Fish and seafood
Calamari and squid on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 18 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), cooked, not battered, for around 95 calories. A small plate of rings, about 100 g (3.5 oz), gives roughly 18 g of protein for 95 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from calamari and squid alone you would need about 167 g (5.9 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 calamari and squid sits on a GLP-1
Squid cooked properly is soft and mild; squid cooked badly is rubber, and there is almost nothing in between. Battered and fried, which is how it usually arrives, it is mostly oil and flour and will sit heavily for hours. Grilled or braised, it is a light 18 g protein for under 100 calories.
When your appetite is small
Ask for it grilled rather than fried when you are out. A small plate of grilled calamari with lemon is about 18 g of protein and is one of the more reliable restaurant orders on a small appetite.
Three ways to prepare it
Grilled fast and hot with lemon
Two minutes, no longer. Score the flesh first so it cooks evenly.
Braised slowly in tomato
Forty minutes in a sauce takes it past the rubbery stage and it becomes tender again.
Sliced thin into a warm salad
Thin rings need almost no chewing, which is the point on a bad day.
What to eat it with
Lemon, garlic, chilli, parsley, aioli. A little fat makes a very lean protein much easier to finish.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calamari and squid | about 18 g | 95 kcal | this page |
| Prawns | about 24 g | 99 kcal | See the page |
| Scallops | about 20 g | 110 kcal | See the page |
| Crab | about 19 g | 97 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, cooked, not battered, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Calamari on Australian and UK menus, calamari or squid in US shops. Calamari usually refers to the smaller, more tender species, though the two words are used interchangeably in most supermarkets.
Questions people ask
Is calamari healthy on a GLP-1?
Grilled, yes: about 18 g of protein per 100 g for under 100 calories. Battered and deep fried it is a fat delivery system and will sit badly on a slow stomach.
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.