Meat and poultry
Beef jerky on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 33 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), as sold, dried, for around 280 calories. A small packet, about 30 g (1.1 oz), gives roughly 10 g of protein for 84 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from beef jerky alone you would need about 91 g (3.2 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How beef jerky sits on a GLP-1
Jerky is dense protein in a very small volume, which is exactly what a GLP-1 appetite needs, and it needs no fridge, which is what a work bag needs. The catch is the chewing and the salt. Some people find it the easiest protein they own; others find it takes twenty minutes and a glass of water.
When your appetite is small
A 30 g packet is about 10 g of protein and lives in a bag, a car or a locker for months. It is not a full stop on its own, but it stops a five hour gap turning into an eight hour one.
Three ways to prepare it
Keep a packet in the bag you always carry
The value of jerky is that it is there. No fridge, no plate, no decision.
Chop it into a soup or a noodle bowl
Jerky softens in hot liquid and gives the broth a meaty depth, which is easier to eat than chewing it dry.
Choose the low sugar versions
Supermarket jerky is often heavily sweetened. Read the panel and pick one with under 5 g of sugar per 100 g.
What to eat it with
Drink something with it. Jerky is dry and salty and goes down far better with a glass of milk, which also adds 8 to 10 g of protein to the stop.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef jerky | about 33 g | 280 kcal | this page |
| Biltong | about 50 g | 300 kcal | See the page |
| Prosciutto | about 27 g | 250 kcal | See the page |
| Protein bar | about 33 g | 380 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, as sold, dried, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Jerky in the US and Australia, usually beef jerky. In the UK it is sold as jerky too, often alongside biltong, which is a different, softer, air dried product.
Questions people ask
Is jerky a good snack on a GLP-1?
As a portable filler, yes. A 30 g packet is about 10 g of protein with no refrigeration. It is too salty and too small to be a main protein stop.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.