High-Protein Foods for Wound Healing

Overview

Your body needs protein to help build and repair muscle, skin, and other body tissues. Getting enough protein also helps your body fight infection, balance body fluids, and carry oxygen through your body.

When you have a wound that's healing, think of food as medicine. Eat a balanced diet with enough calories and plenty of protein.

How much protein you normally need each day depends on your age, your sex, and how active you are. You may need to eat more protein to help a wound heal. Your doctor can advise you on the right amount of protein you need.

Examples of high-protein foods

High-protein foods include lean meat, poultry, and fish. You can also get plenty of protein from eggs, dairy and soy products, beans, nuts, and seeds.

The following tables list the amount of protein per serving size for a given food group.^{footnote 1}

Meats, fish, and poultry (cooked)

Food	Amount	Protein (g)
Beef, ground	25 g (1 oz)	7
Chicken breast	25 g (1 oz)	8
Pork chop	25 g (1 oz)	7
Salmon	25 g (1 oz)	6
Trout	25 g (1 oz)	6
Tuna, canned, drained	25 g (1 oz)	6
Turkey	25 g (1 oz)	7

Eggs and dairy

Food	Amount	Protein (g)
Cheese, cheddar	25 g (1 oz)	6
Cottage cheese, low fat	½ cup (125 mL)	15
Egg, whole, cooked	1 large	6
Milk	1 cup (250 mL)	9
Yogurt, fruit, low-fat	6 oz container (175 mL)	8

Beans and soy products

Food	Amount	Protein (g)
Baked beans	3/4 cup (175 mL)	10
Black beans	3/4 cup (175 mL)	11
Refried beans	3/4 cup (175 mL)	10
Soy beverage, enriched	1 cup (250 mL)	7
Tofu	150 g (5 oz)	21

Nuts and seeds

Food	Amount	Protein (g)
Almonds	1/4 cup (60 mL)	8
Peanuts, roasted	1/4 cup (60 mL)	9
Peanut butter	2 Tbsp (30 mL)	8
Sunflower seeds, shelled	1/4 cup (60 mL)	6
Wheat germ	2 Tbsp (30 mL)	4