make with it.
-Jess