|
meat
& meat substitutes
Proteins
are the building blocks of the human machine. The fat content
of a particular type of protein may determine whether you
wish to choose that food. Poultry, fish and vegetable proteins
(lean and very lean protein) are the best choices because
they are packed with nutrients and contain little or no
fat.
Don’t forget about vegetable proteins! Gradually introduce
more of these beneficial foods into your diet. (Note that
many vegetable proteins count as carbohydrate units as well.)
If you want to know the protein content of a food and it
isn’t on the list, you can always check the nutrition
facts box on the label. This page lists choices where one
protein unit generally contains 80 to 100 calories.
Very
Lean & Lean Protein
Decent Protein Choices (medium fat protein)
Combination Foods
| Very
Lean & Lean Protein (best choice) |
Portion |
Protein
Units |
Beans
(any kind, cooked)
|
1/2
cup |
1
carb, 1 protein |
Lentils
(cooked)
|
1
cup |
1
carb, 1 protein |
Miso
|
3
tablespoons |
1
carb, 1 protein |
Edamame
(fresh soy beans in the pod – eat only the beans)
|
1/2
cup |
1
carb, 1 protein |
Veggie
or soy burger
|
1
patty (about 3 oz) |
2 |
Tofu
|
1/2
cup (4 oz) |
2 |
Peanut
butter (the fat in peanut butter is the good –
monounsaturated - type)
|
1
tablespoon |
1
protein, 1 good fat |
| Soynut
butter (the fat in soynut butter is the good types –
monounsaturated and omega 3) |
1/2
tablespoon |
1
protein, 1 good fat |
Egg
whites or egg substitutes
|
1
egg white or 1/2 cup egg substitute |
1 |
Cheese
with less than 3 grams of fat per ounce (nonfat or low
fat cheese, low-fat cottage cheese)
|
1/4
cup (1 oz) |
1 |
Poultry,
skinless: Chicken or Turkey
|
1
ounce
1 breast (about 4 oz)
1 drumstick (about 2 oz) |
1
4
2
1 |
Seafood:
Fish, clams, crab, lobster, scallops, imitation crab
(surimi)
Canned tuna (packed in water)
Shrimps |
1 ounce
1/4 cup
6 - 8 medium |
1
2
1 |
Ham
or Canadian bacon
|
1
ounce |
1 |
Very
lean or lean cold cuts (containing less than 3 to 5
grams of fat per ounce)
|
1
ounce |
1 |
Beef
(flank, round, sirloin)
|
1
ounce |
1 |
Game
(skinless duck or pheasant, goose, ostrich, rabbit,
venison, buffalo)
|
1
ounce |
1 |
| Veal
chops or roast |
1
ounce |
1 |
| back
to the top |
| Decent
Protein Choices (medium fat protein) |
Portion |
Units |
| Feta,
mozzarella |
1
oz |
1 |
| Ricotta |
1/4
cup (2 oz) |
1 |
| Whole
Egg |
1 |
1 |
| back
to the top |
| These
common combination foods account for a mix of carbohydrates,
fats and proteins. Refer to the table below for choices. |
| Combination
Foods |
Portion
|
Units |
| Chili |
1
cup |
2
carbs, 1 protein, 3 fats |
| Chinese
Stir Fry |
1
cup |
2
proteins, 1 to 3 fats |
| Hamburger
helper, lasagna, stew |
1
cup |
2
carbs, 1 protein, 2 fats |
| Macaroni
& Cheese |
1
cup |
2
carbs, 1 protein, 2 fats |
| Pizza,
cheese, thin crust |
1/4
of a 10" (5 oz) |
2
carbs, 1 protein, 1 veggie |
| Ravioli
or Spaghetti-O's™ |
1
cup |
2
carbs, 1 protein, 1 veggie |
| Tuna
noodle casserole |
1
cup |
2
carbs, 2 protein, 1 fat |
| back
to the top |
Back
To The Portion Control Table
|
