High Protein and Low Fat Food

Eat high protein and low fat foods to help you hit your protein goals without overdoing the fat. Learn how to choose the right foods and make simple swaps to get the protein you need!

A woman sitting on a kitchen counter reaching toward a plate of cookies

After coaching hundreds of women, showing them how to change the shape of their body by changing the foods they eat, I’ve found one common pitfall among the vast majority:

When they increase their protein, they increase their fat.

Just to be clear – dietary fat is important. I’m not jumping on the 90’s trend of eating low-fat everything.

Dietary fat is important for hormone production, brain health, satiety, and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins….

But your body only needs so much.

Most Americans eat more fat than they need, and while a large portion comes from processed foods, a large portion comes from protein too.

And when someone is trying to eat foods with high protein for weight loss or fat loss, the biggest hurdle they encounter is trying to hit their protein goals without letting their fat count go through the roof.

Here’s how you can do both: Eat high protein foods without eating high fat.

One of my favorite high protein and low fat foods: A bowl of Greek yogurt topped with berries, with a spoon nearby

FOCUS ON HIGH PROTEIN AND LOW FAT FOODS

High protein and low fat food – aka lean protein – is where you should focus most of the time. Lean meats give you a lot of protein for fewer calories and less fat. That means you can:

Stay fuller
Hit your protein goal easier
Have more room for carbs, fruits, and foods you enjoy
Avoid feeling like you “used all your calories” by lunchtime

Here are a few of the most common lean protein-rich foods:

Animal sources:

Skinless chicken breast
Turkey breast
96-99% lean ground turkey
White fish
Tuna
Shrimp
Egg whites
Fat-free Greek yogurt
Low-fat cottage cheese (and other low-fat dairy)
Lean deli turkey/chicken
Top round steak
Sirloin
Pork tenderloin
Lean beef

Protein waffles ingredients in small bowls: rolled oats, cottage cheese, protein powder, egg whites, with one large egg nearby

Plant-based foods:

These usually come with more carbs or fats attached, but they are still solid:

Tofu
Edamame
Lentils
Beans (black beans, kidney, chickpeas)
Seitan
Tempeh

Protein powder, shakes, and bars can help you reach your daily protein goal too, but they can cause digestion issues. I recommend limiting these low fat protein sources to one serving (one shake OR one scoop OR one bar) per day. They’re called supplements for a reason!

A blueberry cheesecake smoothie in a mason jar with a straw, and a few blueberries scattered nearby

THE EASIEST WAY TO EAT FOODS WITH LOW FAT AND HIGH PROTEIN

The easiest way to follow a high protein fat loss diet is to make simple swaps.

If you try to revamp your entire diet at one time, removing foods that aren’t high protein, you’re going to get overwhelmed and burned out fast. Plus, you’ll miss out on a lot of your favorite foods, and that’s not fun or sustainable.

Instead, try to substitute some higher-fat foods for lower-fat options that still check the box. You’ll hit your grams of protein goals and get all the health benefits of healthy fats.

LOW IN FAT HIGH IN PROTEIN FOODS SWAPS

Instead Of This:	Try This:
Whole large eggs only	1 whole egg + egg whites
80/20 ground beef	96% lean ground beef
Chicken thighs	Chicken breast
Regular sausage	Turkey sausage or chicken sausage
Full-fat Greek yogurt	Fat-free Greek yogurt
Large handfuls of nuts	Measured portions

HIGH PROTEIN FOODS THAT AREN’T ACTUALLY HIGH PROTEIN

As you try to eat more protein without eating more fat, you’ll see that there’s a learning curve. At some point a light bulb is going to go off and you’ll realize that some of the foods you think are high protein are actually high fat.

Here are the most common offenders:

Nuts
Nut butters
Cheese
Sausage
Bacon
Ribeye
Regular ground beef
Salmon
Whole eggs in large amounts
Protein bars with lots of added fats

These foods DO contain protein content. But when you do the math, the majority of their calories come from fat, not protein.

For example, 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter provides approximately 7g of protein, but also 16g of fat. Not quite as much protein as you thought!

THE SECRET STRATEGY: FOODS WITH HIGH PROTEIN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

If you’re counting macros and trying to hit a protein goal, you’ve likely run into this issue: You’ve finished dinner, hit your carb and fat goals, and you’re still way under your protein goal. Now what?

I would never recommend eating a ton more food just to hit the protein goal because at the end of the day, calories are king.

But I would recommend keeping a few low in fat high in protein foods in your back pocket so if you have calories left and you’re still far off from your protein goal, you can close the gap with a few bites.

An egg bite with a bite taken out of it on a plate, with additional plates of egg bites in the background

Easy High Protein With Low Fat Foods:

Egg Bites made with egg whites, lean deli ham, and low-fat cottage cheese
Tuna packed in water
Shrimp, steamed
White fish like tilapia or barramundi
Canadian bacon (it’s already cooked!)

Ideally, you want to space protein out throughout the day, but that will come naturally as you gain more experience tracking.

Until then, have one or two foods with low fat and high protein on hand to help reach your protein goal without increasing your fats, and be sure to include a protein source at every meal and snack.

If you want to continue the DIY route (like I did myself for years), download my free Fat Loss Formula and learn my proven 3-step process for losing your first (or next) 5-10 pounds.

If you’ve “been there, done that” and need accountability and a more hands-on approach, apply for 1:1 coaching. As a board-certified fat loss and nutrition coach, I help women 35+ lose weight – and keep it off – without giving up the foods you love. Apply for coaching here.