What it takes to eat 35 g of protein

Protein claims are usually made per 100 g, which flatters whatever is driest. This table does the opposite: every food is scaled to the same 35 g of protein, so the only things that differ are how much you have to eat, what it costs you in energy, and what else comes with it.

The two bars in the last column are set outside this business — the leucine zone from the research, and the fibre threshold Australian food law requires before anything may be called a good source. Clearing one is common. Clearing both, without the energy running away, is not.

High protein shouldn't mean low fibre — or higher calories

Matched at the same 35 g of protein — one serve — because a protein-first diet is exactly where fibre quietly disappears.

Food	Amount needed	Energy	Leucine	Fibre	Both
Animal proteins
Chicken breast, lean, grilled	101 g	160 kcal	2.7 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Beef rump, lean, grilled	109 g	186 kcal	2.7 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Tuna, canned in water, drained	141 g	175 kcal	2.5 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Salmon, red, canned, drained	143 g	211 kcal	2.4 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Cottage cheese	206 g	274 kcal	3.3 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Egg, whole, hard-boiled	282 g	384 kcal	3.2 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Egg white, cooked	302 g	148 kcal	3.2 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Prawns, steamed	148 g	155 kcal	2.4 g	0 g	does not clear both bars
Cheddar, reduced fat	125 g	406 kcal	3.2 g	0 g	does not clear both bars

Food	Amount needed	Energy	Leucine	Fibre	Both
Plant proteins
Tofu, firm	273 g	355 kcal	2.8 g	2.7 g	does not clear both bars
Black beans, boiled	398 g	557 kcal	2.9 g	34.6 g	clears both bars
Lentils, cooked	479 g	441 kcal	2.7 g	19.7 g	clears both bars
Chickpeas, boiled	486 g	578 kcal	2.9 g	36.9 g	clears both bars
Quinoa, cooked	972 g	1001 kcal	2.6 g	33.1 g	clears both bars
Edamame, canned	302 g	407 kcal	2.9 g	16.9 g	clears both bars
Supplements
Whey protein powder (>70% protein)	41 g	154 kcal	2.8 g	0.7 g	does not clear both bars
PWR BALLS® — under 300 calories
PWR Balls® Chicken	130 g	290 kcal	2.6 g	5.7 g	clears both bars
PWR Balls® Beef	135 g	298 kcal	2.6 g	6.2 g	clears both bars

Leucine zone: 2.5–3.0 g. At 35 g of protein 16 of 18 foods reach it; at 30 g only 7 do — which is why a serve is 35 g. Leucine no longer separates them: 7 rows clear both bars, and energy is where they part.

Every leucine figure here is Estimated from measured protein, except tuna, egg white and lentils, which AUSNUT measures directly.

Comparison amounts, not serve sizes. The PWR BALLS® figure happens to land within a gram of a real serve (130–136 g depending on flavour and format); every other row is a quantity, not a serving suggestion.

7 of 18 foods listed here clear both bars: 2.5 g of leucine and the 4 g of fibre Schedule 4 requires for "good source". 5 are legumes or grains, costing 302–972 g and 407–1001 calories. PWR Balls® clear both in 130–135 g and 290–298 calories — one serve. No row wins everything: chickpeas carry six times the fibre, chicken breast reaches the protein in less weight. But closing all three at once otherwise takes more than one food.

Comparison foods come from AUSNUT 2023 and the Australian Food Composition Database, scaled to the same protein so the comparison is like for like, and shown in the form they are eaten in — boiled or cooked, not dry. Leucine is estimated from protein except where the database publishes a measured value, which is marked; measured amino acids are available for only a small share of foods.

Why leucine decides it →The threshold, the research behind it, and the assay — in full.

Work it out for your own day

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