The protein score, and why it is on every recipe
Το σκορ πρωτεΐνης, και γιατί είναι σε κάθε συνταγή
Calories tell you what a meal costs. Protein tells you what it does. The ratio between them tells you something neither number does on its own, and it is the single most useful thing printed on an EVZO recipe.
The definition
Grams of protein divided by hundreds of calories. A meal with 30 g of protein and 500 calories scores 6.0. A meal with 50 g of protein and 400 calories scores 12.5.
How to read it
- Above about 15 — very lean. Chicken breast and vegetables, egg whites, white fish. Extremely filling for what it costs.
- Around 8 to 12 — a strong everyday meal. Most good dinners live here.
- Around 5 to 7 — normal. A breakfast with oats, fruit and yoghurt sits about here and that is fine.
- Below about 4 — this is a carbohydrate or fat meal with some protein in it. Not banned, but do not expect it to hold you.
Why a ratio and not just the protein
Because 40 g of protein means something completely different in a 500-calorie meal than in a 1,100-calorie one. A gyros carries real protein and a great many calories alongside it; a tin of tuna carries slightly less protein and almost nothing else. The raw protein figure treats those as similar. The score does not.
What it is not
It is not a quality score and it is not a health score. A bowl of plain egg whites scores superbly and is a miserable meal. Olive oil scores zero and belongs in almost everything here.
It is one number that answers one question: will this hold me until the next meal, for what it costs? For that question it is better than either figure alone, which is why it is printed on every page of every book.
Thirty grams before you are awake
Τριάντα γραμμάρια πριν ξυπνήσεις
A breakfast and its score, computed from the list below.
Per serving, computed from the ingredients below. Figures vary with brand, cut and cooking — close, not exact.
What goes in- Oats, dry60 g
- Whey protein powder30 g
- Milk, semi-skimmed200 g
- Peanut butter15 g
- Banana100 g
Herbs, spices, salt and pepper as you like — too small to count.
How- Whisk the powder into the milk first, on its own. Added to the oats dry it clumps and stays clumped.
- Stir in the oats and peanut butter, jar it, fridge overnight.
- Slice the banana over it in the morning.
Why it is built this way. Most people eat almost no protein before midday and then try to make it up at dinner, which does not work as well. This puts a third of the day's protein in before anything else has happened.
Fourteen ways to eat oats that are not porridge — overnight jars, baked oats, savoury bowls, pancakes and bars.
18+. General information about food, not medical advice. EVZO is not run by dietitians, nutritionists or doctors. Not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, with a history of disordered eating, or alongside a medically prescribed diet.