Fish and seafood
Oysters on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 9 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), raw, meat only, for around 70 calories. Six oysters, about 60 g (2.1 oz), give roughly 5 g of protein for 42 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from oysters alone you would need about 333 g (11.7 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 oysters sits on a GLP-1
Oysters are not a protein food in any useful sense: six of them is about 5 g. What they are is one of the densest sources of zinc there is, and zinc matters for taste, for hair and for immune function when you are eating very little. They are also cold, wet and swallowed rather than chewed, which is why some people can eat them when nothing else works.
When your appetite is small
Use them to open a meal rather than to be the meal. Half a dozen oysters followed by something with real protein is a far better plan than trying to make oysters do a job they cannot do.
Three ways to prepare it
Raw with lemon
Cold, sharp and swallowed, which is close to the easiest possible format on a bad day.
Grilled with a little cheese
Warm oysters are milder and more approachable if raw shellfish is not for you.
Chopped into a chowder
The zinc and the flavour go into something that carries real protein from the milk and the fish.
What to eat it with
Lemon, mignonette, or a splash of vinegar. Follow them with a proper protein stop, because they will not be one.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oysters | about 9 g | 70 kcal | this page |
| Mussels | about 24 g | 172 kcal | See the page |
| Scallops | about 20 g | 110 kcal | See the page |
| Prawns | about 24 g | 99 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, raw, meat only, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Sydney rock and Pacific oysters in Australia, natives and rock oysters in the UK, and mostly Pacific and Eastern oysters in the US. Sizes vary enormously, so six oysters can be anywhere from 40 g to 90 g of meat.
Questions people ask
How much protein is in six oysters?
About 5 g, which is a sixth of a protein stop. Their value is zinc and B12 rather than protein, so pair them with something else.
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.