Legumes, soy and plant protein
Hummus on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 7 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), ready made, for around 230 calories. Three tablespoons, about 60 g (2.1 oz), give roughly 4 g of protein for 138 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from hummus alone you would need about 429 g (15.1 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 hummus sits on a GLP-1
Hummus is cool, smooth, savoury and eaten in small amounts, which makes it one of the easiest foods to get started on when appetite is low. It is not a protein food. At about 7 g per 100 g (3.5 oz), a normal three tablespoon serve is 4 g, and most of the calories are olive oil and tahini, which sit for a while in a slow stomach. Its job on a GLP-1 is to make protein appealing: as the thing a piece of chicken or a boiled egg is dipped in, not as the protein itself.
When your appetite is small
Spread it thin and put protein on it. Three tablespoons, about 60 g (2 oz), on a small wholemeal wrap with 60 g of shredded chicken and some cucumber is about 22 g, cold, and eaten with one hand. A bowl of hummus with crackers is the version that fills you up on 6 g.
Three ways to prepare it
As the spread under chicken or egg in a wrap
Hummus, sliced boiled egg or shredded chicken, cucumber, a little lemon. The hummus makes dry protein wet and the wrap holds it together.
Stirred through with tinned tuna
A tin of tuna mashed into three tablespoons of hummus makes a thick, savoury spread of about 28 g for crackers or celery.
Thinned with yoghurt as a dressing
Hummus loosened with Greek yoghurt and lemon poured over roast vegetables and chicken. More protein, more flavour, and a plate that looks generous without being large.
What to eat it with
Chicken, egg, tuna, falafel, feta and raw vegetables. Hummus is the sauce that makes the protein easy; give it a real protein to carry every time.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hummus | about 7 g | 230 kcal | this page |
| Chickpeas | about 8 g | 150 kcal | See the page |
| Falafel | about 13 g | 330 kcal | See the page |
| Greek yoghurt | about 9 g | 95 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, ready made, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Hummus in Australia and the US, houmous or hummus in the UK. Supermarket tubs in all three sit around 6 to 8 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz); home made with more chickpeas and less oil can reach 9 or 10 g.
Questions people ask
Is hummus a good source of protein?
Not on its own. Three tablespoons, about 60 g (2 oz), gives about 4 g of protein and around 140 calories, mostly from oil. It becomes useful when it is the spread under chicken, egg or tuna, which is how we suggest using it.
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.