High-Protein Grocery List for the Week

Where this list comes from

The list below is generated from the 1,800 kcal high-protein plan, one of the free plans on Mealyno. Each meal in the plan has ingredients, and the list adds them up across the week and groups them by category.

That plan averages 163 g of protein a day, and every day lands within 50 kcal of 1,800. You can read the full menu on the plan page.

How to shop it

Start with the protein and dairy lines, since they set the week. Check what you already have, then pantry items, and buy produce last and as close as possible to the day you cook.

Fresh fish and shrimp are the items to cook first. Frozen versions of the same items keep longer and cost less, so they are a sensible swap when your week is uncertain.

Simple swaps that keep the protein

Swap within a food group and keep the weight the same. Chicken breast and turkey breast are interchangeable, as are Greek yogurt, skyr and cottage cheese. Rice, quinoa and potatoes can trade places if the carbohydrate stays similar.

• Vegetarian: replace meat and fish with eggs, tofu, tempeh, lentils and extra dairy. The free plan library has vegetarian and vegan plans with their own lists.
• Dairy-free: use soy yogurt or a fortified plant milk, and check the protein on the label.
• Tight budget: dried beans, lentils, eggs, frozen fish and canned tuna carry a lot of protein per unit of money.

Making the list last past week one

Keep the list, tick off what you used, and repeat the same plan the next week if it worked. Familiar lists make shopping faster, and repeated meals make prep easier.

If your calorie or protein target is different, pick the nearest plan and use the calculators to check the numbers. The protein calculator shows a published range for your weight.

Category by category

The protein group is the anchor: chicken breast and thighs, salmon, white fish, shrimp, pork loin, steak, lean ground beef, deli turkey, turkey bacon, canned tuna, and 24 eggs. That looks like a lot, and it is, because each of the seven days has four meals and most carry a serving of one of these.

Dairy is Greek yogurt at 1.5 kg and cottage cheese at 700 g. Produce leans on greens and vegetables that roast or steam well: spinach and mixed greens, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and root vegetables, plus berries and pineapple for breakfast and snacks.

The pantry holds the carbohydrates and convenience items: oats, quinoa, brown rice, bread, wraps, rice cakes, peanut butter, hummus, protein bars, jerky, nuts, honey and a tub of whey protein.

Reading the quantities

Quantities are totals for the week. If a line says 1.2 kg of chicken breast, that is the raw weight to buy, and it will cook down. Where a unit is a count (24 eggs, 3 cans), buy the whole count even if the store sells a different pack size.

A store rarely sells exactly the number on a list. Round up for the items that keep, such as grains and cans, and stay close for the items that do not, such as fish and greens.

Storing the week

Freeze fish, shrimp and half of the chicken on the day you buy them, and thaw as you need them. Keep yogurt and cottage cheese cold and use the oldest first. Wash and dry greens before storing, and keep asparagus upright in a little water. Cooked portions keep about three to four days in the fridge.

A cheaper version of the same week

Protein does not have to be expensive. The same week works with eggs, canned tuna, frozen fish, dried beans and lentils in place of some of the steak, salmon and shrimp. Swap by weight, and check the protein on the label because plant proteins carry less per gram than meat, fish or dairy.

Buy staples in larger packs. Oats, rice, quinoa and frozen fish are cheaper per gram in bigger bags, and they keep for months.

Who this list is for

It is a sample week for a healthy adult eating around 1,800 kcal a day. It is not a prescription. If you take medication, manage a health condition or have allergies, ask a doctor or a registered dietitian what is right for you, and read labels carefully.