Proteins Tier List

The iron king of this list at 18mg per 100g.

The most nutrient-dense food on this list, and it isn't close.

Cheaper than beef liver and even richer in iron and folate.

The leanest bird here — beats chicken breast on paper.

The lean steakhouse cut — big flavor, reasonable fat.

Dark meat done right — iron and zinc run higher than breast at a lower price.

A selenium monster — one serving covers multiple days.

The default. Boring, cheap, effective.

The 'other white meat' that actually delivers — a thiamin standout.

Beef's leaner, wilder cousin — 30g protein at 158 calories.

Tastes like steak, priced like offal. The gateway organ.

Absurdly lean — the lowest-fat mammal protein on this list.

The slow-cooked staple — solid protein with modest micronutrients when trimmed lean.

Tenderloin's fattier sibling.

The weeknight workhorse.

Marbling tastes great and scores terribly. Worth it anyway — occasionally.

Lean game meat — one of the lowest-fat red meats you'll find.

Dark-meat economy — cheaper than breast, slightly richer in iron and zinc.

The meal-prep staple.

Beef's leaner cousin — same playbook, less fat.

A zinc and B12 heavyweight in a fatty package.

Breast's tastier, fattier sibling — more iron and zinc per bite.

The purest protein-per-calorie on this list. Also the most processed.

Red-meat nutrition with a slightly friendlier fat profile than beef.

Red-meat iron levels in a bird.

Best of the plant powders — still a step down from whey on protein quality.

The workhorse legume — fiber and folate lead, protein holds up.

The highest measured DIAAS of the common beans — lysine-rich protein.

Folate and fiber for pennies. Protein quality is the weak link.

Fat-first calories — 53g fat against 9g protein per 100g; this is flavor, not fuel.

Magnesium and fiber carry this one.

A fat that markets itself as protein. The niacin is real, though.

Hummus's resume looks better than its macros.

'Complete protein,' technically. 4.4g per 100g, practically.