What Is the Healthiest Protein? A Dietitian Looks Beyond Chicken
I was scrolling through Facebook recently when TODAY informed me that chicken is the healthiest meat.
Link to article here:
And because I’m a dietitian who apparently can’t just scroll past nutrition articles like a normal person, I clicked.
To be fair, chicken is a great choice.
It’s high in protein. It’s relatively low in saturated fat. It’s versatile. And it has been carrying the bodybuilder meal-prep industry on its back for approximately 400 years—>Chicken breast. Rice. Broccoli —>Repeat until morale improves.
But when I see any food called “the healthiest,” my dietitian brain immediately gets a little twitchy.
Because healthiest based on…what?
Protein?
Calories?
Saturated fat?
Micronutrients?
Cardiovascular outcomes?
Fiber?
Cost?
The point is that nutrition gets complicated pretty quickly when we try to crown one food the winner.
So instead of asking:
What is the healthiest meat?
I think there’s a much better question:
What are some of the healthiest protein sources—and what does each one bring to the table?
Because protein isn’t the whole story.
First: Chicken Is Actually Really Good
I don’t want this to become Chicken Slander: The Blog.
Chicken breast deserves its reputation as an excellent protein source.
A typical serving gives you a substantial amount of complete, highly bioavailable protein while remaining relatively low in calories and saturated fat. Chicken also provides nutrients including niacin, vitamin B6, selenium, and phosphorus.
If your goal is maximizing protein while keeping calories relatively low?
Chicken breast is hard to beat.
There’s a reason it’s everywhere in the fitness world.
Nobody finishes a hard workout and posts a picture of their celebratory bowl of lentils with the caption:
GAINS. Although maybe we should start….. in fact please do that and tag Chasing Your Health!
But here’s the problem: Protein is one nutrient.
And foods aren’t nutrients. Foods are packages.
Once we start looking at the entire package instead of just grams of protein, chicken suddenly has some competition.
If I Had to Pick an Animal Protein Winner…
I’m giving the trophy to fatty fish.
Specifically foods like salmon, sardines, trout, and herring.
Fatty fish gives us the complete, high-quality protein we expect from animal foods.
But then it adds something chicken doesn’t have much of: EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids.
Fatty fish can also provide vitamin B12, selenium, vitamin D, and other nutrients while remaining relatively low in saturated fat.
And importantly, we don’t just have a nice-looking Nutrition Facts panel —> We have outcomes research.
The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish per week, particularly fatty fish. Research on seafood consumption supports cardiovascular benefits, particularly when seafood replaces less favorable protein choices.
So if you cornered me at a party and demanded that I name the healthiest animal protein—which would be a very strange party—
🐟 I’m picking fatty fish.
Chicken can have second place. It’ll be fine.
Sardines: Nutritional Overachievers With a Marketing Problem
We need to talk about sardines.
From a nutrient-density perspective, sardines are kind of ridiculous.
They provide protein, EPA and DHA, vitamin B12, selenium, vitamin D, and—if you’re eating the bones—calcium.
Because apparently sardines looked at a multivitamin and said: Hold my beer.
They’re also small fish, which generally means less mercury accumulation than larger predatory fish.
The downside? —>They’re sardines.
I can give you the research. I cannot make you want them. I can’t even make myself want them!
Don’t Sleep on Shellfish
Oysters and mussels also deserve some attention (My wife and MIL are very happy about this).
Depending on the species, shellfish can provide impressive amounts of B12, iron, zinc, selenium, copper, and iodine along with high-quality protein.
If our contest were purely based on micronutrients per calorie, some shellfish would absolutely be fighting for the championship belt.
And Yes, Bison Deserves a Mention 🦬
Apparently I can’t talk about healthy meat without someone from the Great Plains yelling:
“WHAT ABOUT BISON?”
Fair. Bison is an excellent source of complete protein and brings plenty of iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin B12 to the table. It’s also generally a relatively lean red meat.
If we’re judging on lean protein + micronutrient density, bison is a legitimate contender.
The catch is that we have far less long-term outcomes research specifically on bison than we do for fish, poultry, or broader red-meat categories.
So no, I did not forget about you, bison.🦬 You made the playoffs.
And this is where the entire idea of “healthiest meat” starts falling apart.
Different protein foods bring different things.
Chicken brings lean protein.
Fatty fish brings protein plus EPA and DHA.
Lean beef brings protein, iron, zinc, and B12.
Bison brings an impressive amount of those same micronutrients in a relatively lean package.
Sardines bring protein, omega-3s, and calcium.
Shellfish bring an impressive collection of micronutrients.
There isn’t one magical meat. Nutrition refuses to be that convenient.
Now Let’s Ruin the Entire Meat Competition
Because if we’re actually asking about the healthiest sources of protein, we shouldn’t stop at animals.
We need to talk about plants.
My Plant Protein Winner: Soy
If you force me to choose one plant protein based on protein quality, nutrient profile, and research, I’m probably choosing soybeans.
Whole soy foods like edamame, soybeans, and tempeh provide protein, fiber, unsaturated fats, iron, magnesium, potassium, folate, and bioactive compounds called isoflavones.
Soy also has an excellent amino acid profile compared with many other plant proteins.
And despite what someone named “NutritionTruthWarrior1776” may have told you on Facebook, soy does not need to be feared.
Controlled trials have actually demonstrated a modest LDL-lowering effect from soy protein.
A meta-analysis examining 46 trials identified by the FDA found that around 25 grams of soy protein per day lowered LDL cholesterol by approximately 3–4%.
Is that equivalent to medication? Absolutely not.
Is it still meaningful for a food? Yep.
Also, men: Eating edamame isn’t going to suddenly make you grow breasts. I promise.
Lentils Enter the Chat
One cup of cooked lentils provides roughly:
18 grams of protein.
Pretty good. But then lentils pull out their secret weapon:
Around 15 grams of fiber.
Protein and fiber. Plus folate, iron, potassium, magnesium, polyphenols, and resistant starch.
Meanwhile chicken is standing over in the corner with exactly: zero grams of fiber.
This doesn’t make chicken unhealthy.
It demonstrates why looking only at protein misses a huge part of the nutritional picture.
Most Americans, NOT ALL, already get enough protein. Fiber? That’s a different story.
So when a food can contribute meaningful amounts of both, I pay attention.
Beans Need Better Marketing
Black beans.
Kidney beans.
Pinto beans.
Chickpeas.
Split peas.
Beans might be some of the least exciting foods with some of the most impressive nutrition.
They’re inexpensive.
They contain protein.
They’re loaded with fiber.
They provide resistant starch, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and various phytochemicals.
And yet nobody has figured out how to sell them in a giant black container with lightning bolts on it for $69.99. BEAN GAINS™ EXTREME LEGUME PERFORMANCE MATRIX 27 SERVINGS
I’d buy it.
The research on legumes and cardiovascular outcomes isn’t perfectly uniform, which is worth saying. Some meta-analyses have found lower cardiovascular and coronary heart disease risk with greater legume intake, while other systematic reviews have concluded that evidence for disease outcomes remains limited.
But randomized trials do show improvements in several cardiometabolic risk factors, including LDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance.
And when we zoom out beyond legumes specifically, the evidence supporting more plant protein in the overall dietary pattern gets even more interesting.
The Research Gets Pretty Compelling Here
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis included nine prospective cohort studies with more than one million people.
Researchers examined what happened when a relatively small percentage of calories from animal protein was theoretically replaced with plant protein.
Greater plant-protein substitution was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Now, important nutrition-science disclaimer: These were observational data.
That means we cannot say: Beans prevent death.
Please don’t put that on a T-shirt and cite me.
Association does not prove causation. But this isn’t an isolated finding.
A separate systematic review examining substitutions of animal foods with plant foods found favorable associations when foods such as red and processed meat were replaced with nuts, legumes, and whole grains.
Another large cohort analysis found lower cardiovascular disease and mortality risk when several animal protein foods were replaced with nuts, whole grains, legumes, or fish.
That’s the part of nutrition research I find much more useful than arguing whether chicken contains three fewer grams of fat than something else.
What are you replacing with what? Because nutrition doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Can We Also Stop Calling Everything “High Protein”?
While we’re here, I need to get something off my chest.
We have apparently decided that if a food contains any protein whatsoever, it is now: HIGH PROTEIN.
Peanut butter?
Nutritious.
Mostly a source of unsaturated fat.
Not a particularly efficient protein source.
Quinoa?
Great whole grain.
Contains protein.
Not really a high-protein food.
Chia seeds?
Fantastic. I want to be their spokesperson I love them so much.
Fiber. ALA omega-3s. Minerals.
But I’m not eating chia seeds because I’m trying to get swole. And that’s okay.
A food doesn’t have to be high in protein to be healthy.
Somewhere along the way, protein became the nutrient equivalent of having a blue checkmark.
Apparently every food wants one.
So…What Is the Healthiest Protein?
I don’t think there is one.
But since the internet loves rankings, I’ll play along.
🏆 Best overall animal protein: Fatty fish
💪 Best lean protein: Chicken breast
🦬 Lean red-meat sleeper: Bison
🐟 Nutrient-density sleeper: Sardines
🦪 Micronutrient powerhouse: Shellfish
🌱 Best overall plant protein: Soybeans/edamame
🫘 Best protein + fiber combination: Lentils
❤️ Food I desperately wish Americans ate more often: Beans
And the most important award: 🏆 Best overall protein strategy: Variety.
Not quite as exciting as declaring one food the healthiest food in America. But probably much closer to the truth.
Here’s What Actually Matters
You don’t need to stop eating chicken.
You don’t need to stop eating beef.
You don’t need to become vegan.
And you definitely don’t need to force yourself to eat sardines while crying over the kitchen sink because some dietitian on the internet ranked them highly.
Instead, look at your week.
Maybe chicken tonight.
Salmon later this week.
Black bean tacos.
Lentil soup.
Eggs.
Edamame tossed into a bowl.
Maybe some bison.
Maybe a steak. Because steak is delicious and eating is also allowed to involve joy.
That’s the piece that gets lost when nutrition becomes a competition.
We’re not eating isolated nutrients.
We’re not even eating isolated foods.
We’re eating dietary patterns.
And the evidence increasingly suggests that regularly including fish and shifting some of our protein intake toward foods like beans, lentils, soy, nuts, seeds, and whole grains is a pretty good idea.
So yes, TODAY: Chicken is healthy. You’ll get no argument from me there.
But the healthiest protein? I’m keeping the trophy in my office for now.
Because maybe the better question isn’t: “What’s the healthiest protein?”
Maybe it’s: “What does this protein bring to my plate besides protein?”
Now that is a nutrition question worth asking.
References
American Heart Association. (2023). Are you getting enough omega-3 fatty acids?
Barrantes-Espinola, G., Alberti, P., Jaramillo-Morales, E., Rodriguez, A., & López-Moreno, M. (2026). Isocaloric substitution of animal protein with plant protein and its impact on all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Nutrition, 61, 106654.
Blanco Mejia, S., et al. (2019). A meta-analysis of 46 studies identified by the FDA demonstrates that soy protein decreases circulating LDL and total cholesterol concentrations in adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 149(6), 968–981.
Mendes, V., Niforou, A., Kasdagli, M. I., Ververis, E., & Naska, A. (2023). Intake of legumes and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 33(1), 22–37.
Neuenschwander, M., et al. (2023). Substitution of animal-based with plant-based foods on cardiometabolic health and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMC Medicine.
Thorisdottir, B., et al. (2023). Legume consumption in adults and risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Food & Nutrition Research, 67.
Zhong, V. W., et al. (2021). Protein foods from animal sources, incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: A substitution analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology.
TODAY.The healthiest meats, ranked by nutrition experts. Article that prompted this discussion.