Food comparison tool
Select a food for an immediate visual breakdown of its macros and protein calorie share. Add price details only when you want to compare protein cost.
Food nutrition
Suggestions appear as you type. Select a food and the visual analysis updates immediately. Price comparison stays optional.
USDA database
Start typing to see USDA suggestions.
Manual option
These fields fill automatically after a USDA selection. Edit them when the package in your hand has newer values.
Optional for manual entries.
Optional for manual entries.
Start typing a food and choose a suggestion, or enter calories and protein from a label.
Method
Protein calorie percentage = protein grams x 4 / calories x 100
Practical context
Compare how much of a food's energy comes from protein, what a serving costs per gram of protein, and how efficiently it can fill the protein remaining in your day. Search USDA FoodData Central or enter label values manually.
This calculator defines protein percentage as the share of calories supplied by protein. Protein provides about four calories per gram, so the formula is protein grams x 4 / total calories x 100.
This is not the physical percentage of a meat cut that is protein and it is not the percentage of the product's weight. It is a calorie-share measure that helps compare foods with very different serving sizes.
A food with 25 grams of protein and 200 calories supplies about 100 protein calories. One hundred divided by 200 equals 50 percent, so half of that serving's energy comes from protein.
The percentage does not decide whether a food is good or bad. Foods also supply carbohydrate, fat, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and enjoyment. Use the measure for a specific planning question.
The rolling calculation asks how protein-dense the rest of your food needs to be. If your daily goal is 165 grams at 2,000 calories and you already ate 65 grams in 260 calories, you have 100 grams of protein and 1,740 calories remaining.
Those 100 grams contain 400 protein calories. Four hundred divided by 1,740 is about 23 percent. The remaining diet would therefore need to average about 23 percent of calories from protein to reach both targets.
USDA FoodData Central can provide calories and protein for a selected food. Check the portion basis because database foods may report values per 100 grams, per item, or per labeled serving. The selected amount needs to match the price comparison you enter.
Manual entry is often fastest for a packaged food in front of you. Copy calories and protein from the same Nutrition Facts serving. Do not combine calories for one portion with protein for another.
Cost per gram of protein divides serving price by protein grams. Cost per 25 grams converts that result into a more familiar protein-sized portion. These measures can reveal that a cheap package is not always a cheap protein source.
Compare edible portions and prepared foods consistently. A raw product that loses water in cooking, a drained canned food, and a ready-to-eat serving may use different database bases. Convenience, waste, storage, and preparation time can also matter to real cost.
A high percentage is useful when calories are tight or the rest of the day is already low in protein. A lower percentage can still fit easily when total calories are ample or the food provides other nutrients you need.
The best comparison depends on the job. Use calorie share for protein density, cost measures for budget, and the daily protein calculator for the target itself.
Questions people ask
