Top 63 Foods Ranked by Satiety Per Calorie

· 11 min read

Some foods fill you up for almost nothing. Others spend hundreds of calories without ever asking your stomach to notice. Satiety per calorie — SPC — is the score that captures the difference, and ranking the foods in our database by it produces a list that's part shopping guide, part reality check.

This article ranks all 63 foods in the BurnFatGetFit database from highest SPC to lowest, with one or two lines on why each food lands where it does. If the concept itself is new to you, the Satiety per Calorie Explainer is the right starting point — this list assumes you already know roughly what the score is trying to measure.

What SPC Is, in One Paragraph

SPC asks a simple question: how much fullness do you get per calorie consumed? The version we use here scores each food per 100 grams using the formula SPC = (protein × 2 + fiber × 2) ÷ max(1, calories ÷ 100). Protein and fiber are the two macros most consistently linked to fullness, and dividing by calories normalizes for portion size. The max(1, …) clamp prevents tiny-calorie foods from producing absurd scores. The deeper, multi-factor SPC layers in water content, energy density, and food form — the SPC explainer walks through the full model. The faster, simpler cousin is the protein-to-energy ratio, which the PE Ratio Calculator computes in five seconds.

Why This List Matters

Most "healthy food" lists rank by intuition. SPC ranks by math. The result lines up with what nutritionists actually recommend — lean proteins, legumes, vegetables — but also flags a few foods that feel virtuous and aren't, and rewards a few that quietly punch above their weight. If you're cutting, eating in a deficit, or just trying to feel less hungry on the same calories, this is the order to shop in.

The Top 10

These are the foods that give you the most fullness per calorie in our catalog. If you anchor your plate around three of them, the calorie math takes care of itself.

1. Shrimp — SPC 48.0

Lean protein with almost no calorie ballast — high water content does the rest of the work.

2. Turkey Breast — SPC 46.4

Lean protein with almost no calorie ballast — high water content does the rest of the work.

3. Tuna (canned in water) — SPC 46.0

Lean protein with almost no calorie ballast — high water content does the rest of the work.

4. Whey Protein Powder — SPC 42.2

Raw protein density carries the score, but the simple formula doesn't see the liquid form — felt fullness usually lands lower than the number suggests.

5. Tilapia — SPC 40.5

Lean protein with almost no calorie ballast — high water content does the rest of the work.

6. Pork Tenderloin — SPC 40.5

Protein-forward and reasonably lean — top of the protein-source pack per calorie.

7. Bison — SPC 40.1

Lean protein with almost no calorie ballast — high water content does the rest of the work.

8. Chicken Breast — SPC 39.6

Protein-forward and reasonably lean — top of the protein-source pack per calorie.

9. Premier Protein Shake — SPC 38.0

Lean-ish protein at moderate calorie cost — solid portable option.

10. Cod Fillet — SPC 36.0

Protein-forward and reasonably lean — top of the protein-source pack per calorie.

The pattern is hard to miss: the top of the list is dominated by lean protein and high-fiber legumes. None of these foods are trendy. All of them are cheap, widely available, and unglamorous — exactly what you'd expect from a metric built on grams of protein, grams of fiber, and basic calorie density.

#11–#25: The Workhorse Tier

This middle tier is where most of your weekly meals will probably end up. Foods here are still solid SPC plays — protein-forward, reasonably whole, eaten in normal portions — but they're either denser, less protein-loaded, or both compared to the top 10.

# Food SPC Notes
11 Oikos Triple Zero 30.0 Lean-ish protein at moderate calorie cost — solid portable option.
12 93% Lean Ground Beef 28.6 Protein-forward and reasonably lean — top of the protein-source pack per calorie.
13 Lentils (cooked) 28.3 Plant protein plus heavy fiber at a workable calorie cost — legume sweet spot.
14 Beef Jerky 28.0 Real protein content, but the dehydrated form makes 100g a small handful — overshoot risk is higher than the score implies.
15 Built Bar 26.7 Carb-heavy snack with light fiber — modest score, neutral pick.
16 Black Beans (cooked) 25.9 Plant protein plus heavy fiber at a workable calorie cost — legume sweet spot.
17 Edamame 24.8 Plant protein plus heavy fiber at a workable calorie cost — legume sweet spot.
18 Low-fat Cottage Cheese 24.0 Almost pure protein at very low calorie cost — punches above its weight.
19 Barebells Protein Bar 22.4 Carb-heavy snack with light fiber — modest score, neutral pick.
20 Grass-fed Beef Sticks 22.2 Lean-ish protein at moderate calorie cost — solid portable option.
21 Egg White 22.0 Almost pure protein at very low calorie cost — punches above its weight.
22 Salmon Fillet 20.3 Real protein, but the fat load drives the calorie cost up — solid main course, mid-tier score.
23 Nonfat Greek Yogurt 20.0 Almost pure protein at very low calorie cost — punches above its weight.
24 Chickpeas (cooked) 19.8 Plant protein plus heavy fiber at a workable calorie cost — legume sweet spot.
25 Magic Spoon Cereal 19.1 Lean-ish protein at moderate calorie cost — solid portable option.

The shape of this tier is dairy, legumes, and protein sources that didn't quite make the top cut. Anything in this band is doing useful work in a deficit, and the differences from #11 to #25 are smaller than the gap between #25 and the bottom half.

#26 and Below: Pick Your Spots

Lower SPC doesn't make a food bad — it means you're getting less fullness per calorie. Some foods score lower than expected because the simple formula penalizes low protein density and rewards calorie cost equally regardless of food form. Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains often look modest on this metric and yet still belong on your plate; the deeper multi-factor SPC (covered in the SPC explainer) treats them more kindly because it accounts for water and volume. The point of this tier is to know what each food is contributing.

# Food SPC Notes
26 Epic Bar 18.9 Lean-ish protein at moderate calorie cost — solid portable option.
27 Mozzarella (part-skim) 18.2 Real protein content, but fat content drives the calorie cost up.
28 Wild Friends Powdered Peanut Butter 18.0 Packaged snack — no real fullness lever, easy to overshoot.
29 Tasty Pastry 17.9 Lean-ish protein at moderate calorie cost — solid portable option.
30 Large Egg 16.7 Real protein, but the fat load drives the calorie cost up — solid main course, mid-tier score.
31 Quest Protein Chips 16.2 Carb-heavy snack with light fiber — modest score, neutral pick.
32 Whole Wheat Bread 14.3 Whole grain with real fiber — solid carb anchor, mid-tier SPC.
33 Cheddar Cheese 12.4 Calorie density crushes the protein hit — easy to overconsume in cubes or shreds.
34 Quinoa (cooked) 12.1 Carb-forward whole food with usable fiber — modest score at typical portions.
35 PaleoValley Meat Sticks 12.0 Packaged snack — no real fullness lever, easy to overshoot.
36 Oats (dry) 11.9 Whole grain with real fiber — solid carb anchor, mid-tier SPC.
37 Broccoli 10.8 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
38 Almonds 10.8 Calorie density of fat (~600+ cal per 100g) overwhelms the protein and fiber on offer — useful in small amounts, score-killer in big ones.
39 Green Beans 10.4 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
40 Spinach 10.2 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
41 Avocado 10.1 Fat-heavy, but enough fiber and water to earn its calories — the rare high-fat whole food.
42 Peanut Butter 9.8 Calorie density of fat (~600+ cal per 100g) overwhelms the protein and fiber on offer — useful in small amounts, score-killer in big ones.
43 Sweet Potato 9.2 Carb-forward whole food with usable fiber — modest score at typical portions.
44 White Pasta (cooked) 8.9 Carb-heavy with light fiber — calories without much to anchor fullness.
45 Asparagus 8.6 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
46 Mushrooms 8.2 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
47 Cauliflower 8.0 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
48 Brown Rice (cooked) 8.0 Carb-heavy with light fiber — calories without much to anchor fullness.
49 Banana 7.4 Fresh fruit — water and natural sugar dominate, fiber adds a small lift.
50 Russet Potato 6.8 Carb-heavy with light fiber — calories without much to anchor fullness.
51 Skim Milk 6.8 Mostly water with light protein — fills the cup, not the score.
52 Whole Milk 6.6 Mostly water with light protein — fills the cup, not the score.
53 Walnuts 6.3 Calorie density of fat (~600+ cal per 100g) overwhelms the protein and fiber on offer — useful in small amounts, score-killer in big ones.
54 Bell Pepper 6.2 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
55 Blueberries 6.2 Fresh fruit — water and natural sugar dominate, fiber adds a small lift.
56 Rice Cakes 5.6 Carb-heavy snack with light fiber — modest score, neutral pick.
57 Strawberries 5.4 Fresh fruit — water and natural sugar dominate, fiber adds a small lift.
58 Apple 5.4 Fresh fruit — water and natural sugar dominate, fiber adds a small lift.
59 White Rice (cooked) 4.9 Carb-heavy with light fiber — calories without much to anchor fullness.
60 Zucchini 4.4 Low-density vegetable — small calories per 100g, real fiber, eat by volume.
61 Butter 0.2 Almost entirely fat — the trace protein barely lifts the score.
62 Coconut Oil 0.0 Pure fat — zero satiety contribution by this formula. Predictably last.
63 Olive Oil 0.0 Pure fat — zero satiety contribution by this formula. Predictably last.

Three Surprises

Whey protein at #4. The simple SPC formula rewards raw protein density, and whey is mostly protein. But liquid protein clears the stomach fast, doesn't trigger stretch receptors, and is trivially easy to over-consume. The companion article Satiety per Calorie vs PE Ratio ranks whey low on the multi-factor SPC for exactly this reason. Treat the score here as a ceiling for whey, not a floor — and lean on whole-food protein when fullness is the goal.

Beef jerky at #14 outranking Greek yogurt at #23. Both are protein-forward, but jerky is so dehydrated that 100g is a small portion — easy to eat 400 calories before you notice. Yogurt's score is lower per gram, but the volume per gram is much higher, which is the part the simple formula doesn't capture. In a real-world deficit, the yogurt usually wins.

Almonds at #38, peanut butter at #42, walnuts at #53. All three are widely treated as "healthy snacks." By SPC, the calorie density of fat (~600 calories per 100g) overwhelms whatever protein and fiber the nuts bring. They're useful in small quantities — but if your goal is volume per calorie, they're working against you. Run them through the Volume Eating Comparison tool to see exactly how much physical food the same calories buy you elsewhere.

What to Do With This List

Three actions worth taking from a list like this:

  1. Anchor your plate around the top 10. Pick a protein from the top of the list and a legume from the workhorse tier and you're halfway to a high-SPC meal before you've added a vegetable.
  2. Compute SPC for foods that aren't on the list. The catalog above is a starting point, not a closed universe. Run anything you eat regularly through the Satiety per Calorie Calculator — it computes the same score for any nutrition label.
  3. Cross-reference with the PE ratio. The PE ratio is faster and great for label reading at the store. The PE Ratio Calculator gives you that number in five seconds, and the comparison article explains when each metric is the right tool.

The Bottom Line

The foods that win on SPC are the ones you've heard a thousand times: lean proteins, legumes, vegetables, low-fat dairy. The score is useful not because it surprises you with new foods, but because it gives you a number to act on. When you're standing in front of a fridge at 9pm trying to decide between Greek yogurt and a handful of almonds, the SPC numbers don't argue. Yogurt sits in the workhorse tier near the top of the middle. Almonds drop deep into the bottom half.

Compute SPC for your own foods with the Satiety per Calorie Calculator. Compare it with the PE ratio in the companion calculator. And if you want to see how these numbers translate into actual portion volume on a plate, the Volume Eating Comparison tool shows the gap between dense calories and filling calories in pictures, not formulas.

Try the PE Ratio Calculator

Enter the macros for any food and instantly see its Protein-to-Energy ratio, calorie breakdown, and macro percentages.

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