Fish and seafood
Mussels on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 24 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), cooked, meat only, for around 172 calories. About a dozen mussels, about 100 g (3.5 oz), give roughly 24 g of protein for 172 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from mussels 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 mussels sits on a GLP-1
Mussels are soft, small, and eaten from a broth, which is close to the ideal format when your stomach is slow. They are also very high in iron and B12, which is worth knowing if you are on a low intake and feeling flat. A bowl of mussels feels like a big meal and is actually a small one.
When your appetite is small
Eat the broth as well as the meat. A dozen mussels is about 24 g of protein, and because you are spooning liquid between mouthfuls it goes down more easily than the same protein on a plate.
Three ways to prepare it
Steamed in white wine and garlic
Six minutes with the lid on. The broth is half the point, so have bread to soak it up.
In a tomato and chorizo broth
More flavour for a flattened palate, and the tomato adds acid.
Cold, out of the shell, in a salad
Cooked mussels the next day, chopped into a potato salad, is about 20 g with no reheating.
What to eat it with
White wine, garlic, parsley, cream, tomato, bread. The bread is not optional, it is how you get the broth in.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mussels | about 24 g | 172 kcal | this page |
| Prawns | about 24 g | 99 kcal | See the page |
| Scallops | about 20 g | 110 kcal | See the page |
| Calamari and squid | about 18 g | 95 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, cooked, meat only, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Blue mussels in Australia and the UK, and usually sold as farmed rope-grown. In the US, Prince Edward Island mussels are the common supermarket product. All are nutritionally similar.
Questions people ask
Are mussels high in protein?
Yes, about 24 g per 100 g of meat, and they are one of the richest everyday sources of B12 and iron, which matters if you are eating very little.
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.