Dairy and eggs
Milk on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 3.5 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), full cream, per 100 ml, for around 64 calories. A large glass, about 250 g (8.8 oz), gives roughly 9 g of protein for 160 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from milk alone you would need about 857 g (30.2 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 milk sits on a GLP-1
Milk is the protein that goes down when food does not. A large glass, 250 ml (8.5 fl oz), is about 9 g of protein with no chewing, no smell and no decision, and for many of the people we coach it is the first thing that works on the morning after an injection. The limitation is that the protein is dilute, so milk fills a fair amount of room for what it delivers. The fix for that is to make it stronger rather than to drink more of it.
When your appetite is small
Fortify it. Stir two heaped tablespoons, about 20 g (0.7 oz), of skim milk powder into a 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) glass of milk. The protein goes from about 9 g to about 16 g and the glass is no bigger, only creamier. Made up in a jug the night before, it is the base for coffee, porridge, a smoothie or a mug of hot milk before bed.
Three ways to prepare it
Fortified milk, made a litre at a time
A litre (34 fl oz) of milk with 80 g (2.8 oz) of skim milk powder whisked through, kept in the fridge. Every glass and every coffee for the next three days carries almost double the protein.
A hot milky coffee instead of a black one
A flat white or latte on full cream milk is about 8 g of protein. Two of those across a morning is a protein stop you did not have to chew.
Warm milk with honey before bed
Slow, warm and comforting on a day when the stomach has been unsettled. About 9 g, and with milk powder stirred through it is closer to 16.
What to eat it with
Coffee, oats, a banana, cinnamon, a scoop of whey. Milk is the carrier for other protein, so the best pairing is something that lifts the number: whey, milk powder or a spoon of Greek yoghurt blended through.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | about 3.5 g | 64 kcal | this page |
| Kefir | about 3.4 g | 60 kcal | See the page |
| Soy milk | about 3.3 g | 50 kcal | See the page |
| Whey concentrate | about 78 g | 400 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, full cream, per 100 ml, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Full cream milk in Australia is whole milk in the US and the UK. Skim in Australia and the US is skimmed in the UK; the middle option is lite or reduced fat in Australia, 2% in the US and semi skimmed in the UK. Lactose free milk carries the same protein in all three countries.
Questions people ask
Does milk count as protein?
Yes, about 3.5 g per 100 ml (3.5 fl oz), so a 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) glass is about 9 g. Skim milk has the same protein with far fewer calories. To reach 30 g from milk alone you would need almost a litre, which is why we fortify it with milk powder or whey instead.
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.