Fish and seafood
Mackerel on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 24 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), cooked or tinned, drained, for around 205 calories. One fillet or half a tin, about 100 g (3.5 oz), gives roughly 24 g of protein for 205 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from mackerel alone you would need about 125 g (4.4 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 mackerel sits on a GLP-1
Mackerel is oily, strongly flavoured and very filling, which is a difficult combination on a slow stomach. Where it earns its place is on the days when nothing tastes of anything: it is one of the few foods with enough flavour to cut through a flattened palate.
When your appetite is small
Smoked mackerel needs no cooking at all. Flake half a fillet, about 60 g, into yoghurt or a potato salad for roughly 15 g of protein, and the smoke does the work of making it appealing.
Three ways to prepare it
Smoked mackerel pate
Flaked mackerel, ricotta or cream cheese, lemon and pepper, blitzed. Soft, cold, and around 20 g in a small bowl.
Tinned mackerel on toast
The cheap and immediate version. Add lemon and plenty of pepper.
Grilled fresh fillet with vinegar
The acid is not optional with mackerel. Vinegar or lemon makes the oiliness manageable.
What to eat it with
Horseradish, beetroot, lemon, potato, cucumber. Every good mackerel pairing is a sharp one, which is not an accident.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mackerel | about 24 g | 205 kcal | this page |
| Sardines | about 25 g | 208 kcal | See the page |
| Salmon | about 25 g | 208 kcal | See the page |
| Tinned salmon | about 22 g | 150 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, cooked or tinned, drained, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Mackerel in all three countries. Tinned mackerel is common in Australian and UK supermarkets and less so in the US, where the tinned oily fish shelf is mostly sardines and tuna.
Questions people ask
Is mackerel too oily on a GLP-1?
It can be if fat is already sitting badly. If that is you, tinned tuna or white fish is a better daily option and mackerel is for the days when you need flavour.
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.