Fish and seafood
Tinned salmon on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 22 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), drained, in spring water, for around 150 calories. One small tin, about 100 g (3.5 oz), gives roughly 22 g of protein for 150 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from tinned salmon alone you would need about 136 g (4.8 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 tinned salmon sits on a GLP-1
Tinned salmon is softer and milder than tinned tuna, and the bones, which are edible and easy to mash, bring calcium that matters if you are losing weight quickly. It is oilier than tuna, so it is more filling per gram, which cuts both ways depending on whether your problem is room or dryness.
When your appetite is small
Mash it, bones and all, with a fork and a little yoghurt. A 100 g tin is about 22 g of protein and needs no heat, and the softer texture suits a day when tuna feels too strong.
Three ways to prepare it
Mashed with yoghurt and dill
Soft, cold, about 25 g with the yoghurt included, and it spreads on a cracker rather than needing a plate.
Salmon patties with mashed potato
Tinned salmon, potato and an egg makes soft patties that freeze well. Two of them is about 20 g.
Stirred through scrambled eggs
Eggs and tinned salmon together is a 30 g breakfast that takes four minutes and is soft the whole way through.
What to eat it with
Dill, lemon, cucumber, potato, or something starchy to carry it. The bones need no attention, they mash into the mixture.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinned salmon | about 22 g | 150 kcal | this page |
| Tinned tuna | about 25 g | 116 kcal | See the page |
| Sardines | about 25 g | 208 kcal | See the page |
| Salmon | about 25 g | 208 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, drained, in spring water, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Tinned or canned pink and red salmon in all three countries. Red is richer and dearer, pink is milder and cheaper, and both carry about the same protein.
Questions people ask
Should I eat the bones in tinned salmon?
They are soft, edible and a real source of calcium, which matters during fast weight loss. Mash them through and you will not notice them.
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.