Dairy and eggs
Halloumi on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 22 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), grilled or pan fried, for around 320 calories. Three slices, about 60 g (2.1 oz), give roughly 13 g of protein for 192 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from halloumi alone you would need about 136 g (4.8 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 halloumi sits on a GLP-1
Halloumi is the cheese that behaves like meat: it holds its shape in a hot pan, browns, and has a firm, squeaky bite. At about 22 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) it is a real protein, and because it is eaten hot in small slices it suits a small appetite better than a block of cheddar does. It is very salty and fairly fatty, and it turns rubbery within ten minutes of leaving the pan, so it is a food you cook and eat immediately rather than one you batch.
When your appetite is small
Three slices, about 60 g (2 oz), fried in a dry pan for two minutes a side is 13 g of protein in something that looks and eats like a small piece of meat. Serve it with lemon and something sharp and it is often the first hot protein people manage after a difficult week.
Three ways to prepare it
Dry fried and finished with lemon
No oil needed. Two minutes a side until golden, then a squeeze of lemon, which cuts the salt. Eat it straight away.
Cubed on a skewer with capsicum and zucchini
Grilled halloumi skewers are a small, controlled serve, and the vegetables stop it feeling like a plate of cheese.
Sliced into a wrap with tomato and mint
A small wholemeal wrap, three slices of hot halloumi, tomato and mint. About 15 g of protein in something you can eat with one hand.
What to eat it with
Lemon, mint, tomato, watermelon, honey, chilli. Everything that works with halloumi is either sharp or sweet, because the cheese itself is salt and fat and needs the contrast.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halloumi | about 22 g | 320 kcal | this page |
| Paneer | about 18 g | 300 kcal | See the page |
| Cheddar | about 25 g | 400 kcal | See the page |
| Feta | about 15 g | 270 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, grilled or pan fried, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Halloumi is Cypriot and sold under that name in Australia and the UK, where it is a supermarket staple. It is less common in US supermarkets, where it is sometimes labelled grilling cheese; bread cheese is a similar Finnish style product sold there. Some Australian and UK dairies make a local version.
Questions people ask
Is halloumi healthy on a GLP-1?
In a 60 g (2 oz) serve, yes: about 13 g of protein and around 190 calories. The salt is the thing to watch, at roughly 2 g per 100 g (3.5 oz), so it is a food to have two or three times a week rather than every day.
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.